CORBAN LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE Empowering Emerging Leaders To Change Nations for God Corban Regional...

CORBAN LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

Empowering Emerging Leaders

To Change Nations for God

Corban Regional Training Notebook

C L I


IN CONJUCTION WITH

FIRE BAPTISED CHURCH

Corban Leadership Institute Making

History through Leadership Training

Compiled By Rev. Pastor Martin Muma

© Copyright 2014

Corban Leadership Institute

All Rights Reserved

Table of Contents

General Materials

The CLI Vision ......................................................................................... 1

Intimacy with God

Intimacy with God .................................................................................... 7

Passion for the Harvest

Passion for the Harvest ........................................................................... 19

Visionary Leadership

Biblical Leadership ................................................................................. 25

The Birth of Vision………. .................................................................... 33

Vision and Mission Workshop ............................................................... 39

Goal Setting ............................................................................................ 43

Culturally Relevant Evangelism

The Practice of Evangelism .................................................................... 49

Multiplication of Leaders

Discipleship……………… .................................................................... 53

Family Priority

Family Priority ........................................................................................ 57

Stewardship

Stewardship of the Spiritual Gifts.. ........................................................ 63

Integrity

Finishing Well ........................................................................................ 77


Corban Leadership Institute – Page 1

YOUR NOTES

Corban Leadership Institute Vision

Empowering Emerging Leaders to Change Nations for God

Give me a man of God – one man,

Whose faith is a master of his mind,

And I will right all wrongs

And bless the name of all mankind

Give me a woman of God – one woman,

Whose tongue is touched with heaven’s fire,

And I will flame the darkest hearts

With high resolve and clean desire

Give me a man of God – one man,

One mighty prophet of the Lord,

And I will give you peace on earth,

Bought with a prayer and not a sword.

Give me a woman of God – one woman,

True to the vision that she sees,

And I will build your broken shrines

And bring the nations to their knees.

GEORGE LIDDELL

Vision

Change history by accelerating the spread of the life transforming

power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through leaders of leaders

empowered by the Holy Spirit.

God is raising a new generation of leaders around the world. They

passionately love God. They are committed, energetic, and creative.

They are often pioneers. They know their culture and language. They

want to reach people with the Gospel. They want their lives to count for

something.

They seek training and a shared community of accountability, support

and encouragement. They say, “Equip us and we will make history.”

These leaders want to know God’s vision for their life – and then get out

and do it! They want to be trained, and in turn train others to make a


YOUR NOTES

difference for God in the world. Their leadership is not for some future

time. God wants to use them. The world needs them. Their time is now!

Mission

CLI trains and mobilizes leaders of leaders to reach the nations with

the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Qualified emerging Christian leaders are strategically selected and

equipped to change history by accelerating the spread of the Gospel

around the world.

Strategy

Five strategies govern the CLI movement around the world. Working

diligently by the power of the Holy Spirit:

1. PRAY fervently for leaders and nations for spiritual growth and

effective evangelism.

2. EQUIP leaders through CLI Journeys. These Journeys are dedicated

to:

Training emerging leaders in the eight core values for effective

Christian leadership.

Giving leaders the best resources available according to their

region of the world, such as books and online resources.

Encouraging leaders through fellowship and networks for

support.

3. MENTOR selected leaders for national and international impact.

4. NETWORK leaders for shared expertise and encouragement through

CLI Communities. These Communities are dedicated to:

Helping and supporting each other to live out the eight core

values.

Supporting each other in fulfilling God’s vision for their lives.

Praying together for change in our towns, cities and region.

Empowering other emerging leaders by training and mobilizing

them to live out the eight core values.

5. PARTNER with individuals and organizations where appropriate.


YOUR NOTES

Core Values

Based on global research, eight core values are essential for effective

Christian leadership. These core values form the foundation of CLI

leadership training.

1) Intimacy with God

God looks for consecrated men and women who lead from an

intimate relationship with God.

Biblical Foundation: Romans 8:15

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to

fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry,

Abba, Father.”

The world needs people who are deep in their spiritual lives. True

intimacy with God occurs through intentional effort over a long

period of time as your relationship grows deeper.

2) Passion for the Harvest

God looks for men and women who share a passion for those

without Christ. Jesus came to “seek and to save that which was

lost.” God desires that everyone be reached with the life

transforming power of the Gospel.

Biblical Foundation: Matthew 9:35-38

And Jesus was going about all the cities and the villages,

teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the Gospel of the

kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of

sickness. And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for

them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep

without a shepherd. Then He said, “The harvest is plentiful, but

the workers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the Harvest

that He may send laborers into His harvest.

Two-thirds of the world is yet to respond to God’s love. Until all are

reached with the Gospel, we are called to labor for the harvest.


YOUR NOTES

3) Visionary Leadership

God looks for men and women, who are Biblically committed to

cast vision, set goals, mobilize the Body of Christ, and overcome

obstacles in order to reach the nations for Christ.

Biblical Foundation – Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no vision, the people perish.

Servant leaders are needed based on God’s vision for the world.

These leaders set goals, mobilize the Body of Christ, and overcome

obstacles in order to meet needs and bring Christ to the nations.

4) Culturally Relevant Evangelism

God looks for men and women who live and teach the Gospel

with cultural relevance, sensitivity and power, so that the eternal

truth of the Gospel will be understood and received in every

culture of the world.

Biblical Foundation: 1 Corinthians 9:19-27

I have become all things to all people that I may by all possible

means save some.

The life transforming power of the Gospel must be communicated by

word and deed in the power of the Holy Spirit with cultural

relevance. The Gospel is equally relevant to every language and

culture in the world.

5) Multiplication of Leaders

God looks for men and women who disciple, coach, and mentor

other leaders, who in turn become leaders of leaders that

effectively train others.

Biblical Foundation: 2 Timothy 2:2

What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses,

these entrust to faithful men and women who will be able to train

others also.

Excellent leaders multiply themselves by raising up other leaders who

effectively lead God’s people and who will raise up other leaders.


YOUR NOTES

6) Family Priority

God looks for men and women who are convinced that the

family is God’s building block for society and make their family

a priority in developing leaders.

Biblical Foundation: Ephesians 5:22-6:9

Let each individual among you also love his own wife even as

himself, and let the wife see to it that she respects her husband.

God ordained the family and provides guidelines for developing a

healthy, strong family. Family is the first place that each person

should prioritize for their love and leadership.

7) Stewardship

God looks for men and women who are faithful stewards of

finances, time, and spiritual gifts in their personal lives and

ministries, with the result that people are reached with the Gospel.

Biblical Foundation: Matthew 25:14-30

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant;

you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of

many things, enter into the joy of your master.

Leaders are responsible to use God’s gifts for achieving maximum

impact for the Kingdom of God.

8) Integrity

God looks for men and women of integrity who live holy lives that

are accountable to God and to the Body of Christ. Integrity glorifies

God, protects leaders from stumbling, and encourages growth.

Biblical Foundation: 2 Timothy 4:1-7

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have

kept the faith.

God desires that leaders not only serve, but also finish well in their

lives and leadership. Integrity provides moral authority.

Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.

William Carey


YOUR NOTES

Intimacy with God

Opening Session

Core Value

God looks for consecrated men and women who lead from an intimate

relationship with God.

Teaching Objective

To understand the importance of having an intimate relationship with

God as the beginning point of our leadership, and to decide to take

practical steps to deepen that relationship.

Introduction

“Deep within every soul stands a meeting place, a castle, where the

believer and God can commune. For some believers, the castle is filled

with warmth, joy and laughter. For others, it is empty, lonely and

virtually non-existent. The choice is yours: cultivate a rich, fruitful inner

life with the Lord or let it remain stagnant and barren.”

Sherwood Eliot: The Inner Life of the Believer

Biblical Foundation

As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down

and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses… The

Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with a

friend. (Exodus 33:7-11)

Intimacy is the result of a mutual desire: Moses came to meet God

and God came to meet Moses.

Intimacy includes a spirit of friendship and not of fear.

Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be

in Us. (John 17:21-22)

The relationship between the Father and Son is both the model of

divine and human intimacy, and a prayer that we would have the

same experience.


YOUR NOTES

Barriers to Intimacy

1. Superficiality

“Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant

satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is

not for a great number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for

deep people.” Richard Foster

Some [seed] fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It

sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun

came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they

had no root. (Matthew 13:5-6)

God’s Answer: GO DEEP

Invest time to deepen your relationship with God. Some of God’s

best truths, like priceless treasures, are hidden in depths most

people never take the time to search out!

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

(Romans 11:33)

Do You

2. Failure to Prioritize

Leaders often find that the “tyranny of the urgent” leaves us feeling

strung out, impatient, occasionally resentful, and even worse, empty.

Why do you call me “Lord, Lord”, and do not do what I tell you to

do? (Luke 6:46)

God’s Answer: THIRST FOR GOD

Intimacy with God must be as necessary for us as the air we breathe

or the water we drink. The Psalmist writes:

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You,

O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I

go and meet with God? (Psalm 42:1-2)

Do You

Hunger and thirst for time alone with God?

Know God superficially or deeply?

“I am lonely, hollow, shallow,

enslaved to a schedule that never lets up.”

Anonymous pastor


YOUR NOTES

3. Focus on Information instead of Intimacy

One can know a great deal ABOUT God and godliness without really

KNOWING Him! One can know a great deal about godliness without

much KNOWLEDGE of God.

Always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.

(2 Timothy 3:7)

God’s Answer: PRACTICE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

The practice of spiritual disciplines will bring us closer to God

because it focuses on God instead of just knowledge.

No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have

preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

(1 Corinthians 9:27)

Do You

“The greatest problems of our time are not technological; they are not even

political or economic. The greatest problems are moral and spiritual, and

unless we can make some progress in these realms, we may not even

survive.” (D. Elton Trueblood)

Spiritual Disciplines Are the Door to Intimacy

Spiritual disciplines move us beyond surface living into the

depths. They invite us to explore the inner caverns of spiritual

reality.

Spiritual disciplines urge us to be the answer in a hollow world.

Spiritual disciplines provide liberation from the stifling slavery

to self interest and fear.

The primary requirement is a longing after God’s heart.

They allow us to place ourselves before God so that He can

transform us.

They deepen our intimacy with God.

Practice Spiritual Disciplines daily?


YOUR NOTES

Discussion Workshop

Discuss the following questions and make a list of answers:

What do you find most helpful for going deeper and developing

greater intimacy with God?

In what ways is intimacy with God more difficult for you

because of your leadership role?

Conclusion

Intimacy is a choice and a commitment. The choice is yours: cultivate a rich,

fruitful inner life with the Lord or let it remain stagnant and barren.

My heart says of you,” Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.

(Psalm 27:8)

To develop this deep, abiding fellowship with Christ, you need only

to have the heart and the desire to share your whole self with your

Savior.

My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord. My heart

and my flesh cry out for the living God. (Psalm 84:2)

As you commit yourself to come closer to God, God will come

closer to you and your intimacy will deepen.

For Your Private Time (For you and the Lord only)

Make a list of what would have to happen in order for you to

know God in a more intimate way.

Write down specific actions you will take (set goals) to seek

deeper intimacy with the Lord.

Spend time in prayer to “purpose in your heart” or to “make up

your mind” that you will not allow anything to stop you from

seeking the Lord in order to see Him “face to face.”

Our goal is to know God at the deeper levels of intimacy!


YOUR NOTES

Study

What?

Bible study, often known as exegesis, is studying the Word of God to

get to the heart of the text’s original meaning. Exegesis means “to lead

out” or “draw out.” It is extracting objectively, through systematic study,

what a text is actually saying to its original intended readers through

their original language and culture.

Why?

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,

correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be

thoroughly equipped for every good work.

(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is

heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

How?

Pray. Select and identify a passage.

Read. Slowly read through the passage several times.

Contextualize. Try to imagine yourself in this situation, living in

those times, walking in these people’s shoes. Evaluate the

context of the Scripture passage.


YOUR NOTES

Explore. Search for the original context.

The Historical Context: This is about the time period and

culture of the people who God used to write it, and the

people they are writing to.

The Literary Context: This refers to the meaning of the

words; the nouns, verbs, and adjectives. It includes both the

meaning of the word(s) itself as well as what they mean in

their context of sentence structure and surrounding passages.

What is the Genre Context? How does the literary type or

wording in the passage affect the interpretation? In English,

we have story, comedy, tragedy, novel, lyric poem, and epic

to name a few. In Greek and Hebrew, we have narrative, law,

poetry, prophecy, apocalyptic, parable, epistle, and even

romance. This is very important, as this helps us interpret the

meaning of the text and whether it is literal or figurative.

Study. Explore the contents.

Apply. Live out what you have learned to be a more fully

devoted Christian.

Examples of passages in the Bible that you could study:

The Sermon on the Mount – Matthew chapters 5-7.

The call of Isaiah – Isaiah chapter 6.

The book of 1 John.

A character study – compare the different characters of Saul

and David in the Bible.

