Daily Archives: July 3, 2012

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How You Can Lead Others To Do Great Things

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

1 Peter 5:1-3

I heard about a lady who was married three times. The first time she married a grocer. He died, so she married a tailor. Well, it turns out he died as well, so she married a preacher.

She was asked why she married these different kinds of men. And she said, “Well, I married the grocer so that I could eat for nothing. I married the tailor so I could dress for nothing. And I married the preacher so I could be good for nothing!”

It’s an unfortunate reality that many preachers and leaders in the Christian community today really don’t serve as they should. Yes, they rally their churches to do great things for the Kingdom, but when it comes to actually getting in and doing the work of ministry, many are noticeably absent. And this doesn’t apply solely to church leaders. Many are good at saying, “We need to do XYZ,” but when it comes time to begin, they’re nowhere to be found!

I’m often asked, “What does the Church need today?” Well, the people of God need to be rallied and led by those who will step into the trenches with them. And whether you realize it or not, you can be the one to lead them. So step up and do great things for God, leading others when you do. That’s exactly what the Church needs today!

LEAD OTHERS BY GETTING INTO THE TRENCHES AND SERVING WITH THEM!

Pastor Graham
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In Jail for Jesus!

By David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]

“But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened
unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel”
(Philippians 1:12). When Paul wrote this, he was an older man with years of
experience. In the midst of one of the worst trials of his life, he was
speaking to his friends from his heart.

In the time you have been walking with Jesus, you surely have known pain,
trials, afflictions. So, how have you behaved? What has been the outcome, the
result of your experiences? Have your afflictions all been in vain? Or have you
learned of God‘s love and faithfulness in the midst of them?

Let’s say you are a dedicated believer who has laid down his life for Jesus.
You have a burden for a dying world, you weep for the lost, and you have a
clear command to win souls. So you tell all your friends you are going to a
certain city to testify of God’s grace.
Yet after you arrive, your friends back home receive word that you are not
being used of God at all. Nothing has gone as planned; in fact, your ministry
is dead. You have nothing to show for your efforts and rather than stirring up
the city for Christ, you have landed in jail.

How would you react if all you had to show for your dedication, labors and
sacrifice was utter failure?

Some Christians would pout. They would doubt God’s word to them and question
the Spirit’s leading. Yet other Christians would respond as Paul
did—rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer for Christ’s sake.
Paul did not try to figure out his afflictions. He responded with joy, faith
and hope because he knew he was in training as God’s witness. He wrote to his
friends from jail: “My situation is the topic of conversation in Caesar’s
palace. In fact, everyone in Rome is talking about what’s happening to me. I’m
in jail for Jesus!” He must have been quite a sight in that prison cell—a
scrawny Jew encouraging everyone around him, “Rejoice in your afflictions.
God is faithful!”

Paul did not waste any of his afflictions, because he knew that each of them
had a divine purpose. Likewise, the Lord is watching us to see how we behave
during our trials.

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