After the Message

[RESOURCES] Road Trip 1: Developing Leaders for Potential Growth

Explore:

• Check out My Next Steps for a wealth of resources, articles, videos and classes for leadership development.
• Sign up for Pastor Mac Lake's blog to get daily tips for developing as a leader.
• Explore the Life Leader Exchange, a wonderful tool for growing as a Life Group leader.

Read:

• Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Ruth Haley Barton
• Gifted to Lead, Nancy Beach
• Spiritual Leadership, Henry Blackaby
• Catalyst Groupzines
• Courageous Leadership, Bill Hybels
• Leadership Essentials, Greg Ogden
• Next Generation Leader, Andy Stanley

[READ] Road Trip 1: Developing Leaders for Future Growth

Read:

Read all of Luke 16, then answer the following questions. You may want to write your answers in a journal or a notebook devoted to studying the Bible. Luke 16:1-13

• Who is Jesus telling this parable to?
• Summarize the parable.
• Who do you think the rich man represents? The manager?
• With this in mind, what does this parable teach you about the responsibility of followers of Christ?
• Look at Luke 16:10-13. Do you view your resources as belonging to yourself or to God?

Luke 16:14-31

• Summarize the story in verses 19-31.
• What would you say is the main point of the story?
• Look at verse 14. Who was Jesus telling the story to? Why do you think he was directing it towards them?

Apply:

• What or who has God given you stewardship of or responsibility over, in your life in general as well as in the Kingdom of God specifically?
• How can you be a better steward of the resources God has entrusted to you?
• Read Luke 16:13. What master are you currently serving?

Further Study:

Read this commentary on Luke 16 to help you understand further understand the context and the content of the passage.

[RESPOND] Road Trip 1: Developing Leaders for Future Growth

• What is your next step in becoming more like Christ in your leadership?  Consider this in terms of the principles of develping leaders explained by Pastor Mac: Confidence, Connection, Content, Coaching, Challenge, Clustering, and Conferences.
• Who do you know that is a potential leader?  What can you do this week to begin to raise him or her up?
• How can you step up and take begin to take responsibility in the church and in spreading the gospel?
• Memorize Luke 16:10-12.
• Sign up for the Leadership Summit--you don't want to miss this amazing opportunity!  Click here for more information.

Road Trip Part 1: Developing Leaders for Future Growth

This weekend, Pastor Mac Lake kicked off the Road Trip series, during which we will be looking at leadership principles found in Luke 16-21.  In Part 1, Pastor Mac showed us how Jesus developed leaders and how Seacoast applies those same principles in its leadership development plan.

This week on After the Message, we will be digging deeper into Luke 16, as well as reflecting on the idea of a Christ follower's responsibility as a leader.  To watch Pastor Mac's message, click here.

Life Group Questions:  Download RoadTrip-Part1-LifeGroup

[REFLECT] Road Trip 1: Developing Leaders for Future Growth

"The local church is the hope of the world and its future rests primarily in the hands of its leaders."  -Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership

• Do you consider yourself to be a leader?
• What or who has God given you stewardship of or responsibility over?
• Do you look for other leaders to raise up?  Why or why not?
• Evaluating yourself honestly, would you say that you are more of a giver or a taker in the church?  Why do you think this is?

"When a leader develops not only his or her own leadership potential, but draws out the leadership potential of scores of other leaders as well, the kingdom impact from one life is multiplied exponentially.  It produces far more fruit than any single leadership achievement could have.  The impact of that leader's life will be felt for many generations to come."  -Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership

Respond: One Prayer Part 5... "God Is Here and Anything Can Happen"

Watch:

• Dino Rizzo's video channel

Explore:

• The Healing Place Church website
• Dino Rizzo's website
• The Servolution website

Read:

• Servolution, Dino Rizzo
• The Attentive Life: Discerning God's Presence in All Things, Leighton Ford
• God Is Closer than You Think, John Ortberg

Reflect: One Prayer Part 5... "God Is Here and Anything Can Happen"

"There is no event so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize him or not... because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace."  -Frederick Buechner

• Do you really believe God is here?  Would others observing the way you live and how you respond to problems say that you do?
• Because God is here, anything can happen.  Do you allow God the freedom to act and to answer your prayers as He chooses?  Or do you look for Him to respond in specific ways?
• When have you been the most aware of God's presence?
• Have there been times when you haven't been able to feel His presence?  How did you respond?
• How should the belief that God is with us change the way we behave towards others?  Towards the difficult situations in our lives?

"Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries."
-Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Read: One Prayer Part 5... "God Is Here and Anything Can Happen"

This weekend during Part 5 of our One Prayer series, Pastor Dino Rizzo of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, LA, taught us that God is here and anything can happen.  We'll dig deeper into this idea throughout the rest of the week on After the Message.

Read:

Read slowly and meditatively through Psalm 139 each day this week.  Make a list of the evidence that God is here and present with us.  What did David, the writer of the psalm, believe was possibly if God is here?

For Further Study:

Have you enjoyed meditating upon the attributes of God throughout the One Prayer series?  Check out A.W. Tozer's The Knowledge of the Holy.

Life Group Questions: One Prayer Part 5... "God Is Here and Anything Can Happen"

Read:

Mark 7:31-37

Reflect:

• What do Jesus’ actions in this story reveal about God?
• Would you say that you live your life like you believe God is really here?  If so, what does this look like on a day to day basis?  If not, how might your life look different if you did?
• Is there any situation in your life where you need God to show up? 
• What was your biggest takeaway from the weekend message?

Respond:

• Pray for those in your group who need to know in a new way that God is here.  Pray that He will open their eyes to see how He is working and moving.
• Does your Life Group truly believe that God is in your midst?  Does your group act in such a way as to let God move and work however He would like?  How can you become a group that does?

Respond: One Prayer Part 4... "God Is Father"

Do:

• This week, try praying to God as Abba or Daddy.  At the end of the week, journal your reflections and your experience.
• What can you do this week to encourage your earthly father?  Be practical and specific.

Watch:

• Pastor Geoff's message "The Comeback" from the Found series.

Explore:

• LifeChurch.tv
• Swerve: Craig Groeschel's blog to encourage and support pastors and church leaders

Read:

• The Prodigal God, Timothy Keller
• Abba's Child, Brennan Manning