A preaching study – compare the evangelistic sermons of

Peter and Paul in the book of Acts. What is similar in each,

and what is different?


YOUR NOTES

Meditation

What?

The Bible uses two different Hebrew words to convey the idea of

meditation, and together they are used some 58 times. These words have

various meanings: listening to God’s word, reflecting on God’s works,

rehearsing God’s deeds, thinking on God’s law, and more. In each case

there is an emphasis upon changed behavior as a result of encountering

the living God. Christian meditation is the ability to hear God’s voice

and obey His word.

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever

is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is

excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

(Philippians 4:8)

In meditation we are growing into what Thomas a Kempis calls “a

familiar friendship with Jesus.”

Why?

Through meditation we can gain a greater understanding of God’s

character, and also of the profound truths of our faith. For example,

meditating on a simple concept such as holiness, or joy, can allow God

to take us deeper in our walk with Him.

Meditation enables us to hear God more clearly. It is characterized more

by reflecting and listening to God.


YOUR NOTES

How?

Take a simple biblical concept, or a simple verse, and read it

several times.

Reflect on the verse or concept and ask God what it could

mean.

Consider how this concept could apply to your life. How

practically can you live this out?

If you find meditation difficult, compare it to worrying. We

all know how to worry by continually returning to a subject

that concerns us, such as a lack of money, or a broken

relationship. Meditation is simply ‘worrying’ about

something positive, about something godly. Use the same

skills!

Such meditation may last longer than one fixed period of

time. You may find yourself continuing to meditate about it

in your spare moments all day, or even all week, and God

may continue to speak to you through the one verse.

Biblical passages on meditation:

The glory of meditation: Exodus 24:15-18

The friendship of meditation: Exodus 33:11

The terror of meditation: Exodus 20:18-19

The object of meditation: Psalm 1:1-3

The comfort of meditation: 1 Kings 19:9-18

The insights of meditation: Acts 10:9-20

The ecstasy of meditation: 2 Corinthians 12:1-4

Adapted from the book by Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

Examples of verses to meditate on:

Our Father... (Mathew 6:9)

Be holy, because I am holy. (Leviticus 11:45)

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2)


YOUR NOTES

FFFaaassstttiiinnnggg

What?

The purpose of Christian fasting is to take our eyes off the things of this

world and focus on God. By fasting and denying ourselves, we can focus

better on Christ, and allow Him to bring a breakthrough in specific areas

of our life and ministry.

Throughout the Scripture fasting refers to abstaining from food for

spiritual purposes. The Greek word for fasting is nesteia – a compound

of ne (a negative prefix) and esthio which means “to eat.” So the basic

root meaning of the word simply means “not to eat.” Biblical fasting is

“not eating” with spiritual communication in mind.

Why?

Fasting is a Biblical practice. (Mt 6:16)

To be heard by God. (Isaiah 58:4,9)

For deliverance. (Isaiah 49:24-25)

For revelation. (Daniel 9:2,3,21-22)

For health and healing. (Isaiah 58:8)

How?

Study the subject of fasting in the Bible.

Make sure you are medically able to fast before attempting it.

Begin with short fasts and gradually move to larger periods of

time if you

Break a prolonged fast gradually with meals that are light and

easy to digest.


YOUR NOTES

Enter with a positive faith that God will reward those who fast

with the right motives. Jesus gave this promise; “When you fast,

your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

(Matthew 6:18)

Sometimes during your fast, mix your fast with prayer,

Scripture reading, singing, or devotional reading. Remember,

fasting is not an end in itself. Seek the Lord, not the experience

of fasting.

John Wesley stated “Some have exalted religious fasting beyond all

Scripture and reason, and others have utterly disregarded it.” We need to

find a middle path between these two extremes. We are not called to

fanatical fasting where we deny ourselves everything, but we are called

to fast regularly.

Christian Fasting - A Lifestyle of Servant Living

Although fasting literally means “not eating”, Christian fasting is more

than denying ourselves food or something else of the flesh – it's a

sacrificial lifestyle before God. In Isaiah 58, we learn what a “true fast”

is. It is not just a one-time act of humility and denial before God, it is a

lifestyle of servant ministry to others. As Isaiah tells us fasting should

also encourage humility, loosen the chains of injustice, untie the chords

of the yoke, free the oppressed, feed the hungry, provide for the poor,

and clothe the naked.

http://www.allaboutgod.com/truth/isaiah-58.htm


YOUR NOTES

PPPrrraaayyyeeerrr

What?

Prayer is central to all the spiritual disciplines because it ushers us into

communion with the Father. Real prayer is life creating and life

changing. “Prayer – secret, fervent, believing prayer – lies at the root of

all personal godliness” (William Carey).

Why?

Prayer is a great privilege. It is a privilege purchased by the

blood of Jesus Christ.

Conversation is a part of any vital and growing relationship.

We should pray because we are in a spiritual battle.

Prayer is a deterrent to sin in our lives. In the quiet times of

private, honest prayer God exposes the rationalizations and

the excuses that we use to justify our sin.

It is a command from God.

In prayer we begin to think God’s thoughts after Him, to

desire the things He desires, to love the way He loves.

God works through the prayers of His people. We are co-

laborers together with Christ.


YOUR NOTES

How?

Realize we all need to learn how to pray. Our cry should

always be: Lord, teach us to pray. (Luke 11:1)

Never wait until you feel like praying. Begin to pray, and the

desire for praying will grow.

Identify the obstacles to prayer and overcome them. If we are

honest, many of us would admit that one of the greatest

obstacles to prayer is the difficulty that we have in

concentrating. There are several ways to help a wandering

mind.

Pray at a time when you are most mentally alert (generally

praying while you are lying in bed is not very effective).

Go to a quiet place where you will not be interrupted.

You can pray silently or speak your prayers out loud.

Consider using a prayer list.

Keep a pad of paper handy.

Come as a child.

Learn from the giants of prayer.

Expect that things will begin to change as you pray.

Use the Word of God to aid you in your prayers.

Listen, allowing God to lay His burdens on your heart.


YOUR NOTES

Passion for the Harvest

Core Value

God looks for men and women who share a passion for those without

Christ. Jesus came to “seek and to save that which was lost.” God

desires that everyone be reached with the life transforming power of the

Gospel.

Teaching Objective

To challenge the people of God to fully experience God’s passion for the

billions of lives who are waiting to hear they are loved by God.

Introduction

Intimacy with God leads to God’s heart and passion for the lost. God’s

passion becomes our passion. Just as our intimacy must be continually

rekindled, so must our passion. Vision is directly related to passion.

When passion lessens, vision also becomes more distant and dim.

Passion Defined

Passion is a force burning in you, which seizes you, a power that moves

you beyond ordinary human activity. It won’t let you go until God’s

goals are reached. Passion is the fire and urgency that vision needs to

keep alive and active.

Biblical Introduction to Passion

For Jeremiah: Passion is a fire that comes from God and cannot

be extinguished.

But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,”

his word is in my heart like a FIRE, a fire shut up in my bones. I am

weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. (Jeremiah 20:9)

For Peter: Passion is a conviction that has to be obeyed.

Then they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the

name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for

yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather

than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen

and heard. (Acts 4:18-20)

“The great of the Kingdom are those who loved God more than the others. All other passions build upon or flow from our passionate love for Jesus. Our passion for souls, missions, the needy, the disenfranchised all start there.”

A.W. Tozer, Ablaze for God

The root word of passion in Latin means “to suffer for.” Passion is

what you hunger for so intensely that you will sacrifice

anything to have it. McClung, Apostolic

Passion


YOUR NOTES

For Paul: Passion is a crucified life lived by faith in Christ.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ

lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of

God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Workshop

Can you identify with Jeremiah, Peter, or Paul? Share a time when you

knew your soul was on fire with passion and the fruit that came from it.

Passion and the Harvest

Jesus came to “seek and to save that which was lost.” God desires that

everyone be reached with the life transforming power of the Gospel. The

words of Jesus are as relevant today as when they were first spoken:

The Fields Are Ripe for Harvest

Do you not say, “Four months and then the harvest?” I tell you,

open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

Even now the reaper draws his wages; even now he harvests the

crop for eternal life. (John 4:35)

The Harvest Is Plentiful but the Workers are Few.

When He [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them

because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a

shepherd. Then he said to his disciples,” the harvest is plentiful

but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to

send out workers into his harvest field. (Matthew 9:36-38)

The Harvest Field

More than six billion people now inhabit planet Earth. This poses a great

challenge before the Church, as two thirds of the global population has

yet to make a decision about the claims of the Gospel. Currently, the

global harvest looks like this:

Two Billion are Christians.

Two Billion are non Christians with access to the Gospel.

Two Billion remain unreached.

The Great Harvest

We live in one of the most exciting periods in God’s salvation history.

Patrick Johnstone, author of Operation World, states, “We are living in

the time of the largest ingathering of people into the Kingdom of God

that the world has ever seen.”

One-third of the world says

“Thank You, Jesus.”

Another third is

saying, “No Thank You, Jesus.”

The remaining third

say, “Who is Jesus?”


YOUR NOTES

During the twentieth century, the world population multiplied 3.7 times.

The percentage of Christians in North America has remained about the

same. In Europe, Christians have not kept pace with the population,

growing only 1.5 times. However in Asia, there are 15 times, and in

Africa there are 38 times more Christians than 100 years ago.

New believers are being added to the Church at the rate of:

20,000 per day in Africa

15,000 per day in India

10,000 per day in Latin America

500,000 to 100+ million in China since 1950

Christianity is growing by 115,000 per day worldwide. It has been

estimated that each week, 5,600 new churches are being planted around

the world. This gives us great reason to praise God. The Holy Spirit is

working mightily!

The Great Challenges

At the same time, 2,000 years and 59 generations after the Great

Commission, these are the great challenges we face.

Challenge Number 1: The Gospel For Every Person

Bible translation: "About 96% of the world's population has

adequate Scriptures in their language. However, to complete the

remaining 4% will require possibly as many as 3,000 new

translation efforts."

Christian radio broadcasting: Studies indicate Christian radio

broadcasts are in the languages of about 81% of the world’s

population.

Jesus film: There have been approximately 6.11 billion viewings

of the Jesus film and it is available in languages spoken by over

90% of the world’s population.

Status of the Gospel for every person: Approximately 70% (4.3

billion) of the world’s population have heard the gospel in some

form. 30% (2 billion) have had virtually no exposure to the Gospel.

Challenge Number 2: A Church for Every People

6,600 Unreached / Least-Reached ethnic people groups out of

16,000 total groups in the world. (“Unreached - Least-Reached”

is defined as less than 2% evangelical individuals and less than

5% Christian adherents in the people group.)


YOUR NOTES

3,700 of these Unreached / Least-Reached groups are small, under

10,000 in population, so the task isn’t as large as it first appears.

Countries with the most “Least-Reached” people groups

Country Total Ethnic Groups Least-Reached Groups

India 2,333 2,084

China 499 413

Pakistan 401 386

Bangladesh 371 336

Nepal 315 293

Challenge Number 3 – Our World

Spiritual challenge: More Christians were martyred in the 20th

century than in the previous 19 centuries combined.

People challenge: The remaining people groups and individuals

tend to be in remote locations, have great language and cultural

barriers, practice religious fundamentalism, and are the most

resistant to the gospel.

Political / national challenge: The countries with the most Least-

Reached tend to be closed to Christianity.

How to Fully Experience God’s Passion for the Harvest

Passion is the direct result of our love for Christ and our commitment

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one

died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those

who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died

for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5: 14-15)

Passion Comes From God

Wesley Duewel writes in Ablaze for God, “We cannot light this fire. In

ourselves we cannot produce it. No man can kindle in himself that

celestial fire; it must come from the coal from the altar above.”

How do you fully experience God’s passion for the harvest? You ask.

You seek. You knock because “Every good and perfect gift comes from

God.” (James 1:17)

“The passion of Christianity comes from deliberately signing away our rights and becoming a bondservant of Jesus Christ.”

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest


YOUR NOTES

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and

the door will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives; he

who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

(Matthew 7:7-8)

Historical Examples of Passion

In the eighteenth century, God worked through a group of passionate

European leaders whose influence helped take the Gospel around the

world and changed the course of history.

John Wesley (Leader of Revival in England)

“Let us all be of one business. We live only for this, to save our own souls

and the souls of those who hear us.” God used John Wesley to bring revival

and transform England. Sixty million people all over the world today owe

their spiritual heritage to this movement.

John Knox (Leader of the Scottish Revival)

When his wife pleaded with him to get some sleep, he answered, “How

can I sleep when my land is not saved?” He would often pray all night in

agonizing tones. “Lord, give me Scotland or I die!” God shook Scotland.

God gave him Scotland.

David Brainard (Missionary to the American Indians)

“I cared not where or how I lived, or what hardships I went through so

that I could but gain souls to Christ.”

George Whitefield (British Evangelist)

Whitefield prayed, “O Lord, give me souls or take my soul.” It is said that

his face shone like the face of Moses when he sobbed that prayer.

