I AM COMFORTABLE BUILDING FRIENDSHIPS WITH NEIGHBOURS, FELLOW WORKERS, AND OTHERS I MEET
If not, consider, The Art of Neighbouring
Or, Making Friends for Heaven’s Sake
For further information check out: https://coachthebible.com
I KNOW HOW TO LEAD USING POWERFUL QUESTIONS
If not, visit, Leadingwithquestions.com or reading, Leadership Coaching by Tony Stolzhus
For further information check out: https://coachthebible.com
I KNOW HOW TO BUILD A TEAM TOWARD THE MISSION:
What has been your most successful Team experience? What were the elements that made it work?
A STORY:
Teamwork demands great attention in churches, businesses, family, sports teams and many other areas. Why is this so important? Recently a ministry leader asked for help in building teamwork in his team of faithful workers. Certain things were breaking down in the execution of the ministry. People were losing trust in each other. Teammates were not being heard. Commitment was at an all-time low. There was no accountability. It was unclear how to measure the success of the ministry. He wanted to know how to correct poor teamwork. Here are some passages of Scripture to guide us.
DIGGING INTO THE BIBLE:
Philippians 2:1-2:
Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
DISCOVERY AND DISCUSSION:
1. What are the prerequisites to teamwork from verse one?
2. Why do you think these are so important?
3. In verse two what are the elements of team work?
4. How do you see your team becoming of the same mind?
5. How do you see your team working building the same love?
6. What will it take for your team to be united in spirit? (Desire)
7. How will your team move to be intent on one purpose? (Being of one spirit and mind)
APPLICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
8. From these qualities of teamwork which one does your team need to work on first?
9. What would be a specific step for you to take?
10. What steps will you take to do this?
11. When will you execute this step?
A great book to read on this topic is Patrick Lencioni’s, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.
DIGGING IN DEEPER:
1. What is the most important part of this lesson to you? Explain.
2. How do you see applying aspects of this lesson to your life?
3. When do you feel would be the best time to make that application?
4. What do you hear the Lord speaking to you about this right now?
For further information check out: https://coachthebible.com
I UNDERSTAND MY CALLING, WHO I AM SENT TO, AND THE VEHICLE GOD HAS PROVIDED: How do I clarify my calling to the ministry?
A STORY:
Recently a businessman wanted to know if he was called to the ministry. He wanted to do a Bible study on calling. We ventured into a study that I had worked on many years ago, and we began to look at some of the elements of calling. One verse describes the calling of the Apostle Paul.
DIGGING INTO THE BIBLE:
Look at this passage in Galatians 1:13-18:
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus. 18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days.
DISCUSSION AND DISCOVERY:
1. What insights do you get from this passage about Paul’s calling and preparation for ministry?
2. Where does God fit into Paul’s calling?
3. Where does personal revelation fit into the calling?
4. What do we learn about the time factor of a person being called into ministry?
5. Where do other people fit into Paul’s calling?
APPLICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
6. Which of the observations could be applied to you?
7. What specific areas of this calling are not clear to you?
8. What steps do you need to take to strengthen your awareness of his calling?
9. When can you put that into your calendar?
MORE DIGGING INTO THE BIBLE:
From Ephesians 4:11-13 what can we learn?
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
DISCUSSION AND DISCOVERY:
1. What gifting has Jesus given to the body of Christ?
2. What is the meaning of each gift and how it is expressed?
3. What is the end goal of all these gifts?
APPLICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
4. What gifting do you most identify with?
5. How does that fit into your calling?
6. What will you do to further your understanding of calling and gain clarification?
7. When will you get started on this journey?
8. How can I pray for you in this area now?
LIST ANY OTHER VERSES THAT YOU HAVE FOUND WOULD ADDRESS THIS ISSUE:
A helpful step if you want to study this more is to look up in the Bible using a concordance all the verses on calling. Observe heroes of the Bible and how they were called by God.
For further information check out: https://coachthebible.com
I HAVE VISION, INTENTIONALITY, AND MEANS TO ACCOMPLISH MY MISSION: My vision is unclear?
A STORY:
Often as Joe was leading the ministry, he found himself unable to move in the right direction. He copied other ministry forms but always found himself empty with the results. One day he read Proverbs 29:18 and began to ponder how do I develop a vision or clarify where I am going.
DIGGING INTO THE SCRIPTURES:
Let us look at Proverbs 29:18 (KJV):
“Where there is no vision the people perish.”
NOTE: All vision clarity is based on focus. We must have focus in our physical eyesight to see clearly. Likewise, in our spiritual vision we must have focus.
DISCUSSION AND DISCOVERY:
1. What thoughts come to your mind from Proverbs 29:18?
2. Why would the people perish if they have no vision?
3. What does the word perish mean? What emotion do you feel when you think of perish?
APPLICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
4. What is the vision for your life at this time?
5. What could you do to develop your vision?
6. What would one step be for you to move toward your vision today?
MORE DIGGING INTO THE BIBLE:
Read Jeremiah 9:23,24:
It says “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man of his strength or the rich man of his riches, but let him who boast, boast of this, ‘That he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for in these I delight.”
DISCOVERY AND DISCUSSION:
1. What did you discover from this verse that people can get focused on (Boast of)?
2. What should we not boast in?
3. What should we boast in or focus on?
4. How will that focus change the way we see the vision that is on God’s heart?
5. How does knowing God change our focus?
APPLICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
6. What does God want us to focus on?
7. What steps can you take to be sure you are focused on what is important to him?
8. How does that impact your present vision clarity?
9. What steps will you take to increase your clarity of vision?
For further information check out: https://coachthebible.com
I CAN EFFECTIVELY DISCIPLE AND REPRODUCE CHRIST IN OTHERS: How do I go about building spiritual parents?
A STORY:
Recently in a church staff meeting the whole team came to the conclusion that to take care of the 600 folks that attend our church we are going to need about 100 shepherds or spiritual parents to help in the ongoing growth of the hungry believers in our fellowship. How do you develop spiritual parents? A number of years ago, I attended a workshop on the qualities of a spiritual parent. The workshop centered our attention on the qualities of that person in the book of I Thessalonians.
DIGGING INTO THE BIBLE:
1 Thessalonians 2:1-11:
You know, brothers and sisters that our visit to you was not without results. 2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. 9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,
DISCUSSION AND DISCOVERY:
1. What qualities did you discover about the apostle Paul as he wrote to these believers in Thessalonica?
2. What qualities stand out to you?
3. What does it mean to be a nursing mother?
4. What does it mean to be spiritual father?
5. How did verse 8 impress you?
APPLICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
6. Which of these qualities would you like to work on in your life?
7. What step would be good to build that quality in your life?
8. Who would help you with modeling and accountability?
9. When will you get started on this action step?
For further information check out: https://coachthebible.com
The Bible Blog 