Hi |first_name|,
Saturday night Carrie*, Allan* and I went through the third lesson of Discovering Spiritual Leadership. The focus was that leaders teach attitudes that God blesses (Matthew 6:25-34).
With my leaders, I am more open about what I share, especially for question #2: "What are you struggling with and how can we help?" This night I shared how God had convicted me of a critical attitude towards a member of our community. I want them to see that correction from God is normal and that I am continuing to grow as a leader myself.
As we looked at the Bible passage we saw that it is on a total collision course with both Australian and Chinese culture. Both cultures seem to be obsessed with houses and money. Worry is common. I told them that worry is something I struggle with. Carrie and Allan then talked about how this passage would relate to the people in their group. This will help them understand how to pray for their group members.
We are still getting used to question #16: "How could we apply this Scripture: Is there a Sin to avoid, Promise to claim, Example to follow, Commandment to obey?"
I pointed out that there is a promise in verse 33, but it is conditional. The NIVR reads, "But put God’s kingdom first. Do what he wants you to do. Then all those things will also be given to you."
You could see the lights come on for Allan when I pointed out that God's providing for our needs is in response to our effort to "put God's kingdom first and do what God wants us to do".
"This is exactly what Bao Lin* needs to hear", Allan* exclaimed. "He thinks that once you become a Christian you can stop working because God has promised to take care of you."
I am really enjoying taking DBS leaders through Discovering Spiritual Leadership. I'd love to hear how you are training your leaders.