Perhaps the best way to be effective as a small group leader should be to look at the greatest example who ever lived: Jesus.
He started out with SELECTION.
He picked people to diciple, he prayed for them, and ended up choosing twelve normal men. Twelve men who were saying, "I will leave everything to follow you." Maybe a simple acronym that a leader could easily remember when searching for diciples could for them to be FAT.
F: Faithful
A: Available
T: Teachable
2 Timothy 2:2
"2And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."
The second thing that Jesus did was the method of ASSOCIATION.
Jesus did not have a simple "Bible study" once a week so that his "Followers" can learn more about the scripture. Rather, he was an example to them. He showed them how to live life by sharing his with them. He ate, drank, and prayed with them. Jesus was part of his diciples everyday life.
The third thing we must practice as leaders is CONSECRATION.
Consecration means to be set apart. For us, it should be to be set apart for Jesus. (to be holy, and devoted to Him) Not many will be willing to consecrate all of theirselves to the Lord. A good example will be of that rich man who wanted to follow Jesus, but when Jesus told him to sell all his possesions and give them to the poor, he became saddened. He was not willing to follow. Every person's life has an Integration Point. To the most of the world, their intergration point is themselves. We are selfish beings who want everything to revolve around us. However, when we become followers of Christ, our intergration point becomes Christ. This happens when we are being consecrated to Jesus. So seek diciples that will be willing to follow and sacrifice the self for the Christ.
It is not enough to teach and live the example for disciples. Indeed, it takes much more motivation than that. Our fourth method would be that of IMPARTATION.
This fourth method is talking about knowing what love is, how to love, and finally do you consider yourself a loving person?
What is love?
God is love, we are called to "love our neighbor" but are we really doing it?
Love is
Active- Should always be something that flows from the Spirit
Diplayed- love through actions...
Selfless-loving others as you love yourself
"Love is a decision rather than just an emotion"
Love is holy.
Impartation: are you willing to give yourself to your disciples? I highly believe that love is a sacrifice that one must make a "decison" to follow it. If emotions are the first thing that comes to mind...then we have started out wrong. Love is a decision.
How do we love?
1 john 3:16-18 says,
16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1) If you want your diciples to be your friends, then make them a priority. Give them your time and importance. It should be noticable that friendship has become established once your weekly shedule reflects your time with them.
2)Give them transperancy and Vulnerability. You should be confident to be yourself among your friends, as well as being vurnerable to whatever secrecy you have entrusted them with. Like when Jesus said,
John 13:35
"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
It is by love that people around us should be able to diffintierate between believers and nonbelievers.
I strongly believe that in love there must be some sort of affection. One should not be afraid to hug, smile , ect at your brother/sister in Christ. It is by this, that we should be known!
so after we have discussed this, should we be able to say that we are a loving person?
The definition of Love for Chi Alpha is:
"Love is unselfishly choosing for the highest good of another; God and his kingdom."
Finally, Leaders demand sacrifice. Time sacrifice. We studied the normal week of a christian leader and we came to the conclusion that at least twenty-four hours is spent on the Word, being with your disciples, and preparing for a lesson.
However, in the end there will be a transgenerational dicipleship that could start with you. J
esus also gave his diciples work, here are four steps in the way that a trangenerational dicipleship works:
1) First you do it, and she/he watches
2) Then you do it and he/she helps
3)He /she does it and you help
4) He /she does it, and you watch.
Amazing isn't? Imagine if in a small group of 4-6 people, there will be one who will stand up and and do what it takes to be an effective christian leader, then in his/her small group , there is one more...and then he has one...and so on.....beautiful ! This is not just one guy doing all the work, it should be a community in which the leader needs the diciples and the disciples need each other to conitnue doing the work that Jesus once first said about 2000 years ago...
These were notes from "Discipleship by Design"- Harvey Herman.
2 comments:
pretty good. im sure this we will be of great use
Interesting to know.
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