William Booth (Founder of the Salvation Army)

The King of England asked him what the ruling force of his life was.

Booth’s reply was: “Sir, some men’s passion is for gold, other men’s

passion is for fame, but my passion is for souls.”

Examples taken from Ablaze for God, Duewel.

Passion Must Be Nurtured Since passion comes from God, it is maintained through our intimacy with

Him. As God feeds and nurtures our soul through spiritual disciplines and His presence, one of the spiritual results is that our passion increases and

sustains our vision. Passion must be nurtured and maintained like a fire.


YOUR NOTES

May all of our hearts burn with a passionate flame that never goes out until the harvest is complete or until Christ takes us

home. Let us be about our calling, “To Save Souls.”

Conclusion

Since God’s passion is for the lost, He is ready to give you His heart of

passion. You cannot light the fire. The fire of passion is from God. The

steps are clear:

Commit to becoming a bondservant of Jesus Christ.

Ask…Seek…Knock.

Pray.

Your Passion Prayer

God, I want the passion You have for the Lost to become my passion.

I ask that from on high You send FIRE into my bones just as You did to

Jeremiah. Let this FIRE burn away anything that is keeping me from

experiencing Your divine passion. I too want to “seek the lost” following

the example of Your passionate Son.

In His’ Name I pray,

Amen

Your signature Today’s Date


YOUR NOTES

Biblical Leadership

Core Value

God looks for men and women who are Biblically committed to cast

vision, set goals, mobilize the Body of Christ, and overcome obstacles in

order to reach the nations for Christ.

Teaching Objectives

To teach the critical importance of leadership for advancing the

Kingdom of God.

To understand and apply the “Biblical Leadership Triangle” so

that each leader can reach their full potential.

Introduction

God’s normal way to bring the Kingdom of God on earth is to find a

person who will serve God with their whole heart. Secular writers also

recognize the serious need for leadership in all areas of human endeavor.

The Importance of Leadership

Leaders make or break an organization

Leaders advance or destroy a cause

Leaders inspire or frustrate a mission

Leaders motivate and mobilize, or stagnate and demoralize a

movement

Leaders lead the way or lose the way

Leadership and the Course of History

“God changes the course of history through the selection of men and

women who will act on His behalf.” (Isaac Lim)

Biblical Examples

Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3) - I will make you a great nation.

Moses (Exodus 3:1-12) - I am sending you back to bring my

people out of captivity.

David (1 Samuel 13:14) – I am anointing you King over Israel.

Esther (Book of Esther) – I will use you to protect my people.


YOUR NOTES

Definitions of Leadership

J. Oswald Sanders - “Leadership is influence.”

Bernard Montgomery – “Leadership is the capacity and will to rally

men and women to a common purpose, and the character which inspires

confidence.”

Li Hung Chang – “There are only three kinds of people – those who are

immovable, those are movable, and those who move them.”

Bobb Biehl: “Leadership is knowing…

What to do next.

Why that is important.

How to bring appropriate resources to bear on the need.”

Reflection Workshop - Other Definitions

What are other definitions of leadership that you have learned?

What is your own definition of leadership?

The Biblical Leadership Triangle

Biblical leadership is best represented by the image of an equilateral

triangle, a triangle in which all sides have the same length. This triangle

is a symbol of strength and stability. The three sides represent essential

characteristics of biblical leaders.

Spiritual Leadership – Biblical leadership is spiritual in nature

and centered in God.

Servant Leadership – Biblical leadership is oriented toward

service. Jesus is the supreme model of true servant leadership.

Transformational Leadership – Biblical Leadership is aimed at

meaningful change. Transformational leaders change

themselves, their followers, and their world.

For a leader to reach his or her full potential and achieve

peak performance, all three characteristics must be

present and increasing.


YOUR NOTES

Spiritual Leadership

Introduction to Spiritual Leadership

The essential difference between the natural leader and the biblical

leader is the spiritual nature of Biblical Leadership as a person is

empowered by the Holy Spirit.

“The spiritual leader influences others not by the power of his

own personality but by that personality initiated and

interpenetrated and empowered by the Holy Spirit.”

(J. O. Sanders, “Spiritual Leadership” p.20)

It is the blending of the natural and spiritual qualities of a person

in the service of God and for His glory.

Spiritual Leadership in the Life of Moses

It begins with a call.

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called

to him from within the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And Moses said

‘Here I am.’ (Exodus 3:4)

The vision is God-given.

So now, go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the

Israelites out of Egypt. (Exodus 3:10)

It involves following the Spirit.

So Moses took his wife and sons, put them back on a donkey and

started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.

(Exodus 4:20)

The abilities are God-enabled.

Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.

(Exodus 4:12)

The gifts are more than natural.

Take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground.

The water you take from the river will become blood on the

ground. (Exodus 4:9)

It reflects the character of God.

Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone

else on the face of the earth. (Numbers 12:3)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

faithfulness, gentleness and self control. (Galatians 2:22)

“The spiritual leader influences others not by the power of his own personality but by that personality

initiated and interpenetrated and empowered by the

Holy Spirit.” J. Oswald Sanders


YOUR NOTES

Servant Leadership

Introduction

The second side in the Biblical Leadership Triangle is Servant

Leadership. Spiritual leaders are also servant leaders. God’s call always

includes service. Hence servant leadership accompanies spiritual

leadership. Paul points to this leadership model when he exhorts the

Christians in Philippi to have the same attitude as Christ.

…who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard

equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied

himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human form, he

humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death –

even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-11)

Servant Leadership Defined

“The skills of influencing people to work enthusiastically towards goals

identified as being for the common good, with character that inspires

confidence.”

James C. Hunter (Servant Leadership)

“A Servant Leader is a person who models leadership through service.”

Robert K. Greenleaf (Servant Leadership)

“Whoever wants to be first must be the servant of all.”

Jesus (Mark 10:44)

The Biblical Model of Servant Leadership

Jesus led by being a servant to all, and taught his disciples to imitate

Him and lead in the same fashion.

Today, servant leadership, as popularized by Robert Greenleaf, is one of

the cutting edge leadership models in the secular business arena. The

foundation of Biblical servant leadership, however, comes from God as

modeled through Jesus Christ.


YOUR NOTES

Jesus and Servant Leadership – The Foundation

Jesus was able to take the role of servant leader because He

was secure:

In His relationship with God

In His knowledge of what God wanted Him to

accomplish

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under

his power and that he had come from God and was

returning to God. (John 13: 3)

Jesus and Servant Leadership – The Motivation

Why did Jesus wash His disciples’ feet? John tells us it was out of love

for them.

Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them

the full extent of his love. (John 13: 1)

Jesus and Servant Leadership – The Model

And during supper Jesus… got up from the table, took off his outer

robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a

basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with

the towel that was tied around him.

Jesus said, “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,

you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set before you

an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” (John

13:2- 5, 14-15)

Jesus was recognized as master and teacher. He knew this, as did

the disciples.

Servant leadership was not the leadership model of that day.

Jesus’ action to the disciples held greater significance than

washing dirty feet. It was an attitude of serving when one was not

required to serve.

The reason the disciples, as well as ourselves perhaps, could not

see them taking on this lowly task was because they were pre-

occupied with protecting their own positions and rankings.

“Leadership is NOT an affair of the head. Leadership is an affair of the heart.”

Kouzes & Posner


YOUR NOTES

Jesus and Servant Leadership – The Power of Love

John describes Jesus’ act of washing the disciple’s feet by saying, “Now

he showed the full extent of his love.” (John 13.1)

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul expands our understanding of love when he states,

Love is patient, love is kind, and not jealous; love does not

brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does

not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a

wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but

rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (v.4-8)

Several of the same characteristics here also appear in Paul’s list of the

“fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22 – 23), which points us to where we

must turn to find the resources that will enable us to display these

qualities in our own lives.

Transformational Leadership

Introduction

Besides being spiritual by nature and servant by mission, Biblical

leaders are transformational because they are called by God to be agents

of transformation. The Biblical transformational leader:

Transforms his or her world by being an agent of meaningful change.

Transforms his or her followers into leaders.

Leaders are Change Agents

Jesus – The Ultimate Change Agent

In Matthew’s account, Jesus established right from the beginning of His

ministry that He was here to bring significant and meaningful change by

delivering what we now know as “The Sermon on the Mount.”

Reflection Workshop

Examine Matthew 5. Remembering that Jesus is the ultimate agent of

meaningful change, answer the following questions.

What kinds of changes did Jesus preach?

How were Jesus’ teachings different from traditional Judaism of

the time?

How is Jesus’ teaching different from the kind of Christianity that

you are experiencing in your part of the world?


YOUR NOTES

The Sermon on the Mount – Deep Change

Jesus’ words to His disciples in this discourse contain four elements that

are useful for influencing meaningful change.

Reversal of expectations: Jesus surprises people with a set of

beatitudes that cast a higher vision and challenge expectations.

Higher moral standards: Jesus presents high moral standards

that are impossible to live by apart from the power of the cross

and the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Change grounded in unchanging truth: Jesus affirms

categorically that God’s law cannot be changed.

Challenge to become change agents: Jesus passes the torch to His

disciples. They are light and salt. They are to live the changes in the

marketplace so everyone will see and learn.

Conclusion

For the Christian leader, the purpose of their influence is to bring glory

to God and bring about the Kingdom of God on earth.

Leaders who achieve higher levels of influence reflect authentic Biblical

leadership. They possess the spiritual depth, the servant orientation, and

the skill necessary to bring about meaningful change.

God is looking for men and women who are true Biblical

leaders. God will use them to make history.


YOUR NOTES

The Birth of Vision

Knowing God’s Vision for Your Life

Core Value

God looks for men and women who are Biblically committed to cast vision,

set goals, mobilize the Body of Christ, and overcome obstacles in order to

reach the nations for Christ.

Teaching Objectives

This session explores the vital importance of vision for effective

leadership. A special focus is upon the process that God normally uses

to birth vision in the life of Christian leaders.

Introduction

“A blind person’s world is bounded by the limits of his or her touch; an

ignorant person’s world by the limit’s of his or her knowledge; a great

person’s by the limits of his or her vision.”

E. Paul Hovey (modified)

The Power of Vision

All effective leadership begins with vision!

“Take vision away from a leader and you cut out his or her heart. Vision

is the fuel that leaders run on. It’s the energy that creates action. It is the

fire that ignites the passion of followers. It is the clear call that sustains

focused effort year after year, decade after decade, as people offer

consistent and sacrificial service to God.” Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership, p. 31

What is Vision?

“Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion.” (Bill Hybels)

“Vision for ministry is a clear mental image of a preferable future imparted

by God to His chosen servants, and is based upon an accurate

understanding of God, self, and circumstances.”

George Barna, The Power of Vision

Vision is a clear mental picture that leads people to reach out to the

future. True vision stirs emotions. It is seeing that which is not yet here

and visualizing something before it actually exists. By the power of the

Holy Spirit, God gives vision to Christian leaders to bring into creation

that which is not yet reality.

Proven leaders demonstrate contagious,

compelling vision!


YOUR NOTES

What is Vision like: Three Analogies

1. Vision is like the Eye of the Eagle

An eagle can see farther than other animals. In the same way, visionary

leaders see beyond a maintenance mentality and envision a mission that

makes an apostolic difference for Christ.

2. Vision is like a Magnifying Glass

A magnifying glass brings objects into clearer focus. Vision from God

allows a leader to see with greater clarity and focus.

3. Vision is like the Banks of a River

The banks of a river provide direction for the flow of the water. Vision

provides direction and keeps us moving in the direction that God wants

to take us.

The Benefits of Vision

Vision provides at least nine positive benefits. Vision clarifies purpose,

establishes clear priorities, sets standards of excellence, inspires

expectation, motivates commitment, maximizes productivity, expands

horizons, fuels passion, and provides focus for reaching your fullest

potential.

The Birth of Vision: A Lesson from Nehemiah

The story contained in the book of Nehemiah is a model that will help us

understand God’s process of birthing vision in the heart of His servants.

Historical Background

After the death of Solomon, God judges the nation of Israel for their

idolatry and sin. By 586 B.C. the twelve tribes of Israel no longer exist.

The Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar, captured the city of

Jerusalem, burned the house of God (the temple), broke down the

protective wall, destroyed the city’s valuable articles, and stole the

national treasures.

The Jewish people are captured, forced into slavery, and marched 1400

kilometers to Babylon. Psalm 137 is written at this time: “How can we

sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?”

For 70 years, the Jewish people lived in captivity, and then God begins

to restore Jerusalem through three people.

Zerubbabel: rebuilds the House of God (temple)

Ezra: restores worship (80 years later)

Nehemiah: rebuilds the walls (13 years later)

As the book of Nehemiah begins, Nehemiah serves as the cupbearer to

the king and he is about to learn God’s vision for his life!

Where there is no vision, the people perish! Proverbs 29.18 KJV

Without vision, people

throw off restraints. They may go in any direction.

