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Effective Leadership

Know Grace! Ephesians 1:7-10

By Dr. Richard J. Krejcir
Now that we know what God has lavished upon us, what do we do as a church leader to model that to those around us? If your church is stagnant, one of the main reasons is because you are not getting what His grace is about and it has become stale, like out-of-date milk. Pray, seek forgiveness, and get back to your call.
 
Ephesians 1:7-10, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace…" 
 
Key point: Now that we know what God has lavished upon us, what do we do as a church leader to model that to those around us?  If your church is stagnant, one of the main reasons is because you are not getting what His grace is about and it has become stale, like out-of-date milk. Pray, seek forgiveness, and get back to your call.
 
How do we get back to our call or make sure we have not strayed from it? Realize what it distills from God Who is overflowing with pure goodness and kindness.  He has so much love for us that He gives us forgiveness through Jesus Christ.  He wants to save us, He wants you to lead in this love!  His character is to love and intercede so He solved the dilemma of how we can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
 
What we exemplify and teach is The Lordship of Christ! The plan of leadership for any given church is about the Authority, Lordship, Supremacy and Centrality of Christ, so the world might know and God glorified.  At a perfect fixed point in time that all leads to Christ, all will know!  Everyone will know that Christ is All and everything throughout the universe will be under His loving Authority.  We, as Christians, will be in His inheritance.  As Christians, we have been called by the grace of God to receive His Son, to trust in Him, to have faith in Him, to give praise and honor to Jesus Christ for the glory of God the Father. 
 
What we exemplify and teach is that we all belong to Him. This is the most incredible wonder we are blessed with. Christ is our living Hope that will never fade away!  We are God's people in community; we have a special guarantee and favor, and we have a special personal and communal relationship with Him, as He had with the Israelites in the Old Testament.  It is also in the form of a duty, not to receive salvation, but rather for us to respond to what Christ has freely and lovingly given us. We need to be reminded of what we have and who we are in Christ.  If not, we will soon forget and replace His guidance either with our frailty or with the ways of the world. (Deut. 7:7-8; Rom. 9:11, 16-18, 29-33; 9:6-26; 11:5; Col. 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Tim. 2:5; 2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Pet. 1:18-21).
 
What we exemplify and teach is we matter to God and one another! No matter what your church has gone through from persecution or loss or failure, we could never even catch a glimpse of what Christ has given to us through grace.  To be a real authentic church, we must have more than belief.  We must have trust.  We must surrender to His Lordship as one day the entirety of creation will.  We forerun and herald His Supremacy by the demonstration of our mutual active faith--that He alone is the God who is here and saves.
 
We have His favor and grace, because we cannot save ourselves nor can you save your church.  Just as our salvation comes only and purely from Christ, His Word inputted to us by the Holy Spirit, so does your church. Remember, God chose to bestow His love to you and call you and place you.  He first loved us, first loved you, loves your church, a love that is not earned or deserved is freely given to you!  You are beloved (John 2:9; 1 John 4)!
 
© 2016 R.J. Krejcir, Ph.D., Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development www.churchleadership.org/
 
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