Empowering Leaders

Below is a lesson that I have re-taught recently. This time, I taught it to the congregational leaders in our church. As we aim to do more for God locally and globally, we need to build up more leaders. Empowering them is an essential attitude and skill that we need to acquire.

Hope it will be helpful to you too.

Empowering Leaders

Introduction

Empowering people is one the most important leadership role. Without empowering people, we will not be able to do more than what we are doing now and what we are able to do.

Jesus’ Plan To Win The World (Matthew 28:18-20). It is a call to make disciples – to empower people to be disciples.

Paul & Timothy (multi-levels of leaders)
2 Timothy 2:2
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

Apostles In The Early Church
Acts 6:2-4
2So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

People are the most important asset, not anything else. We must believe in people. We cannot empower people without a high belief in them.

Because people are created in the image of God, we are capable to do great things for God.

People respond to us according to our belief in them. In Romans 8 – when we know that God loves us, we will become more than conquerors.

1) Have A High Belief In People

We cannot empower people when we do not believe in people. Often times, we do not believe in people because we do not believe in ourselves or at least know how much God believe in us.

Romans 4:17
As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

Believe In People Is Not Equal To Blind Faith or Being Unrealistic

Believe in people means that we think the best of people and think the best possibility in people. For example, we may not be able to fully entrust an important task to someone who had failed us now but we want to believe that this person will change.

2) Get Near To The People

To impact lives, we have to come near. We are able to impress from far but can only impact from near.

That is why Jesus had to incarnate as a man to save man and impact man.

Hebrews 4:15-16
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

What Do You Do After Getting Near To Them?

2.1) Express Your Belief In Them / Personally Challenge Them

Exodus 3:4
When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."

1 Samuel 3:2-4
2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am."

God challenges people individually. 99% of the people will not do anything until they are being challenged to do so.

We need to challenge to the whole crowd and also personally.

2.2) Model For Them

We need to show them what it means to live the kind of life that God wants us to live.

Jesus was the Word becoming flesh. God took His truth and wrapped it in human flesh.

John 1:46-49
46"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip. 47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." 48"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."

This needs to be intentional.

2.3) Do Life With Them

Matthew 4:19-20
19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Leaders need to create moments together. We need to make memories together. We create teachable moments together.

This is not an end by itself but we bring them back to Jesus.

2.4) Open Your Life To Them

Openness breeds openness. We need to open our hearts to them. We seek to exhibit authenticity to them. We share our joy and our disappointment (need wisdom here).

We will run the risk of getting hurt but that’s the nature of empowering and loving people.

Matthew 26:36-38
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

Jesus was definitely hurt when the disciples abandon him at the cross.

3) Release The People

This is the final test. It may be the hardest part for some.

It takes secure leaders to release them (like parents sending their kids overseas or marrying their daughters off).

Just because we train them does not mean they are ours or our army (all belongs to God). We empower people such that they can do more than us and be all that they are created to be in Christ (not created in our image).

Luke 10:1-3
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

Releasing them may mean that they may not work with you anymore but for God.

Conclusion

These are simple principles that work. You will be able to do more for God when you do these principles into practice!

Please feel free to use this lesson in anyway if it is helpful for you.

The Bridge

Check this out. It reminds me of His sacrfice for me. It helps me to live my one and only life to the max for Him. X2024!

Some Moments With Hope President

Just received the below video. The guy who had supposed to take a picture for us ended up taking this short video.

Shirley was making the point that we were ordered in a descending fashion and she was at the end of the chain (even with high heels!)

Number 2 is not too bad for me (without high heels)!

Mourinho For Manchester United

Lately, I had been entertaining a dirty thought in my mind and I was afraid that I would be found out. Then I discovered that I wasn’t the only one who was clinging on to the thought.

After Jose Mourinho left the Russian Oil Field, I was secretly entertaining the thought that it would be a wonderful thing to have him as the next Man U manager. After all, there are not many people who have enough soccer acumen and ego big enough to match that of Sir Alex Ferguson.