John E. Haggai


YOUR NOTES

Six Steps in the Birth of Vision

God designed us to be people of purpose – to pursue causes for which

we would exchange our lives. When you find God’s vision for your life,

you will not take hold of it; it will take hold of you. It will begin quietly

as you…

1. See the Need

These are the words of Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah. Now it

happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was

in Susa the capital, that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men

came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and

had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 1:1-2)

It is said that a true Jew is always concerned about two things: the

Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem. These were Nehemiah’s two

questions.

And they said to me, ‘The remnant there in the province who survived

the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of

Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.

(Nehemiah 1:3)

You catch the sight of a human plight that stirs you and a spiritual nerve

within you is touched. Quietly you experience the first step. This is the

seeding process in the birth of a vision.

Verse 3 is the answer to the question on Nehemiah’s heart. As he hears

the words, he can see the situation in Jerusalem. He has never actually

been to Jerusalem, but he can “see” the city in his mind. He can see the

people living in fear and uncertainty. He can see the broken walls. His

emotions are touched.

2. Feel the Need

Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and

wept. (Nehemiah 1:4a)

First, you see the need. Then you begin feeling the need. You begin to

purposefully open your heart and place their need inside you. Their need

becomes your need. The seeds of vision begin to grow inside of you.

The seeds are the genuine needs of others.

Vision is…

Birthed in human experience

Based upon a human need


YOUR NOTES

Burdens…

Birth great visions

Provide passion for the vision

Everyone sees many needs, but sometimes seeds give birth to something

deep in your heart that has staying power. The need seems to have leapt

onto you, and now it goes wherever you go. This is almost a chemical

reaction between a certain need and the way God made you.

The news deeply impacted Nehemiah. It was exactly the opposite of what

he hoped to hear. It affected him emotionally. He sat down and wept. His

heart broke for Jerusalem and the situation the people were facing.

Question: Have you ever received news that was so painful, so

devastating, that you could not stand?

3. Bonding to the Need

… and mourned for days… (Nehemiah 1:4b)

The awareness of the need grows strong inside of you. The feelings

don’t leave. In fact, the feelings increase.

The Holy Spirit is bonding you to the need. This often takes place over a

period of time.

Bonding to the need is like God applying glue between the need and

your heart.

4. Burden for the Need

… and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

(Nehemiah 1:4.c)

At some point, you cross the line from objective observation to a soulful

yearning that something must be done. You mourn for what you have seen.

The burden weighs heavily and you cannot escape it. In the back of your

mind, there is the thought that something must be done. Over and over again

you see the snapshot of human need engraved in your mind, until you begin

to glimpse your own face in the picture. You think about being the one to act.

God bonds… Chosen servants to needs to bring the Kingdom of

God on earth

Visionary Leaders are willing to…

Intentionally put the need in their heart

Feel the pain personally


YOUR NOTES

If you can answer these questions, then…

Your life is about to change forever.

Workshop

Do you have a clear sense of the primary need that God desires

you to fulfill? Describe this need in one short paragraph below.

5. Believe that You Could Meet the Need

You could step out to meet the need, but will you? You are at a critical

point. If this is a true vision struggling to be born, you will have an

internal accountability for the need. You feel a sense of responsibility and

urgency to do something. Softly wrapped around the burden is the quiet

persistent confidence that you are being called by God to take action.

6. Initial Action to Meet the Need

It may be only a minor act on your part. What matters the most is that

you take some action. You cross over an invisible line from belief to

action. It is now clear that you are the person, this is the vision, and now

is the time. This is the reason you are put here on earth.

Conclusion/Application

Every leader must answer the two questions below:

What is my purpose?

What is my vision?

When you take this step of action, a leader…

Launches the vision

Takes a step of faith involving risk

Moves from the private arena to the public arena

Moves toward fulfilling his or her greater life purpose

The step will require obedience

Requires acting in faith

Acknowledges the power of God

Validates your accountability to God and people

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Visionary Leadership: A Personal Inventory

Are You a Visionary Leader?

The questions below are not a scientific survey, but seek to stimulate

your thinking. Answer them honestly and then add your scores to help

determine if you are a visionary leader.

Rank on a scale of 1 to 7 your answers to the following questions:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

False Sometimes True

I have a clear sense of the primary need that I am called to meet.

I spend the majority of my time working specifically toward my life’s central goal.

I am confident that God is the source of my vision for my life.

I have experienced deep and powerful emotions, even pain at times, just thinking about my greater goals.

I talk about my vision frequently to those who are close to me and those who are under my authority.

I have every expectation that I will achieve my vision.

I expect my vision to leave a significant impact on the world long after I am gone.

Scoring: 42-47: I am a solar observatory telescope 35-41: I have eagle vision 28-34: I miss some of the fine print 21-27: I am a little near-sighted 7-20: Who turned out the lights?


YOUR NOTES

Vision is a clear mental image of a preferable future

imparted by God to His chosen servants, and is based on an

accurate understanding of

God, self and circumstances.

George Barna

Vision and Mission Workshop

All Effective Leadership Begins with Vision

As stated in the session on the Birth of Vision, “Take vision away from

the leader and your cut out his or her heart. Vision is the fuel that leaders

run on. It is the energy that creates action.” (Bill Hybels)

Vision is a clear mental picture of a preferable future that leads people to

reach out to the future.

Developing your vision is a process best accomplished through prayer and

reflection in the presence of God. This workshop will assist you to clarify,

sharpen, and focus God’s vision for your life.

Write Your Vision Statement

Based on George Barna’s definition of vision, on a separate piece of

paper, write down your vision. Remember:

Your vision statement should be written in God’s presence

through much prayer. Your vision is God-given.

Your vision statement is a picture of something God wants to

accomplish. It is what you SEE of the preferable future that

God desires. It is often the answer to the question why a certain

work needs to take place. Why did Nehemiah rebuild a wall?

To see a fully restored Jerusalem.

If you are struggling to discern God’s vision for your life,

begin with the needs that you see, feel and for which you have

a special burden. Is there a particular group of people or

geographical region that God has placed on your heart?

Vision can be revealed in a moment or it can take months or

even years to fully take shape. Write down what you know,

and continue seeking God until the full vision is revealed.

The Biblical foundations for all God-given visions are rooted

in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission:

…Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all

your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…

Love your neighbor as yourself… (Mark 12:30-31)

…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the

name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and

teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

(Matthew 28:19-20)


YOUR NOTES

Write Your Mission Statement

On another piece of paper, write down your mission. Remember:

Your mission flows from God’s vision for your life.

Your mission is what you will DO to accomplish the vision.

For Nehemiah it was to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls.

There may be more than one activity you will do to fulfill the

vision. You may be involved in many things which contribute

towards the same vision.

Share Your Vision and Mission

Form groups of three people. Share your vision and mission. Provide

feedback to one another to help clarify, sharpen, and focus your

statements.

Important questions to ask include:

Are the statements clear and compelling?

Could they be stated with fewer, more carefully chosen

words?

Do the statements communicate effectively?

Record Your Vision and Mission

First, based on feedback from your small group, revise your vision and

mission statements.

Next, write your vision and mission statements in the boxes on the next

page.

Conclusion

After recording your statements, commit your future fully into God’s

hands. You might use the following portion of The Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy Name,

Thy Kingdom come. They will be done.

On earth as it is in heaven.

(Matthew 6.9-10)

God will often call

you to work with

others in pursuing a

vision. Once you

have discerned your

vision, consider

working with

individuals and

organizations that

are already active in

this area.


YOUR NOTES

God’s Vision for my Life

My God-given Mission

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Corban Leardership Institute – Page 43

YOUR NOTES

“If you don’t know where you are going, every road leads to your destination.”

Anonymous

Goal setting

Core Value

God looks for men and women who are Biblically committed to cast vision,

set goals, mobilize the Body of Christ, and overcome obstacles in order to

reach the nations for Christ.

Teaching Objectives

To understand the importance of setting goals for effective

leadership.

To learn the practice of SMART goalsetting.

To challenge each participant to live a goal-oriented lifestyle.

Introduction

Successful leaders always have a clear vision and set specific,

measurable, attainable, realistic and time-targeted goals that guide how

they live each day.

Positive Benefits of Setting Goals

Goals give purpose and direction to your life.

Goals simplify the decision-making process.

Goals keep you motivated.

Goals exercise faith.

Goals give a sense of achievement and satisfaction.

Biblical Foundations

Scripture is filled with examples of leaders who set goals in order to

accomplish God’s vision and mission for their lives. Jesus Christ’s

mission is clearly stated in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to

seek and to save what was lost.” Goals to accomplish this mission

include:

“I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow,

and on the third day I will reach my goal.” (Luke 13:32)

“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that

he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of

the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must

be killed and on the third day be raised to life. (Matthew 16:21)


YOUR NOTES

Goal Setting in Six Practical Steps

Goal setting is a discipline that will transform your life if you make it a

priority. Goal setting requires significant thinking and seeking God’s

plans, but in the process you will obtain a greater focus and increase

your effectiveness.

1. Review your vision and mission. Your goals will provide practical

steps to accomplish your vision and mission.

2. Pray for God’s wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should

ask God, who gives generously to all . . .” (James 1:5)

3. Key Requirements: Write a list of the key requirements that it will

take to fulfill your mission.

4. Review, Organize, and Prioritize: Review what you have written.

Eliminate some ideas, combine others, restate and create new ideas.

Organize your list by priority and focus area.

5. Write SMART Goals. Develop SMART goals based on the ideas

that you have written and the priorities which you have established.

What is a SMART goal? SMART is an acronym built on the five essential

characteristics of effective goals. (Based on Paul Myer, slightly modified.)

Specific

With specific goals, you know exactly where you are going.

Measurable

If your goals are measurable, you can monitor your progress as

you pursue them.

Attainable

Your goals must be in harmony with your gifts and talents. You

should not set a goal for yourself that is beyond your natural

abilities, skills and spiritual gifts.

Realistic

Your goals should involve faith, but they must also be realistic. It is

unwise to set goals so large that they are unrealistic.

Time Targeted

Every goal should have a deadline, a time when it should be

completed and evaluated.


YOUR NOTES

Examples of SMART goals include:

To read the entire Bible within six months.

To share the Gospel with my neighbor by the end of next week.

To raise $500 by the end of the year to pay for an evangelistic

rally.

To plant ten new churches within three years.

To have a weekly discipleship meeting with two new believers in

my church for the next year.

6. Create Action Steps. Once you have written your SMART goals,

you should also write an action plan for how you will achieve each goal.

This includes specific actions you will take by specific dates to complete

the goal. Ask these strategic questions:

What must I do in the first month?

What must I do in the first week?

What must I do tomorrow?

Important Guidelines

Your goals MUST be written. “You don’t know what you think

until you read what you wrote.” (J. Haggai) Our mind forgets

easily. Make sure your goals are written in detail.

Organize your goals in order of priority. This will help us do the

important things first and prioritize essential tasks.

Make your goals flexible and changeable. Your vision and

mission do not change. However, your goals must change as the

situations you are facing change.

Re-evaluate your goals periodically and update them. As

goals are accomplished and as new challenges arise, your goals

will need to be adjusted for the new realities.

You can set goals for many areas of life including.

Spiritual Life Goals

Ministry Goals

Family Goals

Intellectual Goals

Physical Goals

Financial Goals

Corporate (organizational) Goals


YOUR NOTES

Conclusion

Goal setting is a powerful, life-changing tool for accomplishing your

mission and vision. This session provides you with the resources to live

a more strategic and focused life with the following written priorities:

A vision statement and a mission statement.

A set of SMART goals.

An action plan to achieve each goal.

The most important thing – an “action” list for tomorrow.

Setting goals is not enough. Once the goals are on paper, they must be

pursued. If we trust they are God-given, then it will be our joy to lay our

lives as clay in the hands of the potter and marvel at God’s Spirit

working through our lives.


Instructions: Use one Goal Setting Worksheet for each goal. Make sure to ask if your goal is

S.M.A.R.T. Complete all sections. Use the back if necessary when additional space is needed for a

specific section. Review your progress regularly. Feel free to make as many copies of this as you need

Example Goal Planning Worksheet

Area Today’s Date Target Date

_________________ ________________ __________________

Goal (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time Targeted)

What is it you would like to achieve?

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

Benefits:

Why would you like to achieve this? List benefits you expect to gain (for you or for your

ministry) by achieving the goal above. Reminding yourself of ‘why’ will keep you motivated.

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

Action Steps Target Date

How will you do this? Break down your goal into the smaller steps that you must take in the

shorter term in order to achieve your goal. For example, if you set a goal for the coming

year, what must you do in the first month, in the first week, the next day?

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

Date Reviewed: _________________ Date Completed:____________________


YOUR NOTES

The Practice of Evangelization

Core Value

God looks for men and women who live and teach the Gospel with

cultural relevance, sensitivity and power, so that the eternal truth of the

Gospel will be understood and received in every culture of the world.

