Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “Evangelism”

20 Mar 2023

Communicating the Message

At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. … 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. … 7 where they continued to preach the gospel. … 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. … 21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. … 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. Acts 14 NIV

It is interesting to look at the variety of ways the Gospel and salvation are described in this one chapter of Acts 14.

Note the following from the above passage:

… Jews and Gentiles believed – something to believe

… the message of his grace – a message to communicate and receive

… preach the gospel – the ‘good news’ to be shared with others

… good news – important, life changing information to be listened to and received

… turn… to the living God – a change in life direction towards the one, true living God

… the faith – something to be believed

… the Lord, in whom they had put their trust – a trust-based personal relationship with the Lord Jesus

… the door of faith – something to walk through

As you reflect on and share the Good News with others, may it be the full embodiment of all that is included in putting our faith, trust, and hope in the living God and His Son, Jesus our Savior.

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , ,
06 Mar 2023

Mobility and the Lord’s Servant

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. … Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road–the desert road–that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, … When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. Acts 8:4-5, 26-27, 39-40 NIV

Philip, one of the seven chosen to serve the over-looked widows because of he was ‘full of the Spirit and wisdom” (see Acts 6:1-5). After the stoning of Stephen, Philip left Jerusalem, going north to Samaria to proclaim to these people the Good News of Jesus and forgiveness through His name (Acts 8:12). Then, led by the Spirit, he moved south to the road leading up to Jerusalem where he encountered the Ethiopian eunuch and led him to faith in Christ as he had done in Samaria. (Acts 8:26ff). Immediately after this encounter, the Spirit took Philip west to Azotus and then north through the coastal towns until he reached Caesarea. And here Philip’s story takes a long pause.

Note Philip’s mobility for the sake of the Gospel. He went north to Samaria from Jerusalem, then south to meet the Ethiopian, then west to Azotus, and then north again along the coastal road to Caesarea. He was led of the Spirit to this mobile lifestyle. He was ‘deployable’ – able to be moved to a place where he can be used when he is needed. And God blessed his efforts with fruit as he shared the message of Jesus.

We next encounter Philip 20+ years later at the end of Paul’s third missionary tour. Paul and friends stop in Caesarea and there they meet with Philip. In Acts 21:8-9 we read, “Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.” Philip had married, settled down, raised four daughters, and for the past 20+ years had stayed in Caesarea. What to make of this?

There is a time for mobility and there is a time for settling down. Both are good and right. There is a time for singleness and a time for marriage and raising children. We do not conclude that marriage necessarily means the end of mobility, nor do we say that being single means one cannot settle in one place for an extended period. It is all dependent upon the Lord’s direction. Listen carefully to His leading and you will know if it is time to move or time to stay!

Posted in #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , ,
02 May 2022
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A Heart for People

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 ESV

What was the purpose in Jesus’ coming?  Jesus Himself summed it up by saying that He, “came to seek and to save the lost.”  People without a personal relationship with Jesus are lost—separated from God.  In another place He refers to them as sheep without a shepherd. Jesus came seeking those people that they might be reconciled once again to God.  He still seeks the lost today.

Jesus has committed to His followers the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:11-21).  As Christ’s ambassadors, we seek to persuade men and women to put their trust in Him that they may be reconciled back to God.  Our passion is Christ and His passion is people.  As we grow in our heart for God we will also grow in His passion for people.

  • God deeply cares for the lost.  What do the three parables in Luke 15 reveal about God’s heart for the lost? —  Luke 15:1-7; Luke 15:8-10; Luke 15:11-32
  • We can grow in our own heart for the lost.  What is said in the following passages about growing in our heart for people?  —  Ezekiel 36:26; 2 Peter 1:5-9

Questions to ponder:  What are your passions in life? Is one of them a passion to see people reconciled back to God? Why or why not?

Passages for further study: Psalm 51:10; Romans 8:5-11

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
13 Sep 2021

Good News!

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.   1 Timothy 2:3-6  ESV

Because of sin, all people are separated from a holy God.  Because God is just, He must punish sin.  Because God is love, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sin so that we will not have to die.  Those who believe in Him by faith are forgiven for all their sins and reconciled back to God.  This is the Good News!  This is the gospel!  

The Good News of forgiveness and reconciliation is for all people.  We who have discovered the Good News are to share it with others.  Simply, one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread. Sharing the Good News with others not only brings joy to those who receive it, but also to those who share it. 

  • The Gospel is good news to those that are lost and separated from God.  What do the following passages say about the Gospel? — Matthew 24:14; Mark 1:14-15; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
  • The Gospel is meant to be shared with others.  What is said in the following passages about sharing Christ with others? — Romans 10:9-15; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Philippians 1:27-30

Question to ponder:  When was the last time you shared the Good News?  What steps can you take to share the Good News with someone today?

