Latest / The Daily Word / October 17 – Followership That Moves Ministry Forward
Transcript
- Robert Rosales: Hey friends, welcome to the Daily Word podcast. I'm Robert Rosales, and along with my wife Yolanda, I have the privilege of serving as our campus pastor at our Gastonia location. Hey, thanks so much for investing some time with me to dive into God's Word. Whether you're listening on your morning commute or you're enjoying a cup of coffee, maybe you're just beginning your day with the Lord. My prayer is that this time we'll encourage you, draw you closer to Jesus. And give you some revelational insight from God's word. Just as a reminder, as a church, we're reading through the Bible together and we're using the life journal reading plan. And today we're going to focus on the New Testament passage. As we read, I'm going to use the SOAP method to unlock what I catch: scripture, observation, application, and prayer. It's a simple framework that helps move God's word from the page into our everyday lives. Pray with me before we begin. Father, thank you for this new day and for the privilege of opening your word. Quiet the distractions around us and the noise within us. Give us teachable hearts, attentive minds, and lives ready to obey whatever you reveal. Holy Spirit, illuminate the scriptures and help us not only understand them, but help us live them out today. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, today's passage for October seventeenth is Acts chapter six and chapter seven. And I journaled from Acts chapter six, verses one through seven. It's a little more than I normally do, but it's a story that I wanna I wanna really point out to us before I kind of jump into what I journaled on. So let me read it to us. Acts chapter six, verses one through seven. In those days when the number of disciples was increasing. The Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be. Full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose seven men. They were full of the Holy Spirit. They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem. Increased rapidly. I'm sure you've heard this story before if you've read through the book of Acts, but I want to show you something that you may not have seen just like this. The title of my journal entry is Followership That Moves Ministry Forward. You heard me right. Not leadership, followership that moves ministry forward. Here's my observation. Most people have heard of leadership. But many are less familiar with followership. So, what is followership? In his book, The Power of Followership, Robert Kelly emphasizes that effective followers do more than receive directions from a leader. They think independently, engage actively, take responsibility, and contribute to a shared purpose. Followership is not passive obedience, it is active participation. In accomplishing a shared mission. And we see a powerful example of this right here in Acts chapter 6. The church was growing, but a problem emerged. Some widows were being overlooked in the daily food distribution. The apostles recognized they could not personally manage every need and still fulfill their primary responsibilities of prayer and the ministry of the Word of God. Rather than ignore the problem or attempt to do everything themselves, they established a plan. The congregation selected seven men who were known to be full of the spirit and wisdom. The apostles prayed for them, laid hands on them, and entrusted them with this important responsibility. Catch this. The apostles provided leadership, and these seven men stepped into their responsibility as active participants of the. In the mission. They weren't simply filling positions or carrying out assignments. They helped solve a problem, serve people in need, and strengthen the church's ability to fulfill its mission and keep moving forward. Notice the results in verses 6 and 7. Leadership remained focused on prayer and the ministry of the word. Ministry responsibilities were shared. Allowing the church to address an important need. People were cared for, and the problem that threatened unity was addressed. The word of God continued to spread, and the number of disciples was multiplied. Come on, somebody say amen. Friends, this is what happens when leadership and followership work together effectively. The mission advances, people are served, leaders are strengthened. And the church grows. Leadership helped establish the vision and direction, engage team members to take ownership, and the team members or i.e. followers help turn that vision into action. It's important to remember, I wrote this down: leadership cannot accomplish the mission alone. Leaders need people who take initiative, accept responsibility, communicate honestly, and work together for the church's good. Likewise, effective leaders must recognize gifts, share responsibility, and empower others to serve. The goal isn't simply to build a church with more leaders or more volunteers. It's to build a church where people take ownership of the mission and actively participate in making disciples. Wow. I know that's a lot, but I really want you to hear it. Leaders can't accomplish the mission alone. Followership. Moves ministry forward. So, Pastor Robert, what's the application? How does this apply? Well, friend, let me ask you: what kind of follower or team member are you? Do you take responsibility and look for ways to contribute? Or do you wait to be told what to do? Do you strengthen your pastor or leader by sharing the load? Or do you unintentionally add to the weight they already carry? Do you think, take initiative, and help solve problems? Or do you depend on your leader to figure everything out? When a responsibility is entrusted to you, do you embrace it as an opportunity to serve God and others? And let me talk to you leaders. If you lead a ministry, a team, or an organization, ask yourself Am I developing people and releasing responsibility? Or am I trying to do everything myself? Am I building a culture where people are equipped and empowered to contribute to the mission? Do I trust others to take ownership or do I micromanage and do everything myself? Friends, effective ministry requires both responsible leadership and engaged followership. Come on, pray with me. Father, help me to become the kind of follower who strengthens the people you've called to lead and takes responsibility for the mission you've entrusted to us. Give me wisdom and humility to work together with others. Help me also become a leader who equips, trusts, and releases others to serve. May everything we do contribute to spreading your word, growing your church, and fulfilling your purposes. In Jesus' name. Amen. Hey, Lakes or family, thanks for joining me today on the Daily Word podcast. I hope you were blessed by this insight. I pray that you're encouraged and that you stay in God's Word and walk closely with the Holy Spirit. Bye for now.