Prayerful Leadership

Sermon Notes

Rhythms of the Church

• Please turn in your Bibles to Acts 1:12, pg. 909
  • Preparing the disciples to BE the CHURCH!
    • Vs. 1 #1. All about Jesus
    • Vs. 3 #2. Kingdom Minded
    • vs. 5 #3. Spirit Filled
    • vs. 8 #4. Witness
    • #5. Prayer
    • #6. Leadership

Prayerful Leadership 

What do we learn about prayer from their example?

• 1. One Mind
  1. -‘Accord’, (Pirates of the Caribbean)
  2. –What were they of one mind about?
     1. Blown away by Jesus.
     2. Cloud- Shekinah glory.
• And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. Luke 24:52-53

SLIDE- May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Romans 15:5–7

• 2. Persistant
  • Devoted,  What do you want? What are you praying for?

SLIDE- And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:1-8

• When have “One mind” with persistence you get answered prayer.
• -As he prepares the Apostles to be the church he gives them one mind and persistent prayer
• -What do we want as a church?
• -One mind,  “together we may with one voice Glorify God”
• Seek first the kingdom of God,
• Be all about Jesus, kingdom minded, Spirit Filled Witness

Leadership

What can we learn about biblical leadership?

• 1. All Believers 
  • Priesthood of all believers
  • Called and qualified to “lead” people to Jesus

SLIDE-  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  1 Peter 2:9

SLIDE- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  2 Corinthians 5:17-20

• 2. Faithful

SLIDE- and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.  2 Timothy 2:2

• Romans 5:4 says Endurance or faithfulness produces character.
  • So often we start with character. I have to do this to be this. 
  • Biblical leadership is flipped.
• Who does God say you are?
  • Call it out, church. Who?
  • Do you believe that?
    • -Then pray like it
    • Walk like it.
• Address unbelievers

Be the Church. Don’t just come to church, be the church. It’s who you are.

• God is preparing the disciples to be the church. Here’s what that means for us.

SLIDE- And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. Acts 2:42-43

Benediction

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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