Passages for further reflection:  Acts 20:24; Ephesians 6:19-20

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , ,
05 Jun 2017

Living Peaceful and Quiet Lives

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.       1 Thes. 4:11-12   NIV 1984

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.         1 Tim. 2:1-4  NIV 1984

Paul urges us to aim to live peaceful, quiet lives that shine as beacons of godliness and holiness to an unbelieving world around us.  For this to happen, we must be prayerfully interceding for kings (political leaders) and those in authority that the Lord might grant us favor in their eyes.  For, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases (Proverbs 21:1).

It is interesting to note that in Thessalonica and Ephesus Paul had caused riots and civil upheaval.  It was for the sake of the gospel that he was in these cities and we also note that in both cases it was not Paul who instigated the disturbances.  It was the enemies of the gospel who stirred up the crowds, drawing the responses from the civil leaders.  See Acts 17:1-9 and Acts 19:23ff.

Paul did not want this type of upheaval to be perceived as ‘normal’ for those following Christ in the respective cities.  Rather, the goal, as he reminded them, was to live peaceful and quiet lives; living such counter-cultural lives that they would win the respect of those who did not yet know Christ.

Our turbulent times call for us to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16).   And in the midst of this turmoil, we are to be praying for our political and civil authorities – asking that the Lord would cause them to show us kindness and favor.  The result will be the advancement of the Kingdom and the gospel in the lives of many.

Are you praying for those in authority over you?

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
25 Jul 2016

The 4 Alls of the Gospel

It was an early morning flight and being a frequent flyer, I had boarded first and was trying to read my Bible while the rest of the plane filled with passengers.  Sitting in the aisle I was secretly hoping that the center and window seat to my right would not be taken, allowing me to spread out some on the short flight from Colorado Springs to Denver. But, the last person to board threw his backpack into the window seat and proceeded to climb over me into the window seat.

Before the plane pushed back from the gate he leaned over and asked, “Hey, what are you reading?”  “I’m reading the book of Isaiah in the Bible,” I replied.  “Oh, that’s one of my favorite books,” he said.  A short conversation ensued where we exchanged some background information and then I asked, “So, how long have you been a believer?”  A quizzical look came over his face when he answered, “I think since I was born.”

I found out that he was headed for a funeral of his 14-month old son who had recently died of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and he had been reading a Bible to see if he could discover what happens to a person after they die.  I asked for permission to share with him a short summary of the central theme of the Bible, a summary I called the “4 All’s.”

As we leveled out after takeoff, he retrieved a Bible from his backpack and we turned to Romans.  I explained that there are four things that are common to all people – the 4 All’s.  We then proceeded to look at the verses in his Bible:  Romans 3:23 – All have sinned; Romans 5:12 – All will die; Romans 5:18 – Jesus died for all; and Romans 10:9,13 – All must receive Christ.  I checked for his understanding after each verse.  He nodded approvingly as we read each verse.

After reviewing these verses I asked him, “If you were to die tonight are you certain of seeing your son again in heaven?  He replied that he was not certain at all.  I then asked, “Is there any reason why you wouldn’t want to accept Christ right now as your personal Savior?”  “Why no,” he replied, “but how do I do that?”  I then shared a short prayer with him and somewhere over Colorado at 12,000 feet, Rick trusted Christ as his Savior.

When landing we went over a few short passages on assurance of salvation from 1 John and after de-planing he hugged me and said, “Thanks so much for telling me about Christ!  Please pray for me.  I hope I can tell someone else about Him at this funeral.”

 

 

 

Posted in #3 DO - What a Leader Does, #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged , , , , , , ,
23 Nov 2015
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Leading from the Bible and Into the Bible

Once we have good momentum in evangelism, by God’s grace, we will see people coming to faith in Christ. Also, because of our sowing broadly, we will find young Christians who desire to grow up in Christ. These new believers and young, Christian “orphans” will need to be fed spiritual food to help them move towards maturity in Christ. This spiritual food is the Bible, helping them not only understand it, but apply it to their lives.

In our discipling of young Christians and as we equip disciples to become laborers for the spiritual harvest, we must remember that it is the Bible that helps them become established and equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Let’s be sure that our small groups are studying the Bible and not someone’s book about a biblical topic. Let’s be sure that our follow-up plans and equipping packages are Bible centered. As we counsel and advise, let’s be sure that our counsel is full of the Word of God.

