Gospel.com Blog

What does it really mean to be a “servant leader”? Do you feel called by God to a position of leadership in the church or elsewhere?

In an age of scandalized and morality compromised leaders both in and outside the church, how can you be sure your heart is prepared for a leadership role? These are difficult but crucial questions, and they’re among the questions Salvation Army president John Carter and Ravi Zacharias are discussing in a recent interview about leadership. From the interview:

JC: How important do you feel character is in the realm of leadership?

RZ: Definitive. I think if character is not there, you are not only destroying the role that you are called to, but the message that you are carrying. You are in effect becoming a counterpoint to what it is you are propagating. When I think of character, I think of not only behavior, I also think of motive. Motive is key, that which drives a person to do this.

You see, the pulpit can become quite the show window for a person and it can become a big ego thing. You see it happening again and again, much more than you would want to or even thought it would happen. When I think of character, I just don’t think of obedience or of simply being aligned with the claims of God upon your life. I think of it as the very motive: What it is that drives you to serve and do what it is that you are doing?

Lots of good material to think through, particularly if you’re involved in a ministry leadership position.

The Luis Palau Orlando Festival is coming up in early April! It looks like quite the epic event–musicians like tobyMac, Kutless, and Point of Grace are just a few of the names on the lineup set to appear with evangelist Luis Palau.

If you want to get more involved with the Orlando Festival, several important event are taking place in February during the lead-up to the big event, including a youth training rally for junior-high and high-school students. They’re also looking for volunteers to help out at the Festival, so if you’re in the area and want to help out, stop by and read about the differents ways you can help.

The Bible League, who we mentioned last week in reference to the End of the Spear movie, is giving away free 2006 calendars to anyone who wants them! The calendars are available upon request to recipients in the continental US, and can be used as a year-long prayer guide. If that sounds like a good deal to you, stop by their site and request your calendar!

What does it mean to “put feet to your faith”? Dr. Woodrow Kroll uses this phrase, taken from the book of James, to talk about the importance of a faith that produces action. If you’re thinking that your faith you use a bit of a kickstart, you’re in luck–Dr. Kroll has just started a week-long study, Putting Feet to Your Faith, in which he’ll be talking about genuine Christian belief, positive action, and the fruits of faith. Tune in to listen online each day this week.

Youth Specialties has joined the ranks of podcasters! The latest podcast [MP3] is an interview with Duffy and Maggie Robbins about their book Enjoy the Silence. Tune in as Duffy and Maggie discuss the power of prayer and Scripture meditation, and offer some ideas for using the “Lectio Divina” discipline to make Bible reading more meaningful to you, with a special focus on youth workers and youth groups.

Arab World Ministries has given their website an overhaul! Stop by to take a look at the new site.

AWM has published some excellent resources for helping Christians to move beyond stereotypes about Muslims and Islamic beliefs. Their What Muslims Believe essay is a great starting point if you could use a primer on Islamic beliefs, and their Questions About Islam section has some helpful additional info.

Do you know a young person in the church with a heart for leadership and discipleship? At the Younger Leaders Gathering 2006, scheduled for September 24-30 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hundreds of young and emerging church leaders will gather to learn about and discuss the leadership challenges faced by the worldwide church today.

The conference is a project of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism, which has organized a variety of such gatherings around the world. If you’re a church leader who knows someone who’d benefit from attending the conference, you can recommend them through March 31.

As End of the Spear opens in theaters this week, the Bible League is challenging Christians to consider that the work of Jim Elliot and Nate Saint continues today! The Bible League, a Gospelcom Alliance member, was instrumental in bringing the Gospel to the Waodani people around whom the film revovles. A new report at their site estimates that despite massive missionary efforts over the last several decades, over 2300 indigenous people groups (350 million people) remain unreached by the Gospel.

If End of the Spear has piqued your interest in missionary work, read about the Bible League’s various ministries, including Scripture distribution and helping the persecuted church.

…Answers in Genesis, whose website was just chosen by the National Religious Broadcasters organization as the “ministry website of the year”. Very impressive! If you’ve not visited their site lately, give it a look–among other things, AiG is putting podcasting and blogging to very effective use.

Was one of your resolutions for 2006 to bring your family finances under control? It’s a resolution almost everybody wishes they could keep–but breaking unhealthy financial habits is much easier said than done.

To help you out, Ray Porter of the Officer’s Christian Fellowship has written a series of excellent articles that walk you through a Biblical understanding of money and finances.

Porter’s essay series isn’t a vague exhortation to be a better steward of your money–there are lots of specific steps to follow to get your spending under control and plan for the future. (If you don’t have time to read the entire series, make sure you at least skim through his guide to creating a personal finance plan and his thoughts on smart Christian living.)