LEADERSHIP GUIDE - SEPTEMBER 2020  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve become accustomed to the four W’s given by our local and national government to stop the spread: wash your hands, wear a mask, watch your distance, and withhold from gatherings. However, as Christ-followers there are two disciplines in our faith we must always live out whether we are in the midst of a crisis or not - WAIT on God and WITNESS to others. And as we see throughout the Bible and in modern-day history, the church (God’s people) was always at its best during crisis when it rose up in prayer, waited on God’s timing, and shared God’s love with others.

WAIT on God.
In Exodus, the Israelites had escaped from Egypt. However, the Egyptian army was coming after them and the Red Sea prevented them from moving forward. In the midst of crisis, Moses encourages them to wait on God to move, which He does with the parting of the Red Sea. In Isaiah, we are reminded that God strengthens and upholds His people.

“As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 11They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, “Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians”? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!’ 13Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’ 15Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.’” (Exodus 14:10-16 NIV)

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

WITNESS to others.
In Acts, the Apostle Paul - who himself faced persecution and imprisonment for his faith in God - shared with the church leaders in Ephesus that he was headed to Jerusalem to preach the gospel and share God’s love with others. This was a conviction that fueled all Paul did in life.

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24 NIV)

Regardless if we are in a pandemic or not, as disciples we must continue to trust in God’s timing and share God’s love with others. As Small Group leaders, it’s our responsibility to equip and encourage our SG members to do the same. We were made for such a time as this!


Discussion Questions: 

  1. Is there currently anything specific you must faithfully wait on God for?

  2. Who has God placed on your heart in this season to witness to and share His love with?

  3. What practical steps can you take to be obedient in both areas?

Active Application:

  1. Take time this week and share this teaching with your Small Group. Ask how they are personally doing in the areas of waiting on God and witnessing to others.

  2. Encourage them to also take steps of faith to trust God’s timing in those areas and to continue to share God’s love with those He placed on their heart.

Prayer: 

  1. Pray that one another would be faithful in waiting on God and witnessing to others. Pray by name those you are specifically praying for.

  2. 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 Discussion Adjustment

    We also wanted to let you know that we are making small tweaks to our Small Group Discussion Guides in order to facilitate more processing of life as well as for more prayer. Please click here for the full update.

  • 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.