Acts 3 demonstrates how leaders called to generate life change through the Gospel, capitalize on the opportunities God creates. In this scripture Peter did not generate a life change opportunity, he acted upon one that God laid before him. As Small Group leaders our opportunities, and responsibilities, differ little from those of Peter’s in this scripture. Take five minutes to read Acts 3 and then let’s consider our opportunities and responsibilities.
What was Peter’s first opportunity? He recognized the opportunity to minister to a crippled beggar. What was his responsibility in that opportunity? Peter’s responsibility was to give that man what he, Peter, had. In 3:6 Peter tells the beggar “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.” As a Group leader, serving in obedience to God, these same opportunities and responsibilities present themselves.
In our Groups we will likely encounter group members who look to us for “silver and gold,” things we cannot give them. Often, the metaphorical “silver and gold” is actually more of a “want” as opposed to what they most need. The crippled beggar asked John and Peter for money, a “want,” but Peter responded by giving him something far more valuable--what he truly needed--Jesus and His ability to heal.
In leading our groups we will see the most life change and healing when we recognize God created opportunities, respond with obedient leadership, and give first that which God has called us to share, the gospel of Jesus Christ.
From the time Joshua is named to replace Moses as the leader of Israel, Joshua displays one leadership trait above all other: obedient servant hood.
Yes, Joshua clearly had other leadership strengths, but he also had leadership weaknesses. In his obedient service to the Lord, his strengths were magnified and his weaknesses were minimized.
God gave Joshua some instructions for his people and some battle plans that had to seem entirely crazy in the moment. But Joshua was unswerving in presenting these plans to his people and executing them as the Lord had instructed him.
The only time Joshua struggled, or failed, as leader of Israel was preceded by his ignoring or modifying God’s clear instructions. In each of these cases Joshua regrouped, obeyed the Lord and restored success in his leadership.
As NewSpring Group leaders should it not be our primary goal to have said of us what was said of Joshua following his death in Judges 2:8, “Now Joshua, son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten years old”?
The account of Jesus healing a blind man in Mark 8 is at once cloudy and perfectly clear. People of Bethsaida “brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him” (8:22), a very understandable beginning to the story. The next three verses at first perplex and then reveal.
Jesus leads the blind man by the hand until they are outside the village. Then Jesus puts His hands on the sightless eyes, after He had spit on them. Then Jesus asked the blind man, “Do you see anything?”
Why? Why lead the man out of the village and why ask the man if he could see anything? This is Jesus, all powerful and all knowing! Jesus could certainly heal the man in the village. Jesus certainly knew whether or not the man could see anything. Why verses 8:23-24? Why not just 8:22, skip 8:23-24 and go right to 8:25?
Without those middle verses the story would go something like this: “Blind man touched by Jesus. Blind man’s sight is restored.” Without question, Jesus could have made that the facts of the encounter. But without 8:23-24 this miracle would not have revealed important elements of our walk with Christ.
Despite God’s ability to do whatever, whenever, His plan can include timing or steps necessary solely for us. In 8:23-24, the blind man learns to follow Jesus wherever He leads. The blind man also learns to answer Jesus with honest recognition of his personal condition. And finally, he learns that Jesus heals on His timetable, not on ours.
As we face challenges in leading our Small Group, let’s assure the success of our role in God’s plans by never skipping over the truths clearly revealed in Mark 8:23-24.
An amazing number of scriptural references identify Abraham as a faithful leader of God’s chosen people. Suffice it to say that Abraham is an excellent example for those of us who seek to lead in a manner that honors our Father.
In Genesis 22 Abraham reveals how a faithful leader responds to God’s call. Before knowing that he would be called to sacrifice his son, Abraham responded to God’s call of “Abraham!” with the trusting “Here I am” (Gen 22:1).
No fore-knowledge of what God might ask of him, Abraham knew only one response to his God. If we dare to follow Abraham’s example, we reflect a heart in complete trust in our Creator. Abraham’s immediate trust in God’s call resulted in him being commanded to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. That might be enough to make most of us a little less trusting in future response to God’s calling.
Yet when an Angel of the Lord called from heaven at the very moment Abraham was about to carry out the unimaginably faithful obedience to God’s direction to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham again responded “Here I am”(Gen 22:11). Consider the incredible faithfulness of Abraham’s response. Then consider the even more incredible faithfulness of God’s calling. The leader we become is dependent only on our response to the call of our Heavenly Father.
Throughout scripture we find leaders with unique personalities, a variety of personal characteristics and differing strengths or weaknesses. But a common trait of those who successfully lead God’s people is the closeness of their walk with God.
“This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God” (Genesis 6:9).
Noah was “righteous” and “blameless” not because of his perfection. Not because of his works. Not because of his individual self-reliance and strength. Quite opposite, Noah was God’s man to help save the human race because of his faithful walk with God. A walk in which Noah submitted his life to the Lord and in faithful obedience got done what God asked, the way He asked it to be done.
NewSpring Group Leaders, our leadership success relies not on our individual talents and efforts, but rather on our willingness to seek God’s voice for direction and faithful obedience to His calling on our lives.