Practicing Christian Leadership, Mentor's Guide, MG11

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P R A C T I C I N G C H R I S T I A N L E A D E R S H I P

Acts 26.17-18 - delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles - to whom I am sending you [18] to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. 2 Cor. 3.6 - who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Eph. 6.20 - for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Enabling your students to see that they, in fact, represent the risen and exalted Lord Jesus in their leadership is one of the critical empowering elements of this module. What they are engaged in is not merely good efforts or care; they stand in the place of and for the glory of the Lord Jesus, and he himself will reward their faithful obedience in serving the needs of his people. This corresponds directly to the way in which our Lord obeyed the Father, and therefore God highly exalted him (Phil. 2.5-11). In the same way, we honor Christ, and so he will honor us (John 12.24-25). This was applied as well to receiving the apostles’ words as Christ’s own instruction (cf. 1 Thess. 4.8 - Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.) Matt. 10.40 - Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. Mark 9.37 - Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me. Luke 9.48 - and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.” John 12.44 - And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me.” Notice this sense of representation again in the following texts: