Every Christian should be a leader just where they live. I know what you’re thinking. You’re probably saying: “it cannot be me.”
[bctt tweet=”Let me tell you that being a leader is not just a role we play. It is a lifestyle.” username=””via PasteurEmmanuel””]
Yes, even you can become that leader God wants in your community.
In this post, I share 3 tips that can help you be a leader just where you live.
Tip#1: A Christian Leader Lives For A Purpose.
3 things you will need to consider in order to live with purpose:
First, Life Is A Gift.
Being alive is not something we pay for or even deserve. That is why I refer to life as a gift. It just happens that you and I are breathing and alive today.
Just as we care very much for a gift we have received from somebody, so should we also for life.
Caring for life implies taking care of the relationship we have with the Giver of all life: God.
So, treating life as such a precious gift means a lot to God who gave it to us in the first place. It also means we care for the people we are related to: family, friends and community.
Therefore, we should intentionally use our time and other resources in a way to help us and people around us grow.
Second, Every Human Being Has Potential To Fulfill Their Destiny.
Life, which has been granted to us as a gift, means that we are here for a reason. This is something, for which, we need clarity so that we become able to fulfill the reason why we are here on earth.
Because you were made for some purpose, then, there is also potential in you to help you accomplish your destiny.
We were born with gifts and talents that make us individually unique and set aside for specific things we have to accomplish in life. Part of growing as individuals and Christians is to discover these gifts and put them to good use for God’s Kingdom.
These gifts and talents are tools that will help us fulfill our destiny. Their discovery gives us purpose in life.
Lastly, Do Something About It.
After discovering our gifts and talents, it will become easier to establish a plan, which gives us purpose.
But, a plan with no action does not work. Even if you have clarity on what your destiny should look like, you still need a plan to fulfill it. You have to be intentional about putting it to work.
What can help you in the process is to: 1) set goals and 2) establish a way to measure your progress.
Tip#2: A Christian Leader Models A Better Way of Life.
Being a Christian requires discipline. Here’s what this looks like:
First Of All, you need a life plan to help you fulfill God’s purposes in your life.
You can learn more about the importance for having a life plan reading Michael Hyatt. In his post, “Life Plan: Designing The Life You’ve Always Wanted,” he raises 3 questions:
1) How do you want to be remembered?
2) What matters most to you?
3) How do I get from here to there?
Next, you need a set of values that are grounded in the love of God and neighbor.
A life plan for your life will help you set priorities in terms of how you should use your time and your resources.
The best life plan is that, which clearly helps you set priorities in the following order: God, self, family, church and community.
[bctt tweet=”How you use your time for God and self can affect your relationships with your family, friends and other people.” username=””via PasteurEmmanuel””]
Lastly, Who is holding you accountable to the above?
Healthy living is best done in the context of community. It is expressed through relationships with other people.
This blog post, How To Establish And Maintain Healthy Relationships, can help you get started with relationships that can hold you accountable to your purpose.
In the post, you first learn the 4 components of healthy relationships. Then, it offers you 3 practical ways to live purposefully.
Tip#3: A Christian Leader Influences.
Influence coming out of being a Christian is related to the work of the Holy Spirit in us.
So, no credit for whatsoever that happens through our way of life! All the glory goes back to God.
[bctt tweet=”Every person filled with the Holy Spirit becomes a witness of God!” username=””via PasteurEmmanuel””]
That was Jesus’ plan and still is. Jesus for the sole purpose of making us His disciples.
[bctt tweet=”Jesus came to free us from anything that has prevented us from being the best of who we should be.” username=””via PasteurEmmanuel””]
His Presence through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Freedom, in our lives, has made us His witnesses. We read it in Acts 1:8.
The text was originally about the disciples in the first century. But, it still applies to every Christian today.
[bctt tweet=”As God’s witnesses, the Holy Spirit helps us influence. ” username=””via PasteurEmmanuel””]
This influence does not only have to be local. It goes beyond our local communities.
But, let me point out that with the disciples, in the first century, their influence on others didn’t happen overnight. It grew as their impacts reached more people. That is how our influence also grows.
Our influence, as Christian leaders, begins with the people who live around us. Then, it reaches people in our church, community, school, work, and beyond.
God’s plan for the disciples was not just to influence in Jerusalem, but also in other places going to the ends of the world (Acts 1: 8).
[bctt tweet=”God wants you to impact and influence other people!” username=””via PasteurEmmanuel””]
“How can I influence?” You may ask.
Before talking about the ways we could influence others, let us briefly discuss, what this means.
Influencing is not about making people be like us. It is helping others make sense of why they are here on earth.
Therefore, our way of life and the values that define how we live should be a model they could use too. It is not a matter of copying what others do, but helping one another be the best version of ourselves.
There are two major ways you could influence others.
a) You influence in the way you use your words.
[bctt tweet=”You can influence others by using words that inspire, encourage and power. ” username=””via PasteurEmmanuel””]
Use social media to do it. You can also send notes to people in your family, Church or community, you think, may need encouragement.
As a Christian, you could pray for those who have requested support in prayer. Check my post on “Prayer Life Made Easier” to find ways to pray daily and consistently.
b) A Christian Leader Influences Others Through Acts Of Hospitality and Generosity.
People who give more are the ones who receive more too. “There is more joy in giving than receiving” (Acts 20: 35).
Hospitality means bringing someone with us on our journey. This could be a coach or someone to hold us accountable to our mission.
Generosity is walking with someone else in order to share with them what we have. Every person has something to give to somebody else. This does not always to be money or a gift. But, it could be a skill, an experience or a story that can change someone’s life.
Here’s God’s will for you:
- Live with purpose,
- model a better a way of life and
- influence others.
Doing so, as a Christian leader, you are helping people around you also earn how to purposefully live as Christians.
I would like to hear from you. Please, leave me a comment in the box below. You can also share this post with someone who may need to read it.
My prayer and hope is that you reach the best version of yourself!
