Practicing Christian Leadership, Student Workbook, SW11

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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

Now is the time for you to discuss with your fellow students your questions about the practice of Christian exhortation. The need to charge and exhort others to follow through on the commands and promises of our Lord ties into and builds upon all the insights of the previous lesson. Every dimension of Christian leadership, including the role of representative before God; one who leads God’s people in worship, Word, and sacrament; and incorporates and spiritually parents new members in the body; requires a leader who is unafraid both in word and example to challenge God’s people to attain to God’s standard. You must be open, therefore, to consider carefully your call and availability to exhort others to fulfill Christ’s high purpose for their lives. We begin, as always, with ourselves and our own lives. In light of these insights, then, what are the particular questions you have considering your call to exhort and exercise authority in the body of Christ? Perhaps some of the questions below may enable you to understand your own calling and role in Christian leadership better. * Do I understand the truths associated with godly exhortation, and do I today see the importance it has for my own leadership in the home and the church? * Am I secure enough in my walk with the Lord that I do not take counsel and advice personally? Am I able to distinguish between my standing before the Lord and my state or condition in my ongoing walk with the Lord and others? * What is my greatest problem in receiving the good discipline of the Lord and exhortation from others? Am I proud, judgmental, unsubmissive? * If I asked my spiritual leaders to complete the following sentence, what do I think they would say. “When it comes to receiving instruction and discipline from others, I think that I would have to say that you are _______________.” * Have I ever participated in the obedience of a Matthew 18 kind of situation in my life? How did I handle it, in other words, was I obedient to the Lord’s instruction here? How did it turn out? * Do I seek to condemn others or restore and build them up whenever I am involved in teaching, counseling ministry? * Am I willing to persevere in learning the lessons of godly exhortation, even if it is difficult to master and apply the principles correctly? Explain your answer.

Student Application and Implications

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