Jesus invites us to join him in creating communities of mutual love and service.

"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." -John 13:14-17

For followers of Jesus, living in community is a non-negotiable.

"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will send you out to fish for people.' At once they left their nets and followed him." -Matthew 4:18-20

What does it look like to follow Jesus through sacrifice?

1. Servanthood and Sacrifice reveal God’s power, love and glory.
2. Surrender is not passive inactivity. Surrender is expressed through active obedience.

Prayer: "Jesus, I want to follow you in sacrifice and servanthood to reveal your power, love and glory. What is my next step of surrender trust and obedience to follow you?"

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." -Philippians 2:5-11

1. Jesus-like leadership begins with clarity of identity.
2. Clear identity produces clarity of purpose.
3. Jesus-like leadership requires vulnerability and suffering.

“Reluctance to face pain is your greatest limitation. There is no growth without change, no change without loss, and no loss without pain. . . You’ll grow only to the threshold of your pain. . . .If you’re not hurting, you’re not leading. Your vision for the future has to be big enough to propel you to face the heartaches and struggles you’ll find along the way.” - Samuel Chand, Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth

"And he said, 'The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.' Then he said to them all: 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.'" -Luke 9:22-24 NIV

Every follower of Jesus is a spiritual leader.

1. Spiritual Leadership requires a person surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
2. Spiritual Leadership requires a person TRANSFORMED and EMPOWERED by the Holy Spirit.
3. Spiritual Leadership requires a person INTENTIONALLY PARTNERING to serve God’s purposes.

"And he said, 'The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.' Then he said to them all: 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.'" -Luke 9:22-24 NIV

What is your unique mission in Christ?

1. Knowing your personal mission maximizes your impact in Christ.
2. Your unique personal mission is God-given and aligns with your identity in Christ.
3. Your unique personal mission is God-given and aligns with your identity in Christ.
4. Your unique personal mission compels sacrifice and suffering.
5. Your unique personal mission transcends jobs, seasons and tasks.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 3:12-14

Each and every person who trusts in Jesus Christ as Lord is called to serve God's purposes. Discovering our unique SHAPE is essential to fulfilling our role in the body of Christ.

S.H.A.P.E. =

Spiritual Gifts (and fivefold calling): What are your spiritual gifts and fivefold calling? How did you discover them?

Heart (Passion): What are your greatest passions?

Abilities: What are your abilities or skills?

Personality: What is your unique personality/wiring?

Experiences: What life experiences have shaped you significantly?

"But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it...So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." -Ephesians 4:7, 11-16 NIV

Christ-Centered community is where we experience the failing love of imperfect people (including ourselves) and the unfailing love of God in Christ.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." -1 Corinthians 13:4-8