Teaching Objectives

This session discusses effective methods of evangelization with a focus on

practical tools to make the Gospel relevant to the lost. Participants are also

challenged for a renewed commitment to personal evangelization.

What is Evangelization?

One of the terms used most frequently in the New Testament to

describe the Christian message is the Greek word ‘euangelion’, which

means “good news.” The English word evangelism is derived from that

word and simply means “sharing the good news.”

The Lausanne Covenant defines evangelization as:

The proclamation of the historical, Biblical Christ as Savior and

Lord, with a view to persuading people to come to Him

personally and so be reconciled to God.

The Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization

The Evangelist

We often refer to some special people in the Church as “evangelists.”

However, if we examine the New Testament, then we find that the early

Church did not generally think of evangelization as some special activity to

be delegated to experts. Rather, sharing the good news was the natural

outcome of Christians just being Christians. The evangelist is a Christian

who has:

A Personal Experience - The Gospel is centered in the person

of Jesus Christ. It takes a person who experiences the Gospel to

share it properly.

A Passion for the Lost – The Gospel is the result of God’s

passion for those without Christ. The Christian should share that

passion.

The Power of the Holy Spirit – Every Christian needs the

indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to be effective in

evangelizing.


YOUR NOTES

The Holy Spirit in Evangelization

The Holy Spirit is an essential person of the Trinity in the process of

evangelization.

The Holy Spirit prepares the hearts – Like the example of

Cornelius in Acts 10, the Holy Spirit goes before us and prepares

people to receive the message.

The Holy Spirit is our senior partner - Paul affirms that we are

God’s “fellow workers.” (1 Corinthians 3:9)

The Holy Spirit works in the hearts of the lost – The Holy

Spirit is at work leading the lost to God’s truth. (John 16:13)

The Holy Spirit is the presence of God – Jesus promised His

presence and power when we evangelize. (Matthew 28:20, Acts

1:8)

Methods for Evangelization

The message of the Gospel is unique and cannot be compromised, but

the methods of evangelism are diverse. Biblical examples used today

include:

Mass Media – Using diverse mass communication methods,

evangelists attempt to reach the largest possible number of

people through radio, television, publications, the internet, etc.

Public Preaching – Public meetings are probably the most

popular contemporary method of evangelism today.

Services to People in Need – Medical services, education,

disaster relief and community development are used to reach the

lost.

Small Groups – This method has become very popular in

today’s world.

Personal Evangelism – Various methods seek to engage the lost

one-on-one.

Other Methods

Reflection Workshop

Among the evangelization methods described above, which ones

have you (or your church or ministry) utilized and why do you use

these methods? Discuss with your small group, the advantages and

disadvantages of your evangelization methods.


YOUR NOTES

One-on-One Evangelization

The most common, and perhaps the most effective biblical method of

evangelization, is the sharing of the Good News on a person-to-person

basis.

Jesus had 35 personal interviews in the Gospels

Jesus shared the Good News during the night, at noon, in public places,

in funeral homes, during illness, in personal homes, at lunch time, when

discouraged, and even when He was in severe pain.

The Power of Your Story

Nothing communicates the truth of the Gospel better than the story of a life

transformed by its power. Every Christian should be prepared to “give an

account for the hope that is in them” by sharing their personal testimony.

(1 Peter 3:15)

Important Elements of an Effective Testimony

Every personal testimony should contain some elements that can help

the seeker to understand how the power of the Gospel changed your life

and how Christ can change their lives. (Adapted from Evangelism

Explosion’s training materials on personal testimony)

Your testimony should have four main points:

o Life without Christ – A description of your life before

knowing Christ.

o How you became a Christian – What prompted you to

seek Christ and how you encountered Christ.

o Life with Christ – How your life today differs from your

past life.

o Invitation to Accept Christ – Sometimes it may be an

open invitation to pray; sometimes it may just be a

challenge to think about it. The Holy Spirit will guide

you to the decision about how to act at this point.

Emphasize the benefits of eternal life. Do not overstress the

“before” part.

Give examples of definite and clear personal experiences. This

helps the person to understand the benefits of eternal life.

Avoid religious words and phrases that are not understood by non-

Christians. (e.g. “sanctified, redeemed, washed by the blood”, etc.)

Do not preach. Use humor if it is helpful.


YOUR NOTES

Identify with the person. Focus on one area of your life that

illustrates the effect of eternal life. Choose an area that is similar

to the person’s life, if possible. (Note that you will have more than

one version of your personal testimony, because eternal life has

changed many areas in your life.) Some examples of areas of your

life that may identify with the seeker include the following.

Before After

Guilt Forgiveness

Strife Peace

Jealousy Love

Emptiness Fulfillment

Fear of death Peace about death

Depression Hope

Rejection Acceptance

Loneliness Friendship

Selfishness Concern for others

Pleasure lover Satisfaction in God

Fear of spirits, witchcraft, charms Freedom from these fears

Reflection Workshop This is a role playing exercise. In groups of two, share your personal

testimony with each other, playing the roles of evangelist and seeker.

Take into consideration the elements above.

After the testimony presentation, the “seeker” should give

suggestions to improve the presentation.

Each presentation should take approximately three minutes

followed by a few minutes for feedback from your partners.

Conclusion

One characteristic of healthy Christians is an active sharing of their faith

with those who do not know Christ. While methods are important, the

commitment to share your faith is more important. Leaders who share their

faith will make an impact on eternity.


YOUR NOTES

Multiplication of Leaders by Discipleship

Core Value

God looks for men and women who disciple, coach, and mentor other

leaders, who in turn become leaders of leaders that effectively train

others.

Teaching Objective

To understand the first level of multiplication as being discipleship,

and to make discipling others a priority.

The Process of Multiplication

The process of multiplication involves three stages: discipling,

coaching, mentoring. The following diagram illustrates the entire

process.

Biblical Commands for Making

Disciples

Jesus modeled disciple-making and gave

specific commands to His disciples, and to all of us.

Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations… (Matthew

28:19-20)

The Great Commission gives the imperative to “make disciples”

of all nations.

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses,

entrust to reliable men and women who will be faithful to teach others

also. (2 Timothy 2:2)

Teaching others is an effective tool for multiplication. Paul expects

that Timothy will reproduce the process with others.

Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me

and saw me doing… (Philippians 4:9)

Discipleship focuses on practical application.


YOUR NOTES

Definition of a Disciple

A disciple is one who knows Christ inwardly and is committed to living

outwardly in love and obedience to him.

Discipleship is helping other disciples grow to spiritual maturity by

building the principles of God’s Word into a person’s life. Through this

he or she is equipped to understand and follow the promptings of the

Holy Spirit, and therefore knows how to respond to any situation with

Christ-like attitudes and actions.

We are commanded Biblically to make disciples, not simply to get

converts.

Jesus’ Example – Discipleship Modeled

Jesus is the supreme example for how to make disciples. He selected

key individuals and invested His life into them over a period of time.

Jesus’ ministry can be illustrated by a series of circles. The outermost

circle represents His ministry to the world. The innermost circle

represents His ministry to three of the twelve disciples.

Ministry in the world: Jesus preached and served the crowds, but

they were not the main focus of His ministry.

Ministry to the 120 (Acts 1:15): The faithful who remained were

called disciples.

Taught and delegated authority to the 70 (Luke 10): Jesus sent

them with instructions and gave them teaching.

Invested personally in 12 apostles: Jesus invested three years of

His life to develop these men.

Special investment in Peter, James, and John (Matt. 26:37, Mark

5:37): Jesus took these three apart for special times of disciple-

making because they were to be the leaders of the Church.

Multiplying oneself by discipling others takes a long period of time, but it bears the fruit that lasts!


YOUR NOTES

God’s Tool for Discipleship – Spiritual Disciplines

Spiritual disciplines are tools that God uses in our lives to help us grow

spiritually. The word discipline is defined as “training that is expected

to produce a specified character or pattern of behavior.”

Spiritual disciplines are the way that God uses to build

godliness in our lives.

Three primary spiritual disciplines are:

Prayer

God’s Word

Obedience

A disciple is one who longs to obey and

grow in these areas. The clothes hanger

(see picture) is a good illustration of

how these disciplines are essential for

the development of a disciple. If any of them is missing, the hanger will

be off balance and useless.

Prayer

Our depth of intimacy with God is directly related to the time we spend

with Him in the discipline of prayer, and in the discipline of knowing His

Word. In Psalm 27, God says for us to seek His face. As we disciple

others, it is very important to emphasize the practice of all aspects of

prayer, which we have discussed in the session of intimacy. The prayer

relationship is that of communion with the Father and growing deeper in

our communication with Him. Our disciples will be amazed at God’s

faithfulness as we are faithful to pray.

Scriptures

Growing deeper in God’s Word is a mark of a disciple. The hand

illustration explains key elements of God’s Word for each of us. Just as

it takes each part of our hand to get a good

grip on an object, so

it takes these

disciplines to grip

the Word of God.

As we disciple

others, God’s

Word is the

key means of

understanding

His plans for

them and us.


YOUR NOTES

Obedience

God’s Word over and over again tells us that if we obey His voice and

His Word to us that we will be blessed and anointed:

You have declared this day that the Lord is your God. You have

promised to obey his laws, commands, and regulations by

walking in his ways and doing everything he tells you. The

LORD has declared this day that you are his peculiar people, his

own special treasure, just as he promised, and that you must

obey all his commandments. And if you do, he will make you

greater than any other nation, in praise, in name, and in honor,

and that you will be a holy people unto the Lord your God, as he

has spoken. (Deuteronomy 26:17-19)

Reflection Workshop

Discuss with one or two colleagues the following questions:

Of the persons you have led to Christ, how many have you

personally discipled? If you haven’t done it, what were the

reasons why?

What decisions do you need to make in order for this first level

of multiplication to become a priority in your life?

Conclusion: Life to Life Investment is the Bottom Line

To apply the principle of multiplication by discipleship, you must

commit to intentionally disciple one or more new believers this year.

Multiplication by discipleship requires a personal investment in time,

prayer and patience to see the disciple grow.

Multiplication by discipleship will take a consistency in our own

Christian life that will inspire other disciples to want to mature in their

own spiritual life.

The result will be that God will be glorified and we will produce much

fruit.

I have no greater joy than to know that my (spiritual) children

are walking in truth. (3 John 4)

“Lord, give us spiritual children (those we have discipled) who walk in Your truth!”


YOUR NOTES

Family Priority

Core Value

God looks for men and women who are convinced that the family is

God’s building block for society and make their family a priority in

developing leaders.

Teaching Objectives

To understand the importance of family priority for successful

leadership.

To identify and apply principles for developing strong family

relationships.

To commit as young leaders to honoring our parents.

Introduction: The Challenge of Family Priority

The family unit is the foundation for all cultures. It constitutes the root

of every nation. Family is God’s idea and design. From Genesis to

Malachi, from Matthew to Revelation, God consistently uses family

illustrations to describe his relationship with the human race. However,

this unique institution is not without challenges.

Negative forces threaten to weaken and destroy family structures in every

human society. In modern societies, the divorce rate is high and growing.

Broken family relationships lead to troubled and struggling children.

Christian leaders are not spared the effects of this changing scene in

family life. Christian homes are often places of blessing, but they can

also be places of struggle and pain.

The Definition

There is no single definition, but the Bible clearly places a great

emphasis on the importance of the nuclear family as a unit followed by

our extended family relationships.

Q. What is your definition of family? Who is in your family?

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________


YOUR NOTES

Workshop – The Family in our Nation

Discuss the current situation of the family in your nation. Use the following

questions as a guide.

How is today’s world affecting the family structure in your

nation?

How does that affect your families as Christian leaders?

God’s Perspective on the Family

Each Christian leader needs to feel God’s heartbeat for the family. A key

New Testament text is Matthew 22:36-40.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and

with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and

greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your

neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these

two commandments.”

Our first neighbor is our own family – from there our ministry

extends to the ends of the earth.

To fulfill our leadership calling, our family must be seen as our

first place to serve.

How far do you agree with the following? My family is:

A Gift from God

A Ministry from God

A Responsibility from God

Six Characteristics of Strong Families

Chuck Swindoll in his book “The Strong Family” outlines six important

characteristics of strong families based on Stinnet and DeFrain’s research.

1) Strong Commitment

Strong families believe in the value of the family and consider their

family a priority in their lives.


YOUR NOTES

2) Spending Time Together

Strong families take time to be together on a regular basis doing

meaningful things.

3) Good Communication

Strong families are able to communicate at all levels. Judith Balswick

in her book “Family: A Christian Perspective on the Contemporary

Home” affirms that in our family, we usually communicate on one or

more of four levels. The box below explains and gives examples of

these levels of communication.

4) Appreciation and Affection for Each Other

Strong families are intentional about expressing appreciation for

each other.

5) Ability to Solve Problems and Crisis

Strong families have win-win strategies to solve crisis situations.

6) Shared Spiritual Life

Strong families have a shared spiritual life and regularly pray and

worship together.

A Moment to Reflect

Considering the characteristics of strong families above, take a few

minutes to reflect upon your own family life and answer the following

questions.

