Today's world needs trained Christians like you - dynamic believers equipped to lead others and to make an impact on the world. This book provides tools to train you. But tools are not enough. You also need a deep, daily walk with Christ.

The success of your ministry is not determined by training; it is dependent on your walk with Christ and what He does through you in His power.

In John 7, Jesus says, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him" (NIV). It is the overflowing life of Jesus within us that produces a life-giving ministry. Don't try to produce water from a dried up river; make sure the river stays connected to the source. Only Jesus can produce the water that becomes your ministry.

We hope this section will help you see the secret of successful spiritual leadership: that Jesus is always the source.

Quiet time

Essential to our ministry is time alone with God daily. Jesus demonstrated that our public work for God is preceded by our private time with God. He spent an entire night in prayer before choosing His disciples; He spent much time in prayer before performing important tasks. He left growing crowds and anxious disciples to depart to a lonely place to commune with the Father (Mark 1:35ff.).

Begin your ministry with your most essential appointment. Schedule a daily time to meet with God. Choose a time of the day when you are alert and will not be interrupted. And then keep it your priority!

For further suggestions on how to have a quiet time see Appendix 1, "How to enrich your time with God".

Bible Study

A spiritual leader also needs a growing knowledge of the Word. The more you study the Scriptures, the more you will know and understand God - His attributes, His power, His promises and His relationship to you. You will also develop strong biblical convictions that will shape your values and behavior and allow you to speak out for Christ with confidence.

Studying the Word also gives you a life model: the life of Christ. His leadership can help you balance accomplishing a task with loving and building people.

Learn to look to the Bible for the answers to questions people ask. It gives the basis for making objective decisions because it is God's Word, not man's.

See Appendix 2, "Personal Bible Study" which gives suggestions for help in systematic study of the Word.

Prayer

If you want to learn to pray, begin by praying. Then pray more. Prayer demonstrates our dependence on God as we follow Jesus' example and pray continually. Prayer also unleashes God's power and brings us in contact with our Father.

Learn to praise God as you pray. Instead of griping, pray. Our critical mood and bitterness will be removed as we give thanks. " Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!" (Psalm: 147:1, NIV).

Blanket your activities in prayer. When you go to speak at a meeting, pray before going,

during the introduction, as you speak and afterward. Develop a lifestyle of prayer.

Follow the guidelines in this simple acrostic to help you experience a rich and meaningful time of prayer.

A - Adoration: Praise God for who He is and what He has done and will do.

C - Confession: Agree with God concerning any sin He reveals to you, and thank Him for His forgiveness.

T - Thanksgiving Thank God in every situation knowing that He works all things together for good.

S - Supplication: Make all your requests - big or small - known to God, who cares for all your needs.

Obedience: Our response to God's grace

"The world has yet to see what God can do in and through and for one individual who is completely yielded to the Lord Jesus Christ." This was the challenge that inspired the evangelist D. L. Moody to say, "I want to be that man." God used an "ordinary" man to speak to multitudes.

The true test of our love for Christ is obedience. Jesus said, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him" (John 14:21).

The more we know of God and His love for us, the more we want to please Him. And knowing that His love is unconditional and constant gives us security about the future. There is nothing I can do to cause God to love me more tomorrow then He loves me today. And, there is nothing that I can do that will make Him love me any less.

But, to experience the benefits of that love, I must walk in obedience to Him.

Witnessing

Witnessing is a joy when we are led by the spirit. Witnessing forces us to break out of our complacency and trust God. Just as a muscle becomes stronger with exercise, so does our faith become stronger as we tell others about Christ.

A believer who does not witness eventually begins to stagnate spiritually. People develop a self-centered faith and grow critical of those who do witness. They forget that they are in a spiritual battle; they become deceived into sitting on the sidelines.

Remember that we don't witness to be spiritual or to earn God's favor. We witness out of the overflow of Jesus' life in us. Make sure you are filled with the Spirit each day and are ready for God to use you.

Fellowship

"If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another," John wrote in his first epistle (1:7, NIV). Fellowship means to be in harmony with other Christians as we follow the pure light of Christ's Spirit.

As a leader, you need the fellowship of other believers just as you need fellowship with the Lord. Don't be a spiritual "loner".

Spend time with like-minded Christians and be willing to be vulnerable with them; you can encourage each other as you become more open with each other.

Stewardship of time

As a leader, time is a precious commodity. It can't be stopped, stored or reversed. Learning to manage your time can greatly enhance your life and ministry. Begin by developing your goals.

Once you have in prayer, formulated goals, make a "TO DO" list. List the activities that are suggested by your goals. Give each activity a priority rating depending on how important it is in reaching your goals. Write the top activities directly into Your time table and deliberately trust God to empower you to keep to your priorities in the heat of the day.

Conclusion

Becoming a spiritual leader means letting the Spirit of God develop your heart and character as well as your activities.