We may hate Mourinho but we cannot deny that he is good at what he does! Just look at what he had done at Chelsea. A group of star players may not make a winning team. It takes a good leader to gel them together into a trophy winning unit!

Moreover, Mourinho did state that “he’s in love with English soccer and will surely be back one day.”

Carlos Queiroz may be a good number 2 but I have doubts of his ability to fit into Ferguson’s shoes. Queiroz had a stint at Real Madrid and it did not turn up too well. But full credit must be given to him for signing fellow Portuguese Ronaldo. This is his finest contribution to United till date.

So, if I would have my way, Mourinho would be United’s manager for the next season. Sir Alex would complete his amazing run with Man United with a Treble!

Please have your say. I will compile them all and send to alexferguson@gmail.com!








Jose Mourinho







Ferguson & Queiroz

2 - 0 !!!

Shortest entry... need I say more!

Dad’s Operation

Dad had a triple heart bypass operation on Friday. Thank God that it went really well.

As the doctor has already said, my dad is a “good 75” and it is amazing that he is able to go through this triple bypass operation at his age. It was a 4-hour operation and my whole family was waiting outside the operating theatre just to catch a glimpse of him when he is being wheeled out. I had seen this may times on television but this is the first time in my life to be living it out!

After spending about 24 hours in the ICU (intensive care unit), he is now recovering in the high dependency ward. What dad really needs now is lots of rest. Even when we visited him, he was not very engaged. He told us about the pain that he was experiencing. It hurts when he breathes more intensely and coughs.

My guess is that he should be out of the hospital within the next 1-2 weeks.

Thanks to many of you who had sms-ed or asked me in person about my dad’s conditions. Thanks to many of you who prayed for him as well. Thank God for my spiritual family!

My Dad

Dad went for a heart check up on Tuesday. He had been complaining of chest pain over the past months.

After the test, the doctor discovered that three of his arteries are clogging up. The recommendation was for him to go for a bypass surgery.

The doctor also commented that my dad is a “good 75” and not a weak 75 year-old man. My dad is rather healthy other than this heart condition. Old age and diet have probably brought about this condition.

Anyway, please pray for my dad with me. He will be going under the knife on Friday (21 Sept) at around 11am to noon. Please pray that the operation will be successful and no complication will occur. Please also pray that he will recover quickly after the operation.

The doctor has expressed optimism for the operation. That is great but we still want to cover it in prayers.

By the way, my dad seemed to have understood the gospel that I had shared with him before. I am praying that he will recover and get involved in the Kingdom somehow to really live his life well!

JUMP!

J.U.M.P = Jesus You Must Praise!

It was an awesome evening of praising and worshipping God. God's tangible presence was evident in the midst of our praises. I only wished that all of us were there!

Below is the last 6 minutes the JUMP concert as seen through the lens of a mobile phone. You can see how the people kept asking for more song after song. Enjoy!

Our 16th Birthday Bash!

Claudia and I sent Vivian off to Phuket before dropping by JUMP Conference at Nexus. I took some time to have some small talk with the Hope Bangkok Band and some other participants.






Praying For Vivian






I was so refreshed and thankful to God for how our Mother Church has blessed us again on our 16th Birthday. When Shirley was asking us to recall how God has been good to us over all these years, I could not help but remember how God has blessed me and many others so much through Hope Bangkok.

It was in the past when we were in Thailand for the conferences that many of us caught the vision of the Great Commission. It was there that we learnt what loving and honoring others were all about. It was there that we experienced what servanthood leadership truly was. Many among us and myself owed them big time!

Yesterday’s evening was yet another moment of blessing from them. The Band brought the praise and worship atmosphere up by a few notches to a level that we desire to be. The heart, the boldness, the genuine joy were most infectious. By the way, it would be no exaggeration to say that they were “damn” skillful too.