As we minister the Word of God to the hearts and minds of others we can become very “cerebral” in our approach, if we’re not careful. We can have verses for everything and every situation, ready to dispense on a moment’s notice, but it is not simply the imparting of Bible information that will bring about transformation in someone’s life. We will need to help them seek application of biblical truth for their lives.

One of our Navigator distinctives over the years has been our emphasis on personal application of the Scriptures. Let’s remember that Scripture memory is not an end in itself, that is, the quoting of verses from memory. Rather, it is the saturation of our minds with God’s Word that we may meditate on it and find application for our lives that is the desired end. We want to be changed into the image of Christ through our memory work and our Bible studies, but this will only happen as we seek to find personal application of the Word for our lives.

In our equipping of spiritual laborers we must help others ground their personal ministry in the Bible. In our evangelism training, let’s ground them in the Scriptures when presenting a credible explanation and defense of the Gospel. Let’s encourage them to have confidence in God’s ability to use His Word to win people to Himself. He will honor the use of His Word. It will accomplish His desires (Isaiah 55:8-11).

In training spiritual laborers to establish others in the faith, we must give them tools that will help them impart the Scriptures to others. They must have confidence in God and in God’s Word if they are to see spiritual generations flowing from their lives. We can help them have that confidence if we model it before them and teach them how.

Discipling and equipping others with the Word of God for a lifetime of laboring for Jesus is a vital part of our leadership mandate. The fruit bearing that results from sowing good seed in good ground is one of the great blessings we get to observe as we co-labor with God. Sow the good seed of the Word of God (Mark 4:14: 1 Peter 1:23)!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , ,
17 Feb 2014
1 Comment

A New Creation!

2 Corinthians 5:1-21

Joy and Amy were scared as they knocked on the door.  They had never shared the gospel before and now was their opportunity.  Perhaps Holly wouldn’t be home, they hoped secretly.  But, Holly greeted them warmly at the door and they entered her room.

As the two women began to explain the details of the Good News, Holly began to cry.  Never having experienced anything like this, they looked at one another wondering if they had somehow offended Holly.  In a voice choked with emotion, Holly asked, “Is this the gospel?”  They swallowed hard and responded affirmatively.

“Oh, this is wonderful,” Holly exclaimed!  This morning I was going to leave my apartment to visit my family.  But, I had a feeling that I should wait here in my room for something important to happen.  So, I’ve been waiting all day.  And now here you are!

“In high school,” Holly continued, “I noticed some others who were very happy and they seemed to talk a lot about the ‘gospel.’  But they never told me what it was.  So, for the past three years, I have been praying for God to show me what the ‘gospel’ means.  And now, today, God has brought you to me so that I can know what this is!  This is great!”

Joy and Amy had the privilege of introducing Holly to the Savior that afternoon.  God had obviously prepared her heart to respond to the message.  There are many around each of us whom God has prepared, but we must deliver the message.  We must be a verbal witness, as well as witnessing with our lives.

Who has God placed in your life for you to introduce to him?  Many are sincerely seeking answers and waiting for an explanation!  Why not pray and ask God for an opportunity to share with them today?  You’ll see God opening doors of opportunity for you too!

Additional References:  John 3:3,5; Acts 16:31

Posted in #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged , , , , , ,
10 Feb 2014
3 Comments

Doesn’t God Grade on the Curve?

Acts 16:1-40

I was in my third year at college, sitting in a dorm lobby when I noticed another student.  I hadn’t seen him since seventh grade and did not even know he attended Florida State.  We began to catch up when his date arrived.  As we parted, he handed me a small booklet, saying, “I’m sorry I haven’t got time to explain this to you.  Please read it; the message in here changed my life!”

I accepted the booklet and stuffed it into my pocket as my date arrived.  Before the movie started that evening, I retrieved the booklet and began to read.  For the first time I understood that I personally had done things that were displeasing to God and that I would be punished because of my wrongs.  Until that night I thought that God would grade my life on the curve and that I would be in the upper percentiles.  That night I understood that life is pass-fail and that I had failed.

As I read on I understood that God loved me so much that he accepted my punishment instead—he died for me–and that I needed to believe in Christ as my personal Savior.  There in the theater I prayed, asking God to forgive me and accepting Christ as my Savior–and I was saved from my eternal punishment.  Like the Philippian jailer, I too had come to become a member of God’s family.

I have not seen the student who gave me the booklet since that evening.  He entered my life for a brief time and was kind enough to share Christ with me–one simply waiting for a clear explanation.  Who is it in your life that God has prepared for you to share Christ with?  Why not share with them today?

Additional References:  John 1:12; Romans 5:22; Romans 10:11-15

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