Last week, I began our Blueprints with an article entitled, “It’s About Leadership”. In it, I started to point out that how critically important it will be for us to develop strong, Biblical leaders in order to empower one million to walk together with God. There are always two questions that come up in the discussion about leadership. First, who does a leader lead? Second, where does the leader lead them? We will talk about the first today.
When Jesus began his multi-billion person movement, he didn’t focus on gathering and keeping large numbers of people in his church building. In fact, he didn’t have a church building – but we will come back to that on another day. Jesus primarily worked with a smaller group of people. He chose twelve to be Apostles and was even closer friends with three of them (Peter, James, and John). He knew seventy two well enough to send them out two by two, but in the end we see that he spent most of his time with smaller groups of people.
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. (Mark 6:31-34 NIV)
He did still gather large crowds, though. Healing the sick tends to bring more people who are sick. He had compassion on those crowds, but immediately started teaching them to break down into smaller groups.
Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. (Mark 6:39-41 NIV)
Smaller groups of people are not about giving up on a larger group of people. Smaller groups allow a ministry to serve a larger group of people. Empowering one million to walk together with God will not happen by gathering a million people together in one place. It will happen when we have leaders who are shepherding flocks of three, twelve, and seventy two. The crowd will break down into groups of fifty and one hundred. Each of these smaller groups will have a person who cares, can teach, and will build their group up into Christ, who is the head of the Church. That’s because it’s all about flocks. Shepherds care for their flocks. In the church, we call them elders.
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ's sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (1 Peter 5:1-4 NIV)
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