From the characteristics in the list above, where is my family

strongest? Where do we need to improve the most?

FOUR LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION

Level 1: Social - General greeting to anybody. Example: “Good Morning.” “How are you?” Level 2: Functional Exchange - Example: “Pass the salt”; “Don’t forget to lock the door”. Work related exchange: “Can you type this today!” Level 3: Personal Exchange - Feeling and conviction level exchange Level 4: Intimacy Exchange - Close and deep understanding. Direct exchange. It can be

physical, social, emotional and spiritual areas.


YOUR NOTES

Honoring Your Parents

One primary way to live out a strong commitment to family priority is

by honoring your parents.

The fifth of the Ten Commandments states,

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in

the land the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12)

God commands us to honor our parents and promises to bless us if we

do so. Honoring your parents also brings blessing and joy to them.

Seven Biblical Principles for Honoring Your Parents

Pray

Pray for your parents beginning with thanksgiving for their lives and

intercession for their health during old age. If your parents are not

believers pray regularly for their salvation, and share the gospel

whenever you have opportunity.

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and

thanksgiving be made for everyone. (1 Timothy 2:1)

Obey

Your highest calling is to God, but you are also to obey your parents.

Even if your parents do not know God, you can obey them unless they

are asking you to sin. Then, you can respectfully witness to your parents

by following God’s will.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

(Ephesians 6:1)

Spend Time

You honor your parents by spending time with them based on their

priorities and timetable. What do they value? What do they enjoy doing?

When are they available?

Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your

mother when she is old. (Proverbs 23:22)

Provide Care

Your parents provided for you as their children. Now it is your

responsibility to care for them, especially during their old age, and

during times of illness.

If a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn

first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their

“You need to honor your parents not because you think they deserve it, but because God asked you

to. By doing so, you honor God by keeping His commandments.”

Sabrina Beasley


YOUR NOTES

own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for

this is pleasing to God. (1 Timothy 5:4)

Forgive

No parents are perfect. All parents make mistakes and even sin. Is there

anything for which you need to forgive your parents? Do not let any root

of bitterness grow between you and either of your parents. (Hebrews

12:15)

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly

Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their

sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15)

Involve

You honor your parents by creating a strong connection between your

parents and your children. The relationship between grandparents and

grandchildren is very important to your family’s legacy.

Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the

pride of their children. (Proverbs 17:6)

Express Love

Everybody needs love and appreciation. Parents are especially blessed

when their children express love to them in both word and deed.

Love your neighbor as yourself. (Leviticus 19:18)

Writing Tributes

Dennis Rainey in his book The Tribute and the Promise encourages

children to write tributes to their parents. A tribute is a document

honoring your parents for their sacrifice and love in your life. The

Family Workshop for this section provides guidelines for writing a

tribute to bless your parents.

It is tragic when children do not express their love to their parents while

they are still alive. Writing tributes can even be the beginning of a

deeper relationship with your parents.

My dad died four years ago when I was a freshman in college. I was with him the night he died. That night he hugged me and kissed me and told me he

loved me, and I was too embarrassed to tell him that I loved him. He died of a heart attack two hours later after I went to bed. I remember standing over

his body saying, “Dad, I love you.” But it was a couple of hours too late.

Taken from the chapter A Painful Lesson from The Tribute and the Promise

by Dennis Rainey


YOUR NOTES

Conclusion

God created the family as the building block for every human life. As

with all creation, it was originally created perfect. In our different

cultures, the external “look” of the family may be different. However,

the core of every family should be our relationship with God and our

commitment to God’s standards for the family.

Because of sin, every family experiences various levels of brokenness.

God’s will, however, is wholeness. The first step to experiencing God’s

perfect will in our family is always confession of sins and fully turning

to God so that God’s rule and reign can guide our families.

When a family is operating according to God’s plan, it is the perfect

place for each person to know unconditional love and personal security.

Each member of the family is nurtured and each person’s unique gifts

and personality can be developed to their full potential.


YOUR NOTES

“Wait for the gift my Father promised…. You will receive power when

the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”

Jesus to the disciples

(Acts 1:4,8)

Spiritual Gifts

Core Value

God looks for men and women who are faithful stewards of finances,

time, and spiritual gifts, in their personal lives and leadership, with the

result that people are reached with the Gospel.

Teaching Objective

That people understand the importance of using their spiritual

gifts to their fullest potential in order for them to be effective

Christian leaders.

That people grow in discerning their unique set of gifts and

commit to developing those gifts to fulfill God’s vision for their

life.

Introduction

Christians must discern, develop and deploy their spiritual gifts in order

to effectively serve God and minister to people, with the result that the

Kingdom of God comes on earth.

The most common Greek word used for spiritual gift in the New

Testament is ‘charisma.’ ‘Charis’ means ‘grace’ and ‘-ma’ means ‘result

of.’ Spiritual gifts are a direct result of God’s grace.

Biblical Foundations

There are four primary New Testament passages that deal with spiritual

gifts.

1 Corinthians 12-14: The most extensive teaching on spiritual gifts in

the New Testament.

Ephesians 4:11: Lists offices of ministry that equip the saints for the

work of service: apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher.

Romans 12:6-8: An exhortation to use spiritual gifts according to the

grace you have been given.

1 Peter 4:8-11: A command to be good stewards of the gifts that God

has given to us.

Two Definitions of Spiritual Gifts

“A divine, supernatural ability given by God to enable a

Christian to serve and to minister.” Kenneth Cain Kinghorn


YOUR NOTES

“A special attribute given by the Holy Spirit to every member of

the Body of Christ according to God’s grace for use within the

context of the Body.” Peter Wagner

Discern Your Gifts

All Christians are responsible for discerning their unique gifts. Primary

methods for doing this are:

Study biblical teaching on spiritual gifts.

Complete spiritual gift profiles and other resources. These are

not infallible, but can be a guide in your discernment.

Examine your life to discover the gifts you are already using.

You will recognize some gifts that you have, and some that you

do not have.

Listen to mature members of the Body who can point you

towards your gifts.

Your spiritual gifts will enable you to:

glorify God,

serve other people, and

contribute toward furthering the Kingdom of God on earth.

The Spiritual Gifts

Gifts often come together in clusters. You may find that if you have one

particular gift then you may also have other gifts in that cluster. Twenty-

five spiritual gifts that are listed in the New Testament are grouped

below according to common clusters.

You will have some degree of ability in many of the gifts listed below.

An important issue for every believer is to discover your dominant gifts.

Communication Gifts – communicating with individuals or groups of

people

Exhortation Prophecy

Teaching Evangelism

Leadership Gifts – different skills within the context of leadership

Administration Leadership

Apostle Shepherd

Missionary


YOUR NOTES

Practical Gifts – practically serving and helping others

Giving Mercy

Helps Service

Hospitality Voluntary Poverty

Sign Gifts – extraordinary or dramatic gifts that demonstrate the power

of God

Deliverance Tongues

Healing Interpretation of Tongues

Miracles

Resourcing Gifts – resourcing other gifts in furthering the Kingdom

Discerning of Spirits Knowledge

Faith Wisdom

Intercession

There is no single passage of Scripture that provides an exhaustive list of all

the gifts. All gifts are important and their effectiveness is related to a person’s

complete dependence upon the work of the Holy Spirit in their life.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the

Father of the heavenly lights. (James 1:17)

Gifts, Talents and Roles

Spiritual gifts are different from natural talents in that they involve the

Spirit of God. The two often accompany each other, but a gift is only a

spiritual gift when it is deployed in the power of the Spirit.

Spiritual gifts are different from Christian roles. All Christians are

expected to perform certain roles, even if they are not especially gifted

in that area. For example:

Giving – all Christians are expected to give tithes and offering, but some

people have a gift in this area.

Hospitality – all Christians have the role of showing hospitality to

others, but some people have a gift in this area.

Intercession – all Christians have the role of interceding for others, but

some people have a gift in this area.

Evangelism – all Christians have the role of witnessing to those who do

not yet know Christ, but some people have a gift in this area.

Once you have discerned your dominant gifts, create a plan to develop each

of them, and begin deploying them to fulfill God’s vision for your life.


YOUR NOTES

Develop Your Gifts

Believers have a responsibility to develop their ability to use the gifts of

the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote to Timothy urging him “do not neglect your

gift” (1 Timothy 4:14). In 2 Timothy 1:6, Paul exhorts Timothy to “fan

into flame the gift of God which is in you.”

Every believer should discern their gifts and then grow in their ability to

use their gifts through greater knowledge and practical experience.

For example, great teachers do not become expert at using their gift

overnight. It takes a continual commitment to develop your gifts to the

best of your ability for them to be deployed most effectively.

Piano Playing – An Illustration of How to Develop Gifts

Four simple facts on piano playing:

Everybody can play the piano to some degree.

Everybody can improve their piano playing through lessons.

Some people have a natural ability for piano playing. With

training, they can go on to become great pianists.

Without hard work and training to develop their piano playing, a

pianist will never achieve their full potential.

The same is true for spiritual gifts:

Every believer has some ability for serving in many areas in the

Body of Christ.

Every believer can improve their ability in each Christian role by

learning and practice.

God anoints each believer for more powerful service in specific

areas. We say they have a gift in this area.

By developing their spiritual gifts, a believer can achieve their

full potential and have a greater impact for the Kingdom.

Seek to become an expert in the area of your dominant gifts, so God can

use you more powerfully. Ideas for how to develop gifts include:

Study Bible passages relevant to that gift including characters

studies of people who demonstrate that gift.

Read other relevant books.

Attend relevant training courses.

Learn from mentors who excel in particular gifts.

Practice and learn as you deploy your gifts.


YOUR NOTES

“God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.”

Romans 11:29

Deploy Your Gifts

Your spiritual gifts are given by God to be used for bringing the

Kingdom of God on earth in the power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture

gives us clear principles on how to deploy our spiritual gifts.

Seek Opportunities

“I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground…”

(Matthew 25:25)

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do

it, sins. (James 4:17)

Faithful stewards seek out opportunities to use their gifts. You can

choose to use your gifts or not. Be a faithful steward of the gifts that

God has given to you and look for opportunities to use your gifts.

Exercise Your Gifts in Love

If I have the gift of prophecy… but have not love, I am

nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2)

Spiritual gifts enable us to serve, therefore our motivation for using them

should always be love. Without love the apostle Paul says they are

worthless.

Anointed by the Spirit

Apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

…Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them… (Acts 4:8)

Spiritual gifts require the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit to

function properly. Jesus used the illustration of a vine and branches to

illustrate how we bear fruit in our lives and ministries by remaining

connected and rooted to God.

Spiritual Gifts and God’s Vision for your Life

God gives you gifts for ministry that contribute towards fulfilling God’s

vision for your life. As you deploy them, you will find that four areas of

your life converge:

Need – what are the needs you see, feel and have a burden for?

Call – what has God called you personally to be involved with?

Passion – what gets you most excited and lights fire inside you?

Gifts – what has God equipped you to do?


YOUR NOTES

God had a plan when He put all these things together in your life. When

God calls, He also equips. Therefore if you are struggling in discerning

God’s vision for your life, concentrate on discerning your gifts.

Conclusion

God looks for men and women who are faithful stewards of their

spiritual gifts, in their personal lives and leadership, with the result that

God is glorified, people are served, and the world is reached with the

Gospel.

It is through the gifts of the Holy Spirit that each person discovers their

special place in the Body of Christ.

Each believer has the responsibility to discern, develop, and deploy their

gifts so that they will reach their full potential and fulfill their role in the

Body of Christ.


YOUR NOTES

Spiritual Gifts Workshop

If you have taken a spiritual gifts profile, use the results to help you in

answering the following questions. If you have not taken a profile,

simply answer them to the best of your knowledge.

1. What in life are you most passionate about?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

2. What are your six most dominant gifts?

______________________ ______________________

______________________ ______________________

______________________ ______________________

3. Which six gifts are most crucial for the fulfilment of your

mission?

______________________ ______________________

______________________ ______________________

______________________ ______________________

Some gifts will appear in both of the above lists, meaning you have them

dominantly, AND they are crucial to the fulfilment of your mission.

These are the gifts you should concentrate on developing to the best of

your ability.

Some gifts will be crucial to your mission, but you will not have them

dominantly. You can either pray to receive these gifts, or you can

partner with people who do have them in order to fulfill your mission.


YOUR NOTES

4. Set goals to develop your gifts.

Below list the top three gifts that appear in BOTH lists, meaning you

have them dominantly AND they are crucial to the fulfilment of your

mission. For each gift set a goal for how you will develop it over the

next six months. This could be to read a relevant book, attend a relevant

conference, meet with a mentor experienced in that gift, or something

else:

Gift Strategy for Development

1 1

2

3

2 1

2

3

3 1

2

3

Also, for one talent you have which does not appear in the New

Testament list of gifts, also set a goal for how you will develop this in

the next six months. This could be writing, painting, playing an

instrument, etc.

