Are you thinking of
leading a small group Bible Study? Small is better than large group. Please don’t
worry if you cannot see yourself as a super Christian or a great leader. Let’s
take a look at the kind of people God calls into leadership. This may surprise
you!
Moses. When God called Moses to lead the Israelites
out of Egypt, Moses felt inadequate. Most leaders feel this way when the
Lord calls them to any type of leadership. The first time I was ever asked to
pray publicly, I just recited the Lord’s Prayer (being an Anglican-boy). I was
scared to death because I had not prayed in public before! The first small
group I led seemed like a monumental task because I did not see myself as a
born leader. But I took a step of faith.
Joshua,
Gideon, and Jeremiah. The Lord had to encourage Joshua continually in his
new role as a leader. We do not
depend on our ability but upon God’s ability in us! Gideon also struggled with
the Lord’s call to leadership in his life. Jeremiah felt the way a younger
leader often feels when he or she begins to lead a small group. He thought he
didn’t have anything to say because he was too young. But the Lord told him not
to say he was too young and not to be afraid of people. God would give him the
words to say (see Jeremiah 1:6-8).
Esther. She was an
unlikely leader. She was born into poverty and was an orphan as well. But
she rose from obscurity to the courts of the king and became queen over one of
the most powerful empires in history. She faced difficult choices there, but
she never lost her faith in God. Esther realized that everything that happened
in her life prepared her for the moment she would stand before the king and
plead to save her people. Hers is a story of courage and a willingness to
follow God, no matter what.
These men and women felt a
profound sense of inadequacy when the Lord called them to leadership, but this
is the type of individual the Lord uses – someone who is completely dependent on Him!
According to the Bible, God delights in manifesting His strength through our
weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). I believe there is such a thing as a healthy
sense of inadequacy.
We must be convinced that
if God doesn’t show up, it’s all over! So, if you feel like you may be called
to small-group leadership, but you don’t think you have all the natural gifts
you need, or you feel that you have made too many mistakes, be encouraged – you
are in good company!
THINK BIG.
START SMALL. GO DEEP.
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