LEADERSHIP GUIDE - OCTOBER 2020

The early church served those that were in need due to hardship and crisis. We see throughout the New Testament that the disciples would provide food for orphans and widows, finances for the poor, and prayer for the sick. Serving others during crisis was important then, and we are so encouraged to hear and witness what our church and our members are doing now to help family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and classmates affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are so proud and we must continue to serve those in need!

However, as important as acts of kindness are, Jesus said the most essential thing the church does is sharing the Gospel and making disciples. In response to Jesus’ command to make disciples, the Apostle Paul wrote that each Christ-follower must take personal responsibility and ownership in sharing the Gospel with the unsaved, so they could have an opportunity to receive Jesus into their life.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV)

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (Romans 10:14 NIV)

The early church was intentional and committed to presenting the Gospel to the unsaved that they served. These acts of kindness, led to Gospel presentations, which led to salvations, and thousands upon thousands of disciples of Christ being made. For us, as we serve and pray for unsaved family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and classmates during these unprecedented times, let’s not hesitate to present the Gospel of salvation when God provides the opportunity to!

Application: 

Presenting the Gospel is simply sharing with an unsaved person the following: 

“The Gospel is the good news that God became Man in Jesus Christ. He lived the life we should have lived, and died the death we should have died in our place. Three days later, He rose from the dead, proving that He is the Son of God, and offering the gift of salvation and forgiveness of sins to anyone who repents and believes in Him.”

Along with the Gospel presentation above, please see the diagram below which visually explains the Gospel and gift of salvation through Jesus.

 
Salvation_Diagram_Stack-04.png
 

If someone is ready to commit their life to Jesus after hearing the Gospel and the gift of salvation, lead them into this prayer to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. I believe you died on the cross for my sins, and on the third day rose again conquering sin and death. Today, I choose to turn from my sins, and follow you for the rest of my life. I declare that you are my Lord and Savior. Amen!”

  1. Leadership Group Coaches: Take time to share and review with your leaders how to share the Gospel of salvation and lead someone to Jesus. Share your experiences in doing so, have others share their experiences, and answer any questions your leaders may have.

  2. Small Group Leaders: Take time this week and share this teaching with your Small Group. Ask who God has placed on their heart to share the Gospel with. Encourage your SG to continue to pray for them by name, and to be bold and share the Gospel of salvation if God presents them an opportunity to.

Discussion Questions: 

  1. Why do you think it can be easy for us to pray and care for others, but difficult to share the Gospel with them? 

  2. Is there someone that is not saved that God may be calling you to share the Gospel with in this season so they can receive Christ and become a disciple? What steps of faith can you take to share the Gospel with them?

Prayer Points: 

  1. Pray for one another’s current prayer requests and for a refueling of faith.

  2. Pray that that the church would share the Gospel, and that those we are reaching would receive Jesus into their life and become disciples.

  3. Pray that the virus would be crushed in our islands, and that those who are affected by this pandemic (health, finances, relationships, schooling, etc.) would experience breakthrough and come to know God. 

Announcements:

  • Small Group Update
    With the State’s Honolulu Reopening Strategy Tier One, effective Thursday, September 24th, our small groups, in clusters of five, may once again meet in person. Social gatherings are acceptable at public parks and beaches with social distancing precautions. Keep in mind that restaurants are not yet open to groups of people from different households. Groups that prefer to meet online may continue to do so.

  • Weekly Leadership Thought
    As another leadership resource, we wanted to give you access to our “Weekly Leadership Thought” that is shared with our pastoral staff and campus ministers. This is for personal viewing and its purpose is to equip and encourage those who help lead and shepherd our church. We will be adding content like this to our Leaders Resource page. Because of the nature of the material, this page is password protected. 

    To access this page, go to https://pearlside.org/leadership-resources and enter the password: leader

  • Zoom Reimbursement
    We will continue to reimburse Zoom "Pro Package" subscriptions for the month of September. This will enable you to keep hosting virtual Zoom meetings and not neglecting to meet as a small group. 

    • If you would like to participate in utilizing Zoom Pro for your small group meeting, please email info@pearlside.org. We will then send you reimbursement instructions for the cost of your subscription.

    • If you already have your September or previous months of Zoom Pro receipts (beginning of May 2020), kindly email them directly to info@pearlside.org.