Pastor PN, the President of Hope of God churches, imparted much faith to us all. It was a very simple message but it was one that was preached from the inside out.

It is one thing to know and speak truth and it is another thing to impart truth. One is mostly knowledge while the other is from one's life.

At the end of the second service, people were screaming for more; more joy, more praise, more of God… This is indeed wild partying, Jesus style!

Part way during the ending praise, I was tempted to jump into the crowd to try out some body surfing. I invited some of the guys and LO to do so as well but none took up the challenge. I had really wanted to but I was afraid that they could not hold my weight!

Thank you Pastor PN and the Hope Bangkok Band for crashing our party! It is so helpful to us. We need it.

Another big thank you to many of you who worked so hard to bring the Anniversary party to us!

Jo's Birthday and Mine

Really zonked tonight. Just want to make this entry from some photos that I received recently.

Jo and I have the same birth date (7 Sept). One is however one year older.

Here’s some photos of the dinner that we had recently. Do note the playful and cute children all around us!

Bourne vs Bond

Am sitting in a café waiting to meet Joe. Decided to just pen this down.

Before Ludlum’s Bourne, there was only James Bond. Between Jason and James, I definitely like Jason Bourne much better.

Bourne is certainly more real that Bond. The story line is more believable and Jason is also more down to earth than the tuxedo Bond. The story line from Bourne Identity to Bourne Supremacy to Bourne Ultimatum have kept me at the edge of my seats throughout the whole movie.

Bourne also cuts the chicks part in the movie. Bond seems to be incomplete without them while Bourne is more faithful to one at a time.

If you have not watched all 3 of the Bourne series, I would advise you to do so! I am quite sure that you will not be disappointed.

So who is it for you? Is it Bourne or Bond that you bond (pun intended) with?

Hope Kids United Holiday Club 2007

On 6 Sept, the Hope Kids presented a musical entitled "The Missing Music" in Nexus Auditorium. Our aim is to educate our own kids (those already in our church) as well as reach out to those that are not in as yet.

Hong Teck and his entire worked really hard for the production. We honor you highly!

We are disappointed with the lower than expected turnout but it has only driven us to work harder and smarter for the next round.

Here are some photos (not from my phone camera)




me talking to Emma about her nephew







Warming ups the kids






Games







Praise (kids style!)






Some of the helpers






All in the family






Balloon sculpting

Back With A Vengeance!

The worst thing about having this terrible gastric flu is not just the pain in the tummy. The worst thing is that I have not been able to eat the food that I enjoy greatly!

However, since last night, the coast seems to be clear. I think I have gotten better

So, for today’s lunch and dinner, it was all out no-holds barred vengeance!

After the staff prayer meeting, 16 of us went out and ate BIG TIME. We went to this very nice Cantonese place near the church office. The food was great and the company was even better. I ate fish and chilli & chilli and fish. I am really thankful to God for my friends in the office.

These are some photos of the lunch taken with my new Nokia phone. Claudia bought me a new phone. What lovely wife I have!

















Less than 5 hours later, I was back in the rumble. Angelina & CK (the Rome team) with Jasmine, Claudia and I went to this nice restaurant at Harbor Front. We spoke to them about life and ministry in Italy; their financial health and physical well being; their people back in Rome and many other stuff. We also discuss some possible church strategy together.

CK is really fun and he talks a lot! He made us laugh till we teared. We also prayed for them that God will bless and guide them as they go about planting His church.

Thank you Jesus for Angelina and CK. Their love and commitment towards you are so inspiring to me! Their apparent irrational decision to leave their comfort zone and go to a far away land to venture out for You only prove to me that You are indeed alive and kicking today.

Here’s more pics from my new phone…

Gastric Flu

Since last Saturday, I had been having tummy problem. Initially, I thought it was a case of eating too much chilli. My dad-in-law prepared for me a whole bowl of chilli pad with garlic and soya sauce. As far as I am concern, this will make almost any food taste good.

