“Not
slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord”. Rom.12:11
It is the will of God for every believer in Christ
Jesus to succeed in life and ministry. Success is not a gift. That is why the
business of the Master must be carried out with every sense of urgency coupled
with intelligence.
Ministry and Service
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines Ministry as the work and duties of a
minster in the Church. Ministry is therefore not the following:
·
A Position
·
A title
·
An Organisation
·
A Dream
·
An Idea
- What is
Ministry?
- Ministry is
a task to perform
- Ministry is
service
- Ministry is
stewardship 1Cor.4:1-2
- Ministry is
a God-given assignment.
Service according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary has its
origin from the Latin servus (slave).
It is the work performed by one that serves. It is the occupation or function
of serving.
In the Bible, the words ‘servant’ and ‘minister’ are synonymous, just as service and ministry.
If you are a Christian, you are a minister, and when you are serving in your area
of giftedness, you are ministering.
INFLUENCE
This is the power to change or affect someone or
something. It is also defined as the power to cause changes without directly
forcing them to happen. It is a person or thing that affects someone or
something in an important way.
GROWING YOUR LEADERSHIP INFLUENCE
Leadership is not
about title. It is not a reward that someone of importance could grant. A position
can be given you real leadership. A position does not make a leader, but it can
give you the opportunity to try out your leadership.
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?
Bernard Montgomery
says, “Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common
purpose and the character which inspires confidence”.
John Maxwell opines
that leaders have two characteristics: first they are going somewhere, and
second they are able to persuade other people to go with them. Leadership is
about influence. And influence must be learned.
A PERSON OF INFLUENCE
Ralph Waldo Emerson
says, “Every man is a hero and an oracle to somebody, and to that person,
whatever he says has an enhanced value”. Research has shown that the most
introverted person will influence at least ten thousand people in his lifetime.
Every one of us
influences one person or the other. You don’t have to be the President of the
nation or CEO of a blue chip company before you are considered a person of
influence. You are a person of influence if your life impact on other people.
John Maxwell says, “If your life in any way connects with other people, you are
an influencer”.
And no one succeeds
or makes impact in life without being a person of influence. Influence never
comes to us instantaneously. It grows. It is a skill and can be developed. One’s
level of influence is not same with everyone. It differs from one person to the
other.
HOW TO GROW YOUR
LEADERSHIP INFLUENCE
Lead Yourself First
True leadership
starts from you and who you are. You cannot lead beyond who you really are. The
power behind your leadership is the life you are living. We are responsible for
our actions and decisions. If you are able to lead yourself well then you can
be a great influencer over others, if not, you will be your own greatest
liability.
Napoleon says, “The only
conquests which are permanent and leave no regrets are conquest of us. Don’t
try to conquer the world until you’ve taken care of things in your own backyard”.
The smallest and the
most important crowd you will ever lead is you. If you succeed at that then you
will earn the right to lead bigger crowds. If you don’t lead yourself
successfully, you can’t lead others successfully.
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