Review - Learning Organization - personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, systems thinking
Leave a Legacy
Prepare for your final exam - 1Cor 3:10-15
Introduction
Bishop's 60th birthday party
Thompson Family - I want what they have
You can have it if you pay the price
Elijah ----> Elisha
Introducing Elijah - 1Kings 17:1-6
Elijah on Mt. Carmel - 1Kings 18:15-40
Elijah and Elisha - 2Kings 2:1-15
Desire the right legacy
God must be the source of your legacy
Elijah was on God's mission
Only what you do for Christ will last
God must shape the details of your legacy
Pursue God's agenda, not your own
Understand specifically what God has called you to do
Know your purpose
If you aim at nothing in particular you'll hit it every time
Be part of someone else's legacy
Be under authority - Luke 7:1-10
Be faithful with someone else's property - Luke 16:10-12
Find a mentor / coach
Follow the leader
Elisha refused to leave Elijah at:
Gilgal - Josh 4:19 - 5:12
First camp after crossing the Jordan
Circumcision - the covenant renewed, reproach rolled away
First Passover in Canaan
First experience of the produce of the land
Bethel
Originally dedicated to God - Gen 28:10-22; Gen 31:10-13
Subsequently defiled - 1Kings 12:25 - 13:6
Later reclaimed under Josiah
Jericho
Originally destroyed and cursed - Josh 6:20-27
Subsequently rebuilt - 1Kings 16:34
Stay with your leader through all the stages of your relationship
New beginnings
Examining defilements in your "house of God"
Examining "resurrected" issues
Eat the meat and spit out the bones
Eli ----> Samuel
Introducing Eli - 1Sam 1:1-3
Eli's Sons - 1Sam 2:10-25
Prophetic Warning - 1Sam 2:27-36; 1Sam 3:1-18
Samuel comes into his own - 1Sam 3:19-21
Prophetic Fulfillment against Eli - 1Sam 4:10-22
Samuel's Sons - 1Sam 8:1-9
Recognize the negative traits that you need to avoid
Pay attention
Elisha had to see Elijah taken up to heaven
Jordan
They crossed the Jordan out of Canaan
Their final moments were on the "wilderness" side of Jordan
Catching the transition
Everyone probably expected Elijah to die
No one expected chariots and horses of fire and a whirlwind
Elijah had a reputation for "disappearing" - 1Kings 18:1-15
Keep your eye on your leader in the wilderness
See and recognize your leader's "promotion"
His/her promotion is your promotion
Don't waste time longing for the "good old days"
Know what's going on in the ministry to which you belong
Know the power of God
River splitting power
Resurrection Power - Eph 1:15-23
Move beyond discouragement - 1Kings 19:1-21
Sulking, pouting, and pampering are not God's will for us
Elijah went "backwards" to Mt. Horeb (Sinai)
"What are you doing here?"
Discouragement distorts your perception - 1Kings 19:10-14
Go back the way you came - 1Kings 19:15
Handle your next assignment - 1Kings 19:15-21
Make the transition to commitment - 1Kings 19:19-21
Don't miss God's invitation
Say goodbye to your old life
Jesus did this at his baptism
Be faithful - 1Kings 19:19-21; 2Kings 2:1-18; 2Kings 3:11
Faithfulness is a lifestyle
Begin with faithfulness
End with faithfulness
No mystery about the intervening years
Work on your stuff
Examine yourself - 1Cor 11:28-32; 2Cor 13:5
Count the cost - Luke 14:28-33
Conquer your fears
Feed on God's Word - Job 23:12; Jer 15:16; Mat 4:4
Pray
Worship
Prostrate yourself
Personally
With your resources
Excel at giving - 2Cor 8:1-9; 2Cor 9:6-7
Examples - Gen 14:17-20; Gen 28:10-22; Prov 3:9-10
Fellowship
Put others ahead of yourself Philip 2:4-5
Glorify God in your everyday life
At school
On your job
Be a faithful worker
Understand the big picture
Solve problems - don't leave them in someone else's lap
Be a Kingdom strategist
Operate strategically
Beware the tyranny of the urgent
Q1 (Important & Urgent); Q2 (Important & Not Urgent)
Q3 (Unimportant & Urgent); Q4 (Unimportant & Not Urgent)
Operate in Quadrant 2
Put the big rocks in first
Make a plan
Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, 5 year, etc.
Follow the plan
Keep it updated
Put God's Kingdom first - Mat 6:19-34
Organize your life around the Kingdom - not "worldly success"
Resist Satan's efforts to make us preoccupied with ourselves and with our own families only.
Our deliberate efforts at unity and connecting to our brothers and sisters help to release God's power - John 17:20-23
Summary
New Material
Leave a Legacy (continued)
God exists
Key assumptions:
God wants to be known
If he didn't want be known, how could we know him?
We also assume that we are competent to know God - we forget about the impact of original sin on our ability to know God
Win Converts
Acts 8:1-8 - Philip evangelizes in Samaria
God scatters us when we get too complacent
Those who were scattered preached the Word wherever they went - Use your gifts
Give God credit
Pray for and lay hands on people
Let the gifts of the Spirit flow
God is not into "superstars"
Acts 8:9-13 - Simon the Sorcerer
Acts 8:14-25 - The Apostles to the rescue
Acts 8:26-40 - Philip and the Ethiopian
Will you teach your disciples the full gospel?
1Cor 2:1-5 - Not human persuasion, but divine persuasion!
Themes
confrontation compel someone to follow Christ
Come to the party!
Join the workforce!
Make disciples - 2Tim 2:2
You have to pull someone in close
They have to be close enough to understand what you have
They have to want what you have
The whole counsel of God - Acts 20:22-27
Be a strategic connector
We must design everything we do so that it advances the great commission - winning and making disciples.
The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord - Isa 11:9
Connect people to the Kingdom
Use any godly means necessary
Invite to Sunday service - occasionally works
Invite to life group - appropriate for some
Invite to a life group activity - appropriate for most
Invite to lunch with one to two brothers/sisters - great strategy
Pray first and expect God to produce results - 1Cor 3:1-15
Be an expert builder
Build quality
Don't be someone who escapes through the flames
Summary
Discussion Questions
Reflect on Acts Chapter 8:1-25
Considering vs. 1-4, have you ever been forced into a new environment as a result of a spiritual attack? Did you use it as an opportunity to share God's Word? If not, what could you have done differently?
Considering vs. 5-8, have your ever offered to pray for someone "on the spot"? Have you ever laid hands on someone during prayer? If so, what did God do through you? If not, what would it take for you to pray and lay hands on someone in need?
Considering vs. 9-13, have you ever launched any ministry activity on your job, at your school, or in your neighborhood? If so, describe it.
Considering vs. 14-16, do you need help with a ministry activity that you've launched? Who have you spoken to about it?
Considering vs. 17-19, have you been filled with the Holy Spirit? How did it happen? If not, do you plan to be? What are you waiting for?
Reflect on Acts Chapter 8:26-40
Has the Lord ever directed you to an unusual destination?
Has the Lord ever directed you to speak to a stranger?
Has the Lord ever directed you to position yourself near someone without telling you what to say?
Have you ever had someone say something to you that revealed an opportunity to share God's Word in some way?
Describe some of the ways in which you have shared God's Word with people - especially if you were able to share about salvation through Jesus.
Works Activities For This Week's Life Group Meetings
List the people in your sphere of influence.
Go over the people in your list and share with your group the answers to the following questions:
How badly to you want to see this person saved?
How much time have you spent praying for him/her? On your own? With a prayer partner?
What are you willing to do differently to see this person saved?
