Has someone ever walked up to you and given spoken words of encouragement to you.  As the words came out of their mouth something powerful took place inside of you.  There was a transformation that happened inside of you. You were motivated and inspired to achieve greatness. These types of interactions should remind us of the power of encouragement.

Why is it leaders so often neglect using this powerful tool?

Just prior to entering the Promise Land God told Moses, “But commission Joshua and ENCOURAGE and strengthen him for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land.” (Deuteronomy 3:28) In a very critical moment in this young leaders life God reminded Moses to encourage him.  The Hebrew word for encourage is chazaq which means, “to make strong or firm”. Encouragement has power.

Here are 7 things encouragement will do for those we lead:

1)  It helps them see the work God is doing in or through their life.

2)  It motivates them to continual improvement.

3)  It enhances their confidence and courage.

4)  It expands their vision.  When they know the progress they’ve made has been recognized    and appreciated it causes them to dream bigger.

5)  It validates their giftedness.  Most people struggle with clarity in the area of their giftedness.  A specific word of encouragement can help bring needed confirmation.

6)  It creates relational bonds between the leader and follower.

7)  It teaches them to encourage others.

Points to ponder…

• How can I sow seeds of specific encouragement to individuals this week and watch it strengthen them?
• How will my words of encouragement build the group (team) of people that I am leading?
• How will my words of encouragement help those I am leading grow in their relationship with Christ?

Prayer point…

Ask God to help you be a constant encourager of those you are leading so that you can help make them strong.

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Danny Mequet

dmequet@churchoftheking.com

I’m looking forward to coaching my son’s 6-year old soccer team this year. I think one of the biggest challenges I will have is not wanting to run out onto the field and kick the ball myself to help us win! I have to continually remind myself that my job is to coach the kids so that they can play the game.

In the same manner, our role as leaders should not be to do the work, but to coach those we are leading to take responsibility for their growth. As Christian leaders, our top priority should be to get people engaged in God’s Word.

“The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

It is God’s Word, not our work, which will ultimately bring about life-change. Therefore, we must recognize that our role is to encourage and coach people into encountering God through the Bible.

In order for people to hear from God when they read the Bible they must learn to ask the following three questions:

1) What does this mean?

• This question focuses on the meaning of the scripture passage.

2) What is God saying to me?

• This question makes the Bible passage become personal.

3) How will I be different because of what I read today?

• This question calls the reader to action and leads to life-change.

Think about it…

• Who will I commit to helping develop their ability to engage in God’s Word?
• What will I do to help them learn how to hear God when they read the Bible?

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Just like my wife and I had to train our children to be able to feed themselves, our goal as leaders should always be to help those whom we are leading become self-feeders.  Jesus makes this very clear in John 15:5 when He tells us, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Our goal is to coach people into a growing personal relationship with Christ because they are “remaining in Him.”

Here are 3 Steps to developing Self-feeders:

1) Feed them

When somebody comes into a relationship with Christ we must give them what it takes to begin the growth process.  We need to make sure they are getting the Biblical truths in their life that will help them establish a growing walk with Christ.

2) Help feed them (and be willing to clean up the mess)

As people begin to grow we must give them a chance to feed themselves.  This can be messy, but it is necessary if we want to see them become self-feeders.  There have been times that I have met with men and helped lead them in their devotion time with God.  This gives me the opportunity to coach them on how to pray, read their Bible and hear from God.

3) Let them feed themselves

We always want to be a support to those we are leading, but we must let them begin to feed themselves without trying to step in all the time. As leaders, we want those we are leading to be able to feed themselves spiritually because that will allow them to grow deeper in their relationship with Christ.  Once they can grow then they can begin to help others begin this process of learning to be a self-feeder.

Think about it…

• What can you do to begin to help others become self-feeders?
• What are the possible problems of not teaching those we are leading to become self-feeders?
• What can you do to help those you are leading begin to teach others how to become self-feeders?

Prayer point: Ask God to give you wisdom on how to help those you are leading become self-feeders.

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Several years ago when I was working as a school counselor I was asked by one of our students if I was taking steroids because he thought I had big muscles.  After I stopped laughing I told him I was getting ripped off if I was paying for steroids because at 6’1” and 185 lbs. I’m anything but muscular.  I tried to explain to him that if he wanted to develop his muscles there were healthy ways to go about achieving his goals.

In the same way that there are certain things we can do to grow and strengthen our muscles, there are also things we can do to grow in our relationship with Christ.  As leaders, it is our responsibility to help those we are leading grow in their relationship with Christ.

James 1:23-25 says, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;  for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.  But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

As leaders, we must promote growth by providing an environment and relationships that will help others grow in their relationship with Christ.

In order for people to grow in their relationship with Christ we need to help them grow in the following four areas:

1) The Bible

• We must encourage those we are leading to establish a regular time of connecting with God through reading, studying and meditating on His Word.