My stomach gave me a lot of problem on Saturday night and almost the whole of Sunday. I tried to calm my tummy by sticking to fruits, milk and cereal, salads and some lighter food. However, it was to no avail.

This lasted until early this morning when I was awoken by the stirring in my tummy and had to make a break for the toilet.

Then it occurred to me that other than prayer, it may be good for me to visit a doctor as well. I went to see Doctor Lee this morning and he diagnosed that I had a case of gastric flu. And he told me that I should not drink milk, eat fruits or salads!! No wonder my gastric flu got worse over the past two days.

With the new really yucky medicine and prayers, me and my stomach shall return!







The horrible medicine... it says Kaolin & Morphine Mixture!

Indo 3rd Anniversary

Last Saturday was a special day for our Indonesian group. We celebrated our 3rd year since we started the ministry.

Claudia, Sunny, Dorcas, CK & I were there to join in the celebration. It was a most joyous occasion.

Since we began our service in Bayview Hotel on the 31 March 2007, God has been doing great things in our midst. Many of our people have grown in their commitment to build a strong biblical community for Jesus. As a result, 14 people have crossed the line since that faith-filled Saturday in March 2007.

At this moment, we are having our weekly Saturday service in Le Merdien Hotel. We had to move out of Bayview in order to contain the growing number of people.

Full credit must go to Yin San and her team for giving their best to the group. You have certainly put a smile on God’s and many other faces!

Here’s some photos for you…





Presenting the leadership team







The crowd




The victim for the crowd





The victory toast






The guys






The gals




Yin San & the hosts






Jorry leading worship








Velly on strings













The really funny Drama

Sunday Morning With Hope Kids Live!

I had serious diarrhea last night and this morning. The only good thing is that I may lose a couple of pounds. But people have told me that it was mostly water that will be put back easily.

Anyhow, it did not affect my enthusiasm to give my best in my Hope Kids Live teaching. Like I have said before, preaching at Hope Kids Live is probably the most challenging in terms of connecting with the children and capturing their attention. In my opinion, they have an attention span of no longer than 15 seconds and if they get bored, they will certainly let you know.

Before my turn to teach, I noticed two boys in particular that were really difficult. While we always encourage our children to participate fully, it is quite another thing to be disruptive and destructive.

So, just before I went on stage, I walked over to this particular older boy and I told him gently but very firmly that I expected him to give my teaching full attention. I also told him that I will tolerate no nonsense in my class and I will send people out of the class if they are disruptive to others and to me. He listened to me without battling an eyelid.

Throughout the entire lesson, he listened and he participated fully! Not only him, I also found that 99% of the class were paying attention to the Word and they were learning. I was teaching the children on how we should learn the God's Word.

I had heard it from Hong Teck at many junctures and I was experiencing it today again that children do indeed learn, remember and apply what was taught on Sunday.

Children are indeed like wet cement, whatever imprint we make will last forever.

This morning time at Hope Kids Live once again reinforced into my hearts that we need to take the educating and training of our children very seriously. Children church should never be just an afterthought but it is something that deserves our full attention because it is here that our future generation are shaped.

At the end of the Hope Kids Live service, we took the time to affirm the many teachers and helpers who worked hard week in and week out to create such a conducive learning and nurturing environment for our children. It was a most heart warming and affirming time.

I and many others esteem and honor all the teachers and helpers very highly! We are all very proud of you.

On this coming Thursday (6 September 2007), the Hope Kids United Holiday Club will be presenting a musical entitled “The Missing Music”. It is a fantastic event for both our own children as well as children who are not in our church as yet.

Please grace this event with your kids and/or your relatives or any other kids (do ask their parents first :) )

Check out the info below…


















When : 6 September 2007, 7:30-9:00pm
Where : Nexus Auditorium,
#05-07 Cuppage Plaza,

Ah Boy just lost his music. Where can it be? Journey with him as he finds it in strange places. You can help Ah Boy find his missing music and win great prizes while discover interesting facts about life.