Global Leadership Summit Session 6 : Sam Adeyemi

Just like Bill said… Just like Jim said… then you’re suppose to clap and laugh.
Crushing the power chasm
Our church grew so slowly I was frustrated.
I heard the Lord say, “Why do you want the church to grow?”
When God asks questions, you need to remember that it is not that God doesn’t know the answers. He’s trying to reveal what’s in you already, mostly our foolish ideas.
You will not find the definition of success for your ministry or organization until you help the people I sent to you already succeed.
The object of leadership for many leaders is their own success, but the object of Christ’s leadership was the success of His followers.
John 14:12
When we see our churches aren’t growing, we don’t know the real reason. James says you pray and you don’t get because you ask for the wrong reasons.
Following you should hold the promise of life change for those who follow you.
The Bible is a summary. John said no book could contain all that Jesus said and did.
“Follow me” and they did. Do you think it was as simple as that? If I was Zebedee, I would follow him too. I would pull him aside and ask some questions.
By the time he was done, those two young men and their father agreed that they would make better use of their lives following Jesus.
I was use to a culture where being a leader makes you superior to those you are leading. In that culture, leaders don’t empower followers.
Mark 10:42
What that creates is a hierarchal culture. The power have all the power. Those without power are powerless. They feel like they can’t change anything. They reflect the fact that power is not shared.
There is a downside to power distance. The downside to power distance that it can leave followers with low self-esteem and afraid to follow you. They tend to have to wait for approval before they can do anything.
There is a setting where leads are less accountable. This can lead to moral failure and misconduct.
Jesus crushed the power gap betweeen men and women, adults and children, leaders and their followers.
Jesus confronted the gap between men and women. They brought Jesus the woman caught in adultery. Where was the guy?
Jesus crushed the gap between adults and children. Children were powerless. They were to be seen and not heard or not even seen. When Jesus was speaking to the crowd, children were clamoring to get to Jesus. The disciples shooed them away. He stopped and brought the kids. “You need to be like these kids if you want to be in God’s Kingdom.”
Jesus crushed the power gaps in the church. The Pharisees separated themselves from the broken and sinners. He was confronting the power structure.
I wonder what would I do if I was Jesus and I was walking on water and Peter spoke to me. I would ask Peter, “When you were baptized, were the heavens split open? Did a dove descend? Have you fasted 40 days and nights? If you love your life, stay in that boat.” But Jesus said, “If I can do it, you can do it too. Get out of the boat. Walk on water!”
There is something about leaders and talented people that makes us think others cannot do what we do.
We are the ones God called; we are the anointed…so we don’t delegate authority.
Numbers: the people are tired of eating carbs and they want protein.
Shepherds feed sheep. Feed the sheep and more sheep will show up.
If you lead where I do, you have a huge opportunity.
If you are in an under-resourced part of the world, see it is an unusual opportunity.
Abraham, Isaac, etc. they were all businessmen.
It is not the absence of money that makes you poor.
You need ideas. You need ideas, not money to start a business.
Whatever challenges you have where you are, realize that they are opportunities to empower others.
Luke 22:27
Pray for people. God will give you visions for cities, nations, whole generations.