2) Prayer

• We need to help those we are leading develop a regular time of connecting with God through prayer.  This could include a prayer journal, praying through the Lord’s Prayer and asking the Holy Spirit to lead them in prayer.

3) Godly relationships

• A large part of our growth in our relationship with God has to do with our relationships.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

• As leaders, we must help those we are leading embrace godly relationships that will help them grow closer to God.

4) Serving

• Serving changes the lives of the people who are served as well as those who are serving.

Think about it…

• Do you find the people you are leading are growing in their relationship with Christ?  Why or why not?
• What can you do in order to be more intentional about promoting growth for those you are leading?

Prayer point…

Ask for wisdom and strength to help those you are leading to grow in their relationship with God.

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If you are like me, you may have set some goals at the beginning of this year and for some reason you have not achieved them.  I want to challenge you to take a look at some of your goals and be determined to finish strong this year.

As a leader, the most important types of goals you can set are those that relate to the people to which God has given you influence.  We can look at Jesus and how He lived out His final days on Earth in order to learn how to finish strong in our relationships.

3 Things we must have in order to Finish Strong:

1) Focus

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39

Jesus was focused on His mission at hand.  Even though He knew He was going to face the most intense challenge any person could possibly face, He was focused on completing the mission His Father had given Him.  The reason He was so focused on completing His mission is because His mission centered on the ultimate act of serving people.

2) Forgiveness

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 22:34

As leaders, our goal should be to serve others and love them.  However, there are times in our lives that hurts can cause us to lose focus of the mission at hand.  In order to finish strong we must allow God to work through us by helping us forgive.  Jesus was able to forgive the men who were killing Him.  If He can do that, then we should take the step to forgive also.

3) Faithfulness

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

Jesus’ last words to His disciples were words of faithfulness.  Jesus promised that despite what may happen He will be with them and help them.  In order to finish strong we must prove faithful first to God and then to those He has called us to lead.

As you commit to finish this year strong make sure that you are focused on your mission, forgiving of those who have hurt you and faithful to those you are leading. If you do these things then you will be a leader who finishes strong!

Think about it…

• Who do you need to reach out to before the end of this year?
• Who has God placed in your life that you need to forgive?
• What goals did God give you at the beginning of this year that you have not yet achieved?  Why have you not achieved them?  What can you do to finish strong?

Prayer point…

Ask God to help you recognize what has kept you from finishing strong in the relationships in which God has placed you as a leader.  Then ask Him to give you the ability to focus, forgive and be faithful so that you can finish strong just like Jesus did.

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I recently moved into a new house, and as many of you know that usually means repainting. With the challenge of repainting our whole house I decided to spend the extra money and get the necessary tools that would help make the painting more efficient. And for a whole week my purpose in life was to get my new house painted!

As leaders, we have the opportunity to provide the necessary tools to those we are leading in order to help them fulfill their God-given purpose.  Jesus clearly defines our purpose when he tells us to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), therefore we must work to equip those we are leading to “make disciples.”

At Church of the King, one of the key ways that we “make disciples” is through the relationships that are formed within small groups. Since discipleship is relationally driven the only way to increase our ability to disciple more people is to develop more leaders who can fulfill the Great Commission of “making disciples of all nations.”

In order to provide a clear path for those desiring to fulfill the Great Commission we have designed Small Group Training. This training is designed to help new leaders (and is a great refresher for experienced leaders):

• Understand the importance of discipleship
• Develop a discipleship strategy
• Attract people to their small group
• Lead a small group meeting
• Multiply their discipleship efforts

Our next Small Group Training will take place on December 11, 2011 from 5 pm – 8 pm at the Little Creek Campus. Online registration can be found at www.churchoftheking.com/register

If you are a current small group leader, this training provides the opportunity for you to invite any Emerging leaders in your group to attend this training with you as their first step in developing as a leader.

For more information please contact the Small Groups Department at smallgroups@churchoftheking.com.

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One of my favorite movies is an old football movie called Rudy. In this movie, a young man, who is a passionate Notre Dame football fan decides he will try out for the Notre Dame football team. While achieving some success with his high school team he lacked the talent and physical size to play at a school like Notre Dame. However, Rudy did not allow his lack of talent to keep him from impacting his teammates. Because of Rudy’s desire, passion and hard work he motivated the more talented players on his team to work hard to fulfill their potential. It was Rudy’s heart, more than his skills that allowed him to lead his team.

In our continuous journey to grow as leaders, we must remember that our heart will determine how impactful we can be. We must constantly be asking ourselves the following questions in order to keep the heart of a leader:

1) Does God know my heart?

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)

2)   Do I do the right things for the right reasons?

Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21 (NLT)

3)   Do I live for others?

“Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.” 1 Corinthians 10:24 (NLT)

In our journey as leaders we must constantly be sharpening ourselves by developing our skills, but it is the constant guarding of our hearts (Proverbs 4:23) that will allow us to leave a legacy.

