MAN UP BIBLE SERIES Lesson Eleven

The Real World This Study is about Leadership. Statistics show that male leadership in the church is on the decline. Some of my best women are men is as true today as it was 150 years ago when William Booth made the statement. More and more men are content to let women shoulder the heavy responsibilities of church and family life. Mature male leadership in the church today is very rare indeed. So what does this have to do with you? God needs you in the fight today. We need men who are willing to lead not through words or force but with their lives. The world is tired of all the talk they want to see it in the way that we live. So lets take a look at the life of Joshua and glean from God’s Word what are the prime directives of a man who wants to be a Godly Leader. Stop looking around I am talking to you! Are you ready to be God’s hero?

The Real Word Deuteronomy 34:1-12New International Version (NIV) The Death of Moses 34 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, 3 the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” 5 And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said.6 He buried him[a] in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. 7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. 8 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over. 9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit[b] of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses. 10 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. 12 For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Real Talk Are you a leader in your family? Why or Why Not? Are you a leader in your Corps? Why or Why Not? Are you part of the problem or a solution?

Real Steps Joshua shows us the traits of a great leader: Prayer - (Exodus 17: 8 & 9) It is God who wins the battle. Vision – (Exodus 24: 13 – 18) See what God sees. Devotion – (Exodus 33:11) To God above all else. Ability to follow – (Luke 22:27) Great leaders are great followers first. Faith – (Numbers 13) The Majority is not always right. God is. Spirit – (Numbers 27:18 &19) Being filled with the Holy Spirit. Expendability – (Duet. 34: 1-12) After Moses there was Joshua. Leaders also have: A Dream that comes from God. An Ability to Communicate the Dream. An Ability to Delegate to the Team. An Ability to Pull Others Along – People follow because they want to. Determination – Never stop doing what God wants.

Time to Close Men; looking at Joshua today shows us what it will take in order to be all that God wants us to be. We must be men who are committed to prayer. We must pursue a great and growing vision of God. We must Worship God and be devoted to God above all else. We must be willing to follow God and his chosen leaders. Lifting others up above our wants and desires is a must. We must have faith that transcends the doubt of others. We must also understand that the world will go on without us in the picture. We tend to take ourselves way to seriously. Share the responsibility and success with those around you. “Rise up, O Men of God! The Church for you doth wait, Her strength unequal to her task, Rise up, and make her great! It is more than a song it is the reality of what the world needs today! MAN UP!