Talent Strategy for Development

1 1

2

3

Reflect on the gifts which you have dominantly, but which are not

contributing to your mission. To be a faithful steward of these gifts, how

can you develop and deploy them for God’s glory?


Definitions for Spiritual Gifts

(Taken from www.buildingchurch.net – Gifted2Serve)

1. Administration: "The ability to understand clearly the immediate and long-range goals of

a particular unit of the body of Christ and to devise and execute effective plans for the

accomplishment of those goals."

This gift is a leadership gift and is often characterized by people who lead the Body by

steering others to remain on task. These people generally are concerned with the details of

how to accomplish tasks, and tend to be masters at delegating specific tasks to other people

according to their gifts and talents. Scriptures: Luke 14:28-30; Acts 6:1-7; 1 Corinthians

12:28; Titus 1:5.

2. Apostle: "The ability which enables them to assume and exercise helpful leadership over a

number of churches in spiritual matters which is spontaneously recognized and appreciated

by those churches." The Bible calls many others, beyond the Twelve and Paul, apostles:

James (Gal 1:19), Barnabas (Acts 14:4, 14), Epaphroditus (Phil 2:25), Silas and Timothy (1

Thes 1:1, 2:6), Andronicas and Junia (Rom 16:7), and others (1 Cor 15:5, 7; 2 Cor 8:23;

11:13).

This gift is a leadership gift and is in continuing need today for the strengthening of churches

and the establishment of new churches. This gift should be looked for in regional directors,

church planters, and denominational leaders. Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians

2:20; 4:11.

3. Deliverance: "The ability to cast out demons and evil spirits in the name of Jesus Christ."

This gift is a sign gift. Jesus gave His apostles the authority to cast out demons (Mark 3:14,

15; 6:13), and the gift was used during the earliest days of the church (Acts 15:16; 16:16-18).

Those with this gift should be discerning in their use of it, and not develop an excessive

preoccupation with demons and evil spirits. The Christian focus should be on the victory won

in Jesus Christ, and the salvation and abundant life He offers, not the ever-present forces of

evil in this world. Scriptures: Matthew 12:22-32; Luke 10:12-20; Acts 8:5-8; 16:16-18;

Romans 8:38-39; Ephesians 6:10-12.

4. Discerning of Spirits: "The ability to know with assurance whether certain behavior

purported to be of God is in reality divine, human, or Satanic."

This gift is a resourcing gift. Christians with this gift can recognize the true motives of

people and also recognize when a person is distorting the truth or communicating error. This

person often can recognize when Satan or other evil spirits are at work in a given person or

situation. Scriptures: Matthew 16:21-23; Acts 5:1-11; 16:16-18; 17:11-16; 1 Corinthians

12:10; Hebrews 5:14; 1 John 4:1-6.

5. Evangelism: "The ability to readily share the Gospel with unbelievers in such a way that

men and women often become Jesus’ disciples and responsible members of the Body of

Christ."

This gift is a communication gift. While the task of evangelism is an important spiritual

exercise that all Christians should be involved with, God gifts certain members with an

ability to have unusual sensitivity to when someone is ready to accept Christ, and will

generally have greater success in leading people to Christ than other Christians. People with

this gift should be active in training others to share their faith. Scriptures: Acts 8:5-6, 26-40;

Ephesians 4:11-14; 2 Timothy 4:5.

http://www.buildingchurch.net/


6. Exhortation: "The ability to minister words of comfort, consolation, encouragement, and

counsel to other members of the Body in such a way that they feel helped and healed."

This gift is a communication gift. This gift is often called "encouragement," but exhortation

is used here because the gift is not limited to the connotations that the name "encouragement"

implies. Those who use this gift within a teaching or ministry situation are often driven to

give practical application to their insights. Often, those gifted in this area desire step-by-step

plans of action to help others mature in Christ. Exhorters often find it natural to discover

insights from personal experience when validated and amplified in Scripture. Scripture: Luke

3:16-18; Acts 11:23; 14:22; Romans 12:8; 1 Timothy 4:12; 5:1; Hebrews 10:25.

7. Faith: "The ability to discern with extraordinary confidence the will and purposes of God

for His work."

This gift is a resourcing gift. All Christians are called to have faith, but some Christians

seem to find it especially easy to trust God in difficult situations, or when He has given

particularly spectacular promises. Those with this gift often scare other people with their

confidence. People with this gift are often very irritated by criticism, as they consider it to be

criticism against God and His will. Probably the biggest danger for those with this gift is that

they often try to project their gift onto other people. Scriptures: Acts 11:22-24; 27:21-25;

Romans 4:18-21; 1 Corinthians 12:9; Hebrews 11.

8. Giving: "The ability to contribute material resources to the work of the Lord with liberality

and cheerfulness."

This gift is a practical gift. While all Christians should practice the discipline of giving

through the minimum of 10% (tithe), God gifts certain members of the body to give

remarkably greater amounts of their income with liberality and great joy. These people have

an acute awareness that all they have belongs to the Lord and they are merely stewards,

therefore they know that God will supply their needs and richly bless them in their giving.

Scriptures: Matthew 6:2-4; Mark 12:41-44; Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 13:3; 2 Corinthians

8:1-7; 9:2-8; Philippians 4:14-19.

9. Healing: "The ability to serve as human intermediaries through whom God cures illness

and restores health apart from the use of natural means."

This gift is a sign gift. Many attribute the occurrence of supernatural healing to a certain level

of faith. Those who have this gift must use it knowing that the healing only occurs within the

limits of God’s will, and therefore miraculous healing will not always occur. Those with this

gift must also recognize that God does often choose to use medical science to bring about

healing in a person, therefore doctors and medicine are not obsolete. Scripture: Acts 3:1-10;

5:12-16; 9:32-35; 28:7-10; 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28.

10. Helps: "The ability to invest the talents a person has in the life and ministry of other

members of the Body, thus enabling those others to increase the effectiveness of their own

spiritual gifts."

This gift is a practical gift. People with this gift often enjoy doing routine tasks in order to

free others to do the ministry God has called them to do. People with this gift are often not

looking for recognition for the work they do. Scriptures: Mark 15:40-41; Luke 8:2-3; Acts

9:36; Romans 16:1-2; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 2 Timothy 1:16-18.


11. Hospitality: "The ability to provide an open house and a warm welcome to those in need

of food and lodging."

This gift is a practical gift. Those with this gift have an acute awareness of visitors and have

a desire to make all people feel welcome. People with this gift enjoy visitors in their home,

and are usually not bothered if someone stops by and their home is not spotless. Those with

this gift are a key to helping new people become a part of the group. Scriptures: Acts 16:14-

15; Romans 12:9-13; 16:23; Hebrews 13:1-2; 1 Peter 4:9.

12. Intercession: "The ability to pray for extended periods of time on a regular basis and see

frequent and specific answers to their prayers, to a degree much greater than that which is

expected of the average Christian."

This gift is a resourcing gift. Those with this gift often feel compelled to pray for specific

requests when they are made known. Gifted intercessors have a much greater occurrence of

specific answers to prayer than most Christians. Intercessors often have an acute

understanding that prayer is genuinely a conversation with God, and when left alone, find

themselves engaged in prayer. Many intercessors experience times when God moves them to

pray for situations when they are not entirely sure what they are praying for. To those who

get to know intercessors well, prayer becomes contagious. Those with this gift should help

others learn how to pray more effectively. Scriptures: Luke 22:41-44; Acts 12:12; Romans

8:26-27; Colossians 1:9-12; 4:12-13; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; James 5:14-16.

13. Interpretation of Tongues: "The ability to make known in the vernacular the message of

one who speaks in tongues."

This gift is a sign gift. Those with this gift are used to bring the personal edification of

tongues to a position where the message edifies the group in which the tongue was spoken.

Those with this gift gain a sense of what God is trying to say when they hear a person speak

in tongues. Should a person with this gift fail to interpret the tongue when it is spoken and

they receive the interpretation through the Holy Spirit, they have done a great disservice to

the person who spoke in tongues and to the group as the edification that God desires has not

taken place. Often, the interpreter is also the person who has spoken in tongues. The

interpretation of tongues is often closely related to the message given by an exhorter or a

prophet. Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:10-30; 14:13-17, 26-28.

14. Knowledge: "The ability to discover, accumulate, analyze, and clarify information and

ideas which are pertinent to the well-being of the Body."

This gift is a resourcing gift. Those with the gift of knowledge are at home in a book or

studying. Those with this gift will often spend countless hours researching information. These

people are interested in ideas and problem solving through gathering information and

studying. Often, those with this gift have a low need for people. On rare occasions, people

with this gift will gather vast amounts of information through studying and analyzing

personal experience, but the primary method of learning with this gift is reading and studying

books and other written materials. Scriptures: Luke 1:1-4; Acts 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 2:14;

12:8; 2 Corinthians 11:6; Colossians 1:10; 2:2-3; 1 Timothy 2:15.

15. Leadership: "The ability to set goals in accordance with God’s purpose for the future and

to communicate these goals to others in such a way that they voluntarily and harmoniously

work together to accomplish those goals for the glory of God."


This gift is a leadership gift. People with this gift are often focused on the greater goal of the

group and are not overly concerned with the details. Leaders delegate tasks and details to

others to accomplish the greater goal. Leaders are visionaries. Leaders have followers – a

visionary without followers is not a leader. Scriptures: Luke 9:51; Acts 6:1-7; 15:7-11;

Romans 12:8; 1 Timothy 5:17; Hebrews 13:17.

16. Mercy: "The ability to feel genuine empathy and compassion for individuals (both

Christian and non-Christian) who suffer from distressing physical, mental, or emotional

problems, and to translate that compassion into cheerfully done deeds which reflect Christ’s

love and alleviate the suffering."

This gift is a practical gift. Those with this gift find themselves visiting and assisting those in

need, and often feel the pain of the person they are helping within themselves. People with

this gift find it extremely difficult not to help those who seem less fortunate than themselves.

Those with this gift generally enjoy helping those with physical or mental problems and do

well in ministries involving visiting hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and shut-ins.

Scriptures: Matthew 20:29-34; 25:24-40; Mark 9:41; Luke 10:33-35; Acts 11:28-30; 16:33-

34; Romans 12:8; Jude 22-23.

17. Miracles: "The ability to serve as human intermediaries through whom God performs

powerful acts that are perceived by observers to have altered the ordinary course of nature."

This gift is a sign gift. This gift is manifested through the supernatural intervention by God

into specific circumstances in order to change the perceived natural outcome. Those with this

gift must recognize that God only causes miracles to happen in order to bring the greatest

glory to Himself. Scriptures: Acts 9:36-42; 19:11-20; 20:7-12; Romans 15:17-19; 1

Corinthians 1:22-25; 12:10, 28; 2 Corinthians 12:12.

18. Missionary: "The ability to minister whatever other spiritual gifts a person has in a

culture other than their own."

This gift is a leadership gift. Those with this gift find it easy or exciting to adjust to a

different culture or community. Missionaries find great joy working with minorities, people

of other countries, or those with other distinct cultural differences. Those with this gift have a

stronger-than-average desire to be a part of the fulfillment of the Great Commission around

the world. Scriptures: Acts 8:4; 13:1-4; 22:21; Romans 10:15; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

19. Prophecy: "The ability to receive and communicate an immediate message of God to His

people with authority and urgency perceived by the hearers."

This gift is a communication gift. Those with the gift of prophecy will often feel as though

they have a direct word from God that will comfort, encourage, guide, warn, or rebuke the

Body of Christ. Prophets are concerned about evangelism and will have a desire to speak

strongly against evil in society or in the Church. Prophets have a great sense of urgency to

their message. Unless paired with the gifts of exhortation or teaching, prophets will often not

feel the need to explain their message, but will expect immediate response. The message of a

prophet must always be tested in line with Scripture. Scripture: Luke 7:26; Acts 15:32; 21:9-

11; Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:10, 28; 14:3, 24-25, 29, 36-38; Ephesians 4:11-14.

20. Service: "The ability to identify the unmet needs involved in a task related to God’s

work, and to make use of available resources to meet those needs and help accomplish the

desired results."


This gift is a practical gift. Those with the gift of service enjoy doing routine tasks around

the Church regardless of how they affect others. Those with this gift enjoy menial tasks and

do them cheerfully. Service-oriented people would rather take orders than give them.

Scripture: John 12:26; Acts 6:1-7; Romans 12:6-7; Galatians 6:2, 9-10; 2 Timothy 1:16-18;

Titus 3:14.

21. Shepherd: "The ability to assume a long-term personal responsibility for the welfare of a

group of believers."

This gift is a leadership gift. This gift is often called "pastor," however, that name has a

connotations of a specific position in the Church. In actuality, when pastors have this gift,

their ability to continue sustained growth in their churches is greatly diminished, as they tend

to require a certain level of interaction with every member of their congregation. Those with

the gift of shepherd have a great need for long-term relationships. Shepherds will sacrificially

give themselves to other people in such a way that they are built-up in their faith. Shepherds

take personal responsibility for the successes and failures of those in the group that they

invest themselves in. Scriptures: John 10:1-18; Ephesians 4:11-14; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; 1 Peter

5:1-4.