Think about it…

• Do I balance guarding my heart and developing my skills as a leader? How can I get better in this area?
• Think of a leader who has gained influence because of their pure heart/motives. Why is this person growing in influence? How can you emulate this person?

Prayer point…

Ask God to show you the areas that you need to work on developing the heart of a leader so that you can be more impactful for Him.

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One of the most challenging concepts to grasp, as a leader is the idea of being a “servant leader.” Jesus helps us understand how to lead as a servant when He said, “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” (Matthew 5:41).

In the culture in which Jesus was speaking, carrying a Roman soldier’s belongings the first mile was considered a legal obligation. Therefore, when Jesus says to go two miles it proves that the second mile is a willful act of service.

In order to lead as a servant we must strive to become a Second Mile Leader.

3 Keys to becoming a Second Mile Leader:

1) See the value in others

“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

We need to ask God to help us see people the way He sees them. When we see people the way God sees them, we will be willing to lead them as a true servant-leader.

2) See the opportunity to serve

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24

When we serve others we are really serving Christ. Therefore, we should embrace each opportunity to serve others.

3) See the potential for life change

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:12

Serving changes lives because it is how we show God’s love to others.

Think about it…

• What can I do to become a Second Mile Leader?
• How can I better serve those I am leading?

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As leaders we should constantly be thinking about whom we are helping develop so that we can replace ourselves.  Your success should not be measured by how much you can do individually, but by how many people you have developed so that your effectiveness is multiplied.

If you become a “people developer” who is able to develop others to do what you do, then you will have great value in your organization.  In order to develop people so that you can give up your job you must be a…

1) Intentional investor

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.” Matthew 4:18

Jesus knew that He had to be intentional in who invested himself.  As we strive to multiply our efforts we must be intentional about in whom we invest ourselves.

2) Risk Taker

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

Jesus was willing to take a risk on these fishermen because He believed that if He invested himself into them, then they would be responsible to help carry on Christianity and help develop it into a movement that has lasted nearly 2,000 years and continues to grow.

We must be willing to take a risk with those we are leading.  Just as Jesus gave these fishermen an opportunity to lead, we must be willing to give people a chance to succeed.

3) Standard Setter

Jesus lived His life with a standard that was clearly defined for His disciples.  Through experiences and teaching moments Jesus clearly defined His standards for the disciples.  This made it possible for the disciples to meet the standards, which Jesus had set.

As you strive to develop others you must set clear standards of excellence so that they will be able to perform at your standards and even exceed your standards.

Think about it…

• Who are you intentionally investing in so that you can multiply your efforts?  What are you doing to be intentional?
• How willing are you to take risks with those you are developing as leaders?  Why?
• What are you doing to make sure that your standards of excellence are passed on to those whom you are developing?

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When I was 16 years old my grandpa looked at me and said, “Danny, you’re my only grandson who has our family name “Mequet”, so it’s up to you to have sons and continue the family legacy.”  At that time of my life my only concern was getting better at basketball so I could get more playing time.  Carrying on my family legacy was not at the top of my priority list.  Fifteen years later, I’m glad to say that the “Mequet” name will continue on because God has blessed me with two strong sons.

Just like I’ve had to reproduce in order to keep my family name going, I realize that God’s plan to build His Kingdom is for His children (that’s us!) to reproduce who God has created us to be.  As we reproduce who God has called us to be, we will be able to multiply our effectiveness in reaching people and building lives.

Throughout the Bible we see the importance that is placed on multiplication so today we are going to look at 3 Reasons Why We Need to Multiply Leadership.

1) Lasting Legacy

“And 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.” 2 Timothy 2:2

The way to be a part of something that will outlast you is to reproduce who you are in others and teach them to reproduce who they are in others.  As a leader, if you invest your time and energy in developing leaders who develop leaders, then you will establish a lasting legacy with an eternal impact.

2) Lost Reached

“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 9:37-38

Jesus realized the physical limitations He faced and knew that in order to reach more people He needed more leaders.  In the same way, if we want to be able to reach an unlimited number of lost people we must continually develop leaders.

3) Load Lifted

“Select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²² Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.” Exodus 18:21-22

Moses attempted to carry all of the weight by himself which resulted in personal stress and unmet needs of the people he was leading.  In order to thrive as a leader, Moses had to begin to empower others to carry responsibility in leading the Israelites.  As leaders, if we begin to empower others and equip them to lead we will carry a lighter load, which will allow us to be more effective in reaching people and building lives.

Multiplication is not a clever management scheme or a multi-level marketing strategy.  As we have seen in the above-mentioned portions of scripture, multiplication is God’s plan to build His Kingdom more effectively through the development and empowerment of leaders.

Think about it…

• What can you do to begin to multiply your efforts of reaching people and building lives?
• What is the biggest challenge to multiplying yourself in others?
• Who are three people you can identify in your life who you can invest in so that you can multiply yourself?

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