Leaders must grow in the skill to facilitate sincere and passionate worship

Christians are essentially worshipers of the Triune God; Christian leaders must grow in the skill to inspire, direct and facilitate worship!

You don’t need to be a musician to facilitate worship! This practical and encouraging video teaching by Theo Burmeister will help small group leaders to facilitate worship when you gather.

Scripture

Psalm 105:1-6

1 Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
and make his deeds known among the people.
2 Sing to him! Praise him!    Declare all his awesome deeds!
3  Exult in his holy name;    let all those who seek the Lord rejoice!
4 Seek the Lord and his strength;    seek his face continually.
5 Remember his awesome deeds that he has done,

his wonders and the judgments he declared.
6 You descendants of Abraham, his servant,  You children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

Observations

Context: This Psalm is a call and instruction to corporate worship.

1. In your own words, what does the psalmist call the congregation to do in each phrase of the psalm above? Rewrite these as practical steps or instructions for corporate worship.

Personal reflection and application

Many of the psalms were written as examples or deliberate instructions on why, how and when to worship God. Christian leaders can use these as baseline for inspiring and facilitating worship – even without musical instruments!

1. Would you call yourself a worshipper of God? When and how do you worship God by yourself? What do you enjoy doing when you worship?
2. How confident are you to facilitate worship? If you had no music with you, how would you do it?
3. Read through this psalm line by line, and follow the example or instruction to give thanks and praise to God in your own words.
4. At your next fellowship, prayer or Bible Study session, start the meeting by leading the group to worship God together in this way.

 

Leaders should grow in the skill to facilitate participation

Skilled leaders have grown in the art of inviting and enabling others to make valuable contributions to the task at hand.  This both gives value to the individuals and greatly enhance the realization of the goal.

Enjoy this short video of how to Cause Participation and invite the contributions of other in your small group, by Kobus Meyer.

Scripture

1 Corinthians 12:4-18

4  Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5  and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6  and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

7  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8  For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10  to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11  All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 12  For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ…

14  For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15  If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18  But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.

Observation and reflection questions

1. Carefully study verses 4-6. Note the emphasis on (a) different abilities (b) from the same source. In your own words rephrase four phrases from these three verses that essentially says “the same ____ gives different ______”
2. Why does Paul say the Spirit gives different gifts to people within the congregation? What does the Lord wish to accomplish in doing this? (verses 7-12)
3. Consider the body metaphor in verses 14-18. Can you suggest one phrase that summarizes what Paul is meaning to say here? (in your own words)
4. What is the resultant attitude members should have towards one another? (can you think of one word that captures this attitude best?)
5. What then is the task of the leader of facilitator, considering the diversities of gifts and abilities within a group?

Personal Reflection and Application

It is scripturally impossible for one person to fully develop and nourish a congregation, because God gifts different people to build up a congregation as he wills. No one person can do it, so a leader must grow in the skill to invite and coordinate participation according to the abilities within the group.

1. Think of your fellowship group or work group.

• What is the unique contribution that you bring to this group? What is your best strength within this group by which you can help or enhance them?
• List the strengths and abilities of two other people within this group that can bless or enhance this group’s health or purpose.
• Think of the person with whom you clash or differ with most; in which way can this person contribute which you can not?
• What can you do to (a) call out, (b) enhance and (c) facilitate these unique gifts within the group?

2. At the next meeting with this group use the opportunity to affirm and encourage these strengths and anilities of these people.

Prayer

Thank God for your unique gifts, and declare yourself available to serve people with these gifts.  Pray that God will open your eyes to see the strengths, gifts and abilities within the people around you and grant you grace to facilitate and encourage them as you work together in unity.

Competence increases leadership capacity

Leadership skills increase your efficiency, productivity, plus your scope and depth of influence.  The good news is skills can be learned!

In preparation for this session, look at this introductory video on the effect of skills in leadership capacity (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQXcmCPcMrY).

Scriptures

Psalms 78:70-72

70  He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;

71  From following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, tnd Israel His inheritance.

72  So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

 

Observation and reflection comments

Context: Psalm 78 is a lengthy poem/song answering the question: “Why do people not obey God, when he is so good to them?” It tells history of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, preservation in the dessert, inheriting their Promised Land.  Yet in spite of God’s goodness, faithfulness and powerful miracles, they still do not serve Him faithfully.  It ends in the sad falling away of Ephraim (Samaria, 720 BC) and how God chose David (and his lineage) to lead and reform Israel.

1. David was a very successful king. What do we learn of David’s leadership from this Text:
   1. verse 70
   2. verse 71(a)
   3. verse 71(b)
   4. verse 72(a)
   5. verse 72(b)
2. Distinguish between “integrity of heart” and “skillfulness of hands” – what does it mean, and what does it look like in practice?
3. David was called and anointed by God [v70] for a specific mandate [v71b] and had a godly character [v72a] (yet not without flaws!). Why would he need skills to lead Israel even though he had conviction, anointing and a godly character?  What does skill do for a leader?
4. From this text, where do you think David acquired skills to lead the nation?  [Hint: v71] 

Personal reflection and application

David was appointed and empowered by God’s Spirit, had a godly character (yet not without flaws!), but he could accomplish so much during one lifetime because of skills he acquired while shepherding sheep and leading the band of outlawed mercenaries who became his army of mighty men.  Competence increases your leadership capacity.

1. Review your past responsibilities as leader focusing on your competencies.
   1. Which leadership/ management skills have you definitely grown in which makes you a better leader now? Think about the five most significant skills and jot down how you have grown in it.
   2. Consider your leadership responsibilities. What can you accomplish if you had better leadership skills?  What do leaders with great skills accomplish in your circumstances?
   3. Which two skills, if you could perfect them, would make the biggest difference to your leadership influence?
   4. How will you grow in it? [Hint: consider PERSON / PLACE / PRACTICE – where/ from whom can you learn, and where can you practice these skills?]
2. Quickly memorize this proverb: “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.” (Ecclesiastes 10:10)
   1. Throughout the day keep this in mind in all your activities, asking yourself “what skills can increase my capacity”?

Prayer

Pray for grace to redeem your time and to grow in skills so that you may be faithful with what has been entrusted to you!  Ask that the Lord will help you find a person to coach you in these skills and opportunity to practice it.