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

• As leaders called to represent God’s purposes and interests in the midst of the Church, we must work tirelessly to ensure that each member of the family is properly fed and nourished with a full and steady diet of the Word of God and experiencing genuine body life through a joyous celebration of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. • The leader in the family of God uses his or her gifts to nourish believers in Scripture, incorporate new believers into the Church through baptism, and celebrate the Lord’s death and coming in the meal of the Lord’s Supper.

I. Defining the Leader’s Role in Word and Sacrament

Video Segment 2 Outline

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A. Definition: the practicing Christian Leader is one who leads the people of God into the presence of God through the Word and the Sacrament .

Augustine defined a sacrament as a visible form of an invisible grace.

~ D. N. Freedman. The Anchor Bible

1. Leads the people of God into the presence of God: the leader leads God’s people into his presence .

Dictionary . Vol. 6. New York: Doubleday, 1996. p. 983.

a. Paul conceived his entire ministry as an offering to enable the Gentiles to glorify God in worship, praise, and obedience .

(1) Rom. 15.8-13

(2) Rom. 15.18

b. God called Paul to represent his purpose and interests for salvation among the Gentiles, to lead them into a lifestyle of discipleship, accompanied by worship and praise and thanksgiving to God .

(1) 2 Cor. 5.20

(2) Gal. 2.7-8

(3) Eph. 3.1

(4) 1 Tim. 2.7