Category: Discipleship

WORDS THAT HAVE SHAPED MY LIFE (108) “I’ll Never Let Go of Your Hand”

Rod Denton in Christian Living, Discipleship, Evangelism, Leadership, Mentoring

Rod Denton Induction at Elizabeth Church of Christ_2012 - Copy (2)

After driving all day, I arrived back in my hometown of Adelaide with my family to commence a holiday break. However, on arrival we were greeted with the news that Sue’s seriously ill 39-year-old brother, Wayne, was deteriorating in hospital and did not have long to live.

Instead of resting up, I felt a prompting that Sue and I should immediately go to the hospital to be with Wayne. When we arrived, we were told that Wayne was struggling to breathe and unable to speak. I went into his room and held his hand and spoke, “Wayne, it is Rod here, if you can hear my voice, could you please …

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT…..The Leader’s High Priority

Rod Denton in Christian Living, Discipleship, Evangelism, Leadership, Mentoring, Mission, Resources

leadership development

INTRODUCTION – LEADERSHIP IS INFLUENCE

A defining note in my ministry came when I transitioned from seeing the people in my church as followers, and instead saw them as emerging leaders. I was influenced by the words of Jesus who saw people who followed Him as people of influence. The best definition I know of Leadership is that it is INFLUENCE.
Jesus illustrated this in His teachings:

“You are the SALT of the earth.” (Matthew 5:13)
Salt adds flavour, prevents decay and preserves all that is good, it heals and makes people thirsty.
“You are the LIGHT of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)
Light dispels darkness, promotes health and healing, illuminates

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COURAGE…… an essential quality for those who would live out God’s purposes.

Rod Denton in Christian Living, Discipleship, Evangelism, Leadership, Mentoring, Mission

Courage
In my developmental years, on certain occasions I battled with the presence of fear. I did my best not to disclose the battle that was taking place within me. However, I paid a price that resulted in me being emotionally drained for a period of time that followed.

Interestingly, as I read my Bible, I have discovered that I wasn’t on my own. In fact, it would appear that courage to overcome fear is frequently mentioned as a requirement to fulfill God’s purposes in our lives. Timothy is a classic example. He was a person with a timid and fearful personality, and on occasions Paul needed to be mindful of …

WORDS THAT HAVE SHAPED MY LIFE (107) “DISCIPLESHIP”

Rod Denton in Christian Living, Discipleship, Evangelism, Leadership, Mentoring, Mission

Rod Denton Induction at Elizabeth Church of Christ_2012 - Copy (2) When Jesus sent His disciples out on the great commission, He told them to make disciples, not decisions. In doing so, he had already set an example for them to follow in the way he discipled them.

Robert Coleman said in his book The Master Plan of Evangelism, (or should it have been the Master Plan of Discipleship), “He (Jesus) had to devote Himself primarily to a few men, rather than the masses, in order that the masses could at least be saved. This was the genius of His strategy.”

The master plan of Jesus reminds us that we can impress people from a distance, but we can only make …