22. Teaching: "The ability to communicate information relevant to the health and ministry of

the Body and its members in such a way that others will learn."

This gift is a communication gift. People with the gift of teaching enjoy studying the Bible

and related materials in order to communicate what they have learned to other Christians.

Those with this gift find it easy to organize vast amounts of information in such a way as to

make it easy to communicate, understand, and remember. Scriptures: Matthew 7:28-29;

28:19-20; Acts 15:32; Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:10, 28; Ephesians 4:11-14.

23. Tongues: "The ability (a) to speak to God in a language that they have never learned

and/or (b) to receive and communicate a message of God to his people through a divinely

anointed utterance in a language they never learned."

This gift is a sign gift. Tongues is often associated with intercession and/or faith, but must be

recognized as not necessarily being the sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit or even as

evidence of the filling of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 13:1 suggests that there are two forms of the gift of tongues: tongues of men

and tongues of angels. This would mean that the speaker could be speaking in an earthly

language, or in a language beyond normal human understanding. Scriptures: Mark 16:17;

Acts 2:1-13; 10:44-46; 19:1-7; Romans 8:26-27; 1 Corinthians 12:10,28; 13:1; 14:13-19,

26-28, 39.

24. Voluntary Poverty: "The ability to renounce material comfort and luxury and adopt a

personal lifestyle equivalent to those living at the poverty level in a given society in order to

serve God more effectively."

This gift is a practical gift. Those with the spiritual gift of voluntary poverty will often

choose to live among people who are considered poverty-stricken in a given area, and live at

their level, although they have the means to live at a higher standard. The primary motivation

for this choice is to minister more effectively to the people through identification. Scriptures:

Acts 2:44-45; 4:34-27; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3; 2 Corinthians 8:9.

25. Wisdom: The ability to know how given knowledge may best be applied to specific

needs arising in the Body of Christ.


This gift is a resourcing gift. Those with this gift have an excellent ability to apply spiritual

truth to everyday life. Often, people in the church naturally seek out people with this gift

when they are facing complicated spiritual problems. When a person with this gift considers

past experience, they realize that they often make good and correct decisions and judgements.

Scriptures: Proverbs 4:5-8; Acts 6:3, 10; 15:13-20; 20:20-21; Romans 12:17; 1 Corinthians

12:28; Ephesians 4:11-14; Colossians 1:28.

Notes

1) Many spiritual gifts inventories combine the gift of Apostle with the gift of Missionary

because the Greek word is the same, meaning "sent one" – literally, one sent with authority,

or as an ambassador or representative. These gifts have been separated here with the

distinction that the Missionary gift is focused on cross-cultural work, where the Apostle gift is

focused on overseeing the expansion of the Church in a given area, regardless of culture.

2) Exhortation, Prophecy, and Teaching are all considered communication gifts. The

distinctions for each gift are often confused. Often, gifted communicators have a mix of these

gifts. Exhortation focuses on personal and practical application of the message or truth being

communicated. Prophecy focuses purely on the message or truth to be communicated.

Teaching focuses on bringing thorough or adequate understanding of the message or truth

being communicated.

3) The gift of Giving is often associated with the gift of Voluntary Poverty, as many with the

gift of Voluntary Poverty also have the gift of Giving. However, notice that the motivation for

Voluntary Poverty is for effective ministry through identification with a group of less-

fortunate people, where those with the gift if Giving are motivated by what their money can

do towards God’s work.

4) The gifts of Healing and Miracles are often combined, since they both involve the

occurrence of events beyond natural means. However, one is focused on the healing of the

human body, while the other is focused on other miraculous events that alter the ordinary

course of nature. These may in fact be two separate manifestations of the same gift.

5) The gifts of Helps, Mercy, and Service are often confused. Helps focuses on Christian

works and freeing others to accomplish their God-given ministries. Mercy focuses on people

in distress and reflects God’s love and compassion. Service focuses on accomplishing little

tasks that may otherwise go undone in order to move the greater goal of the ministry or

Church toward completion.


YOUR NOTES

Finishing Well

Core Value

God looks for men and women of integrity who live holy lives that are

accountable to God and to the Body of Christ. Integrity glorifies God,

protects leaders from stumbling, and encourages growth.

Teaching Objective

The purpose of this session is for each leader to evaluate God’s call on

their life and to commit to finishing well in their life and leadership.

Introduction

When we began our Christian life, we expect that we will finish our

lives with just as much passion, vision, perseverance and joy as when we

first began because “Deep inside each soul, God sows a seed of

purpose.”

In order to reach this intended purpose, we need to now establish certain

biblical and practical principles that will guide us to finish well our life

and ministry.

Three key commitments include:

To be a person of integrity.

To be a person willing to be held accountable.

To be a person who stays focused on the goal.

God’s plan for us is that we … like Paul

It is not God’s will for us … like Solomon

Finish Poorly 1 Kings 11:4-6

Start Right 1 Kings 3:3

Finish Well 2 Timothy 4:7

Start Right Acts 9:20-22


YOUR NOTES

YET, the FACT IS…

Where did they go?

Dropped Out… 2 Timothy 4:10 – Demas has deserted me.

Plateau… Philippians 3:19b – Their mind is on earthly things.

Disqualified... 2 Cor. 7:10 – Worldly sorrow with no repentance.

How did this happen? …Ask King Solomon.

King Solomon is a tragic, Biblical example of someone who started right

but did not finish well. He ceased being a “man of wisdom” who wrote

the following words…

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; but fools

despise wisdom and discipline. (Proverbs 1:7)

…and became a cynic and a fool who, later in life wrote the words of

Ecclesiastes:

Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher. Utterly

meaningless! Everything is meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

How do We Lose Integrity? – One Step at a Time

Seldom is it just one factor or influence that causes one to not

finish well.

Rather it is often just one step that starts us in a direction that if

not checked will cause us not to finish well our life.

These factors are called: THE BIG FOUR PLUS FOUR MORE.

The Big Four - Money, Sex, Power and Pride

These first four factors are the most obvious and common among

Christian leaders that cause them not to finish well. They are described

in 1 John 2:15-16.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves

the world, the love of the Father is not in them. For everything in

the world—the cravings of sinful men, the lust of his eyes and the

boasting of what he has and does comes not from his Father.

70% of all leaders will not finish well. Robert Clinton

Do you believe this is the will of God?


YOUR NOTES

1. Money

Money is not inherently evil. It can be a blessing, but it is also a great

source of temptation.

1 Timothy 6:10 – For the love of money is a root.

2 Timothy 3:2 – Lovers of money, boastful, and proud.

God’s Answer:

2. Sex

Sex is a precious gift from God to be enjoyed in marriage. Deviation

from God’s purpose results in disaster.

Proverbs 2:16-19 – For her house (adulterous woman) leads

down to death.

Ephesians 5:3 – But among you, there must not be even a hint of

sexual immorality.

God’s Answer

3. Power

Leadership is influence. However, the abuse of power has serious

consequences for the leader.

Acts 8:9-23 – Simon the sorcerer

God’s Answer:

Jesus never used power for His own benefit (Matthew 26:53)

Approach the throne of grace and find help.

(Hebrews 4:14-16)

Seek first the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 6:33)


YOUR NOTES

4. Pride

Leaders who enjoy great success in ministry are prone to temptation in

this area. However, the warning is clear.

Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before a fall; Never say, what

“I” have done.

God’s Answer:

Four More

The “four more” are like cancer, and therefore, they can be just as

dangerous as the first four. These can be slowly growing in influence in

your life until it is almost too late to change. This condition is described

in Mark 4.13-19.

Still others, like seeds sown among thorns, hear the Word; but the

worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and desires for other

things choke the Word, making it unfruitful.

1. We stop listening and learning.

Because of Solomon’s sin, he came to the point that he wrote:

What has been will be again, what has been will be done again;

there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes. 1:9-10)

Solomon stopped listening to God and learning from God.

God’s Answer: Keep Learning

Luke. 2:52 – Jesus grew in wisdom, stature and grace

Matthew 11: 29 – Jesus said, “Learn from me”

Proverbs 1:5; 9:9 – Let the wise listen and add to their learning.

Do you…

…have some plan for personal intellectual growth?

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but humbly consider others better than yourself.

(Philippians 2:3)

“If you stop learning today,

you’ll stop growing tomorrow”

(Finish Well, Buford, p124-5)


YOUR NOTES

2. We stop living by our convictions and our character weakens.

As Solomon grew old… his heart was not fully devoted to the

Lord… So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not

follow the Lord completely. (I Kings 11:4-6)

God’s Answer: Affirm your convictions and examine your

character

Psalm 139:23-24 – Search me, O God.

Acts 4:20 – We cannot help speaking about what we have

seen and heard.

Daniel 3:16-18 – We [Three Hebrews] will not serve your gods

or worship the image of gold you have set up.

Do You

3. We stop walking in awareness of our influence and ultimate

contributions.

There is no remembrance of men of old and even those who are yet

to come will not be remembered by those who follow.

(Ecclesiastes1:11)

Solomon neglected his legacy. After his death, the kingdom was divided.

His son and grandson who reigned after him were corrupt.

God’s Answer: Renew your Commitments

John 17:19 - For them I sanctify myself that they too may be

truly sanctified.

Make God’s Ultimate Your Ultimate: Transformed people

who reliably reproduce the Christian life. (2 Timothy 2:1-2)

Do You

…have a “Timothy” in whom you are investing so they are faithful disciples and reproducing

themselves in others?

…have at least one person in your life that will confront you about your life and witness?


YOUR NOTES

4. We lose our intimate relationship with God.

Towards the end of his reign, Solomon abandoned the LORD and

followed other gods. (1 Kings 11:9-13)

God’s Answer: Become more intentional about your personal

and intimate relationship with God.

Psalm 27:4 – One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek.

Psalm 51:12 – Restore to me the joy of your salvation.

Do You

Reflection

Which of the “four more” is a present danger in your life?

Our Goal Is the Finish Line

Paul and many others have crossed it,

I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the

faith. (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

How Do We Finish Well? – One Step at a Time

We shall finish well like Paul and many others, if we commit to…

1. Be a person of integrity

Integrity is as simple as keeping your promises, to be a

person who can be trusted to do what they say they will do.

It means to be whole, complete, integrated.

We have integrity when the values of Christianity come

together with consistency in every area of our lives

regardless of the circumstances.

…have a consistent devotional and intercessory prayer time?


YOUR NOTES

2. Be a person willing to be held accountable.

To be held accountable means that each of us is responsible

for our attitudes, decisions and actions. (1 Timothy 4:16)

Watch your life and doctrine closely.

Select two or three persons whom you trust that love and

respect you, and share your commitment to integrity with

them. Allow them to hold you accountable for your goal of

finishing well and have them help you honor that

commitment.

3. Be a person that stays focused on the goal

The write of Hebrews states:

let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily

entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out

for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter

of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross,

scorning its shame and sat down at the right had of the throne of

God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Conclusion – The Prayer of the Finisher

In Acts 20, the apostle Paul addressed the elders of the church at

Ephesus that “being bound in the spirit,” he was on his way to

Jerusalem. He confessed that he did not know what would await him

“except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city,

saying that bonds and afflictions await me.” (Acts 20:23)

Paul then makes a profound statement that is also the prayer of every

Christian who desires to finish well the race of the Christian life.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man

sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:17

I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus gave me —

the task of testifying to the Gospel of Christ.

(Acts 20:24)


HOW TO FINISH WELL – Additional Biblical Texts

1. Listening and Learning

Proverbs 1:5: Let the wise men listen and add to their learning.

Matt 11:29: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.

Pro 9:9: Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he

will add to his learning.

2. Convictions and Character

Psalm 139:23-24: Start by letting God examine your character.

Ruth 3:1: You are a woman of noble character.

Prov. 12:4: The wife of noble character is her husband’s crown.

Luke 23: 47: Jesus on the cross impressed Roman guard.

Acts 4:20: For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.

Daniel 3:16-18: But even if He (God) does not (rescue us from your hand) we want

you to know, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship your image of

gold you have set up.

3. Legacy and Ultimate Contributions

Acts 9:10-18: Ananias

Joshua 14:6-15, 19: Caleb

v. 10: So here I am today, 85 years old. I am still strong.

12: Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me this day.

Acts 9:15: Paul—This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the gentiles,

their kings, and before the people of Israel.

Acts 26:17-18

2 Tim 1:13-14 Sound teaching

2 Tim 2:2: Reliable leaders.

2 Tim 3:10: A Christian model

4. Intimate relationship with God

Psalm 27:4: One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I will seek: that I may dwell in the

house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek

Him in His temple.

Psalm 51:12: Restore to me the joy of your salvation, Lord and grant me a willing

spirit to sustain me.

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your

heart.

Psalm 42:1-2: As the deer pants for the streams of water so my soul pants for you, O

God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

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