Series: “#Adulting” — Sermon #4 “GraceTo Lead”

Series: “#Adulting” — Sermon #4 “GraceTo Lead”

Colossians 1:16-18 

“All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”

Ephesians 4:11-13

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”

Acts 14:23 “And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.”

Acts 15:22 (NLT)  “The men chosen were two of the church leaders—Judas (also called Barsabbas) and Silas.”

Philippians 1:1 (NLT) 

“I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the elders and deacons.”   

Elders – (Episkopos) Overseers.      Deacons – (Diakonos) Attendant

Adulting:— the act or practice of attending to the ordinary tasks required of a responsible adult. 

2Peter 3:18

“Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

#Adulting — Grow In Grace:

1. It’s a Miracle 

2. It’s Revelational

3. It’s Responsible

4. It’s Possible

Acts 2:47 

“And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

Acts 9:31

“Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified.  And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Acts 14:1 

“Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed.”

Acts 21:20 

“And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, ‘You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed,…’”

myriads:— an innumerable company

I believe that God is moving the Body of Christ from addition to multiplication!       

2 + 2=4                     2 x 2= 4

4 + 4=8                     4 x4=16

8 + 8=16                   6 x 16= 256

16 + 16=32               256 x 256= 65,536

32 + 32=64              65,536 x 65,536 =  4,294,967,296

Romans 12:4-8 (TPT)

“In the human body there are many parts and organs, each with a unique function. And so it is in the body of Christ. For though we are many, we’ve all been mingled into one body in Christ. This means that we are all vitally joined to one another, with each contributing to the others.

God’s marvelous grace imparts to each one of us varying gifts. So if God has given you the grace-gift of prophecy, activate your gift by using the proportion of faith you have to prophesy. If your grace-gift is serving, then thrive in serving others well. If you have the grace-gift of teaching, then be actively teaching and training others.

If you have the grace-gift of encouragement, then use it often to encourage others. If you have the grace-gift of giving to meet the needs of others, then may you prosper in your generosity without any fanfare. If you have the gift of leadership, be passionate about your leadership. And if you have the gift of showing compassion, then flourish in your cheerful display of compassion.”

How do they identify leaders in the Bible?

Acts 1:23-26

“And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.  And they prayed and said, . ‘You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.’  And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”

Acts 6:3-7 

“‘And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility.  Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.’ Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.”

Titus 1:5-9 

“I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you.  An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious.

A church leader is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money.

Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good.

He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life. He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.”

Exodus 18:14-26

“And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do.  Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.  And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge.  So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.”

Number 11:17 

“Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.”

Blueprint For Multiplication:

1. Gather Capable Leaders

2. Teach Them The Word

3. Make Practical Applications

4. Share The Burden Of Responsibility

5. Begins With Anointing — Same Spirit

We are vitally connected to one another.

We have all been graced with gifts and abilities to uniquely function.

When you unpack your gifts and strengths to serve others you experience joy and fulfilment.