Preparing For Outward Ministry

Last night, we had an awesome conversation about the nature of going inward for three years.  In many ways it feels strange having permission to work out our own restoration in a small tribe.  It feels somewhat selfish.  But this is what Jesus did.  He gave the disciples permission to follow and listen in a very intimate way.  Each got to wrestle through the questions of what it meant to live in the kingdom of God.  I have alway said, I would love to be a fly on the wall during their private conversations.

The simple fact is Jesus left after three years and said, “Now you go do it.”  So as my own group begins to wind down, we are now beginning to prepare for what it means to lead others in the way of Jesus.  And this means asking some hard questions about our own participation.  Have we really done the work necessary to prepare ourselves for leading others? Have we really taken advantage of this space in a way that leads to our own restoration?

Leadership requires being prepared to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in the moment.  It requires the willingness to step into darker spaces so we can be love and trust to those in those spaces.  And if we haven’t prepared ourselves for that step, we won’t just be missing out on what God is doing, we will be missing out on our own journey.

What are you doing to prepare yourself to lead others in the way of Jesus?