What kind of disciples are naturally missional? Ones who are thrilled with Jesus, obviously. Who are gripped by his grace, obsessed with his wonder, amazed at his forgiveness, satisfied in his love.
People like that can never be nominal. One of our church students said to me last week "why are there nominal evangelicals who just like attending church, hearing sermons and singing hymns? How can anyone be nominal if a man really has risen from the dead?"
Read moreLeadership Lessons: Growing Missional Disciples
How does a church bring God glory in the world? Jesus put it very simply in the Great Commission:
Go into all the world and make disciples, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you
God receives glory through more and more people becoming followers of Jesus. Every local church is meant to be a community of disciples, each and every one of whom is involved in some respect in making more disciples. It is multiplicatory.
Read moreLeadership Lessons: Its All About The Glory of God
I am going to try to write 100 short posts on biblical spiritual leadership and see how far I get.
What is the single most important thing to say in #1? It has to be this: Christian leadership is all about achieving glory, fame and everlasting renown for God.
Read moreFlee Intellectual Arrogance; 2 Cor 11:6
It seems that the "super-apostles" who were leading the Corinthians astray were doing by parading their intellectual credentials to be considered trustworthy leaders. They were commending themselves to thne Corinthians for their "wisdom" (10:12), their trained speaking ability (11:6) and their heritage (11:22ff). In response Paul could perfectly well have advanced his own education as evidence of his own qualification for leadership, but he doesn't. He advances his sufferings in the service of Christ (11:23ff), his weakness (12:5), divine revelation (12:1ff) and apostolic miracles (12:12ff).
Read moreYou Are Two-Faced; 2 Cor 10:1-11
The hardest thing of all for any Christian leader is to work hard for the sake of Jesus being formed in others, and then have those others turn round and impugn your integrity. That is what happened to Paul . He responds in 2 Cor 10, a chapter which almost makes your eyes water with the vehemence that was clearly being directed against the godly father of the church.
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