Leadership Essentials: Visionary Leadership Is…
“Above all else, disciplemaking leaders seek to be captivated by the presence and power of the person of Jesus Christ. As lifelong apprentices, Christian leaders place themselves under Christ’s formative influence, so they live as if Christ were living His life through Him.” (Greg Ogden)
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ” (Colossians 2:8).
How do we develop a heart and soul captivated by the presence of Jesus?
By cultivating your love relationship with Jesus Christ, you are a disciplemaking leader.
Disciplemakers must not only live a lifestyle in captivation by the presence and power of Jesus. We must also teach others how to be captivated by Jesus as well. Chapters 3-6 in Discipleship Essentials provide a foundation for living “under Christ’s formative influence.”
How do we deepen our captivation of the presence of Jesus?
Learn to live under His formative influence. Spend time at the Father’s feet each day.
“One indicator of the depth of our relationship with the Lord is our willingness to spend time alone with Him not primarily for what we get out of it but for what it means to Him as well.” (Greg Ogden)
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Mark 1:35
Write down the time you set aside each day to spend with God.
Spend time with God in His Word
“…a portion of each day should be set aside to read, study, and meditate on God’s Word. The Bible is to the spirit what food is to the body” (Greg Ogden).
“though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14, NIV).
As disciplemakers we must walk other disciples beyond merely hearing and reading God’s Word to obeying His Word: Remember Jesus likened hearing His Word and not obeying it to “a foolish man who built his house on the sand” (Matthew 7:26-27).
When Jesus entrusted to us the Great Commission, He made it clear that we are to
“go and make disciples …teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20).
How do you practice spending time with God in His Word?
Name one practical way that empowers you to transition from being a hearer of God’s Word to acting on and living in obedience to God’s Word?
How can you help those in your MicroGroup learn to grow beyond being mere hearers to become doers of the Word of God?
Spend time listening to and responding to the Father in prayer.
“Prayer is transparent dialogue. It is the way we have an intimate conversation with the Creator of the universe and the Redeemer of our lives, who is wild about spending time with us.” (Greg Ogden).
When we look at the life of Jesus, we see that He prayed with others (Luke 9:28), for others (Matthew 19:13-14), and He prayed on His own. “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16).
Prayer was a fundamental part of how He approached each day and every decision, retreating faithfully to spend time with his Father out of love. Jesus
A personal practice that enables me to more effectively listen and respond to the voice of the Father is to spend time with Him opening your heart, hand, arms, and mouth to God in worship.
“The awareness that God is present and a recognition of who this God is, make for meaningful worship. The vitality and relevance of our worship is directly related to our view of God.” (Discipleship Essentials, p.43)
“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.” Psalm 29:2
Describe a way of personal worship that is a regular and a meaningful part of your time with the Father.
“Visionary leadership is the art of picturing God’s preferred future for people in terms that inspire their souls and invigorate their wills. It also helps people decern and discipline themselves to the specific principles and practices God uses to transform that dream into reality.” (Greg Ogden)
Only as you are captivated by Christ, will you lead others to do the same.
When you are “captivated by the presence and power of the person of Jesus Christ” those around you will be captivated by God’s splendor as well. Therefore, cultivate your captivation of our awesome God and create a clear pathway for your MicroGroup to live a lifestyle in awe of God.
Do not underestimate the critical importance of understanding, practicing, and modeling the content in Chapters 3-6 in Discipleship Essentials. Visionary leaders equip and coach their MicroGroup to do the same.
Greg Ogden
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