An act of kindness or servitude is never wasted nor seldom forgotten. Therefore, never underestimate the difference you can make in the life of another. Don't aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference! (Mt 5.16)

It's easy to make a dollar, it's tougher to make a difference (Influence).

From the creation of man in his image (Genesis 1:27), to sin as falling short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23) and exchanging his glory for created things (Romans 1:23), to the apostolic call that we “do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31), Christian pastors and teachers often rightly emphasize “the glory of God” as the great banner flying over our lives, connecting us, in our smallness, to the bigness of God’s chief purpose in creation and history.

However, plain as it may be in the Bible, how many of us rehearse this enough? How easy it can be in the habits and patterns of our daily lives to go days, even weeks — perhaps months? — without praying, “Father, glorify yourself in me,” or consciously connect the smallest acts of our lives, our eating and drinking, and everything we do, to the glory of God.

Jesus not only modeled our highest calling. He also explicitly draws his people into this pursuit with him. Not only does he seek his Father’s glory, but he calls his disciples to do the same:

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:8)

A spiritual leader is called to

• Accountability for the well-being of those they are to influence - (Heb 13.17) “one who will give an account”. 
• Edification of Christ for the  benefit of those being served. Paul writes in (2 Cor 10.8) “...the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down...” 

Discipleship is our purpose as a leader fitting with God's spiritual purpose (Eph 4.11-12)  “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ”  

Spiritual leadership does not rest in a title or in a position. The biblical approach to leadership rests on the quality of life of the individual leader. Because of the very nature of the term, “leader,” the followers will follow his or her example. In Titus 1 and 1 Tim 3 we see a list of life-qualities, probably pursued by few, available to all and deniable to none. The attributes are a combination of: 

• character
• maturity (“must not be a recent convert”)
• skill (“able to teach/transfer truth”) 
• steadfastness (“they must first be tested and prove themselves faithful)
• managing their own walk... ("a good reputation with outsiders”)

The church, as much as our culture, is desperate for "PASSIONATE" leadership to advance God’s kingdom and making a difference in the church, culture and one's own life and spiritual growth.

People are always going to follow something or someone - be it good (1 Cor 11:1) or bad (Exo 23:2). Leadership (Influence) offers something "good and right" to follow (2 Thess 3:7-9). A true always learns to be a good follower and good servant. One can't lead others if they themselves are not willing to set the example. 

 Without a doubt, the greatest principle of leadership is learning to be a “positive influence” in others lives. (Deut 1:38) 

• If you want to manage somebody, manage yourself. Do that well and you will be ready to stop managing and start leading. 

1. A good leader always learns to be a good follower first (Exo 17:8-9)
Calvin Miller The Empowered Leader notes:
Only those who can obey (follow - my emphasis) are worthy to mandate (lead - my emphasis) - Good follow-ship will always set the right pattern for good leadership.

2. A good leader learns to always go first before the people (Exo 17:10)
A true leader never leads an army of people by bringing up the rear. Like a shepherd, a good leader must always be out in front… for sheep are never driven (Mt 4:19).

3. A good leader learns to follow the Master, not men (Exo 33:9-11)
We must learn to lionize Christ, not men (Job 32:21-22, Rom 12:3, I Cor 4:6 & 2 Cor 3:5).

4. good leader learns to stand for what’s right no matter what the cost (Num 14:1-6)
A wise man once said:
I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. 
The adage is true: People who sell principles for popularity soon become penniless. (Prov 29:25)

Who are you and what defines you? What is your identity? That’s a question and understanding one must come to. Too often, people base their identities on what they do (from their jobs to their roles in relationships), or let others define them by those pursuits. But by doing so, they significantly limit their lives. The truth is that God intends for all people to find their identity in Christ.
As a believer, your identity encompasses all the abundance of being a beloved child of God. How do we and how can we know that, keeping in mind that your identity is found in Christ.., and that our identity is for the purpose of Christ!

1. You're a saint! (Eph 2.19; Eph 3.17; Col 1.11-13; Rom 8.27) 
2. You're blessed and highly favored! (2 Cor 9.8; Psa 30.5; 84.11) 
3. You're appreciated and valued! (1 Jn 3.1; Zech 3.17)
4. You're saved! (Rom 10.9-10; 2 Cor 5.21; Jn 5.24)
5. You're reconciled! (Rom 5.10-11; Col 3.13; Eph 4.32)
6. You're afflicted! (Rom 5.8-10; 2 Cor 4.16-17; Jn 15.18)
7. You're heard! (Jere 19.12-13; 1 Pt 3.12; 1 Jn 5.15)
8. You're gifted!(Eph 2.10; 1 Pt 4.10-11; Rom 12.4-8)
9. You're new! (2 Cor 5.17; 1 Pt 1.3; Eph 4.22-24)
10. You're forgiving! (Eph 4.32; 1 Jn 1.9; Psa 103.11-12)
11. You're adopted! (Rom 8.15-17; Gal 3.26-29; Eph 4.1-5)
12. You're loved! (Rom 8.37-39; 1 Jn 4.7-11)
13. You're rewarded! (Col 3.23-24; Gal 6.9)
14. You're victorious! (1 Jn 5.4; Jn 16.33; 1 Cor 15.55-57)

Doubting God’s Word can bring deception and lies to distort our thinking.  Circumstances, opinions of others, comparing ourselves to others, and our fears can chain our identity to these insecurities. This feeds into unwise choices or NO choices. But when we tie our identities to God’s truth it can and will lift us out of our insecurities. We must let our identity in Christ be the driving force in every choice we make.

2Co 5:16  "From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

1. What part of your identity changed the most when you became a Christian? 

2. What holds you back from wholeheartedly believing God's truths? What specific strongholds do we face which causes us to say, “I am a child of God, BUT…”How does this affect your choices? 

3. What kind of un-crucified thoughts and attitudes ruled your life before you became a Christian and how did they affect you?

Rom 12:2; Mt 16:25; Phl 2:5-8

According to Philippians 2:5-11, your new identity will be shaped in humility.

Life is tough.  Adulting is even harder.  The nice thing is you don't have to do it alone!  I want to welcome you to Collective - A group for life.  This isn't just another Bible study group.  You're not going to be preached at or talked to.  Here, you control the conversation.  You determine the outcomes.  We're meeting to discuss... things... life... experiences... trials... to share how we have learned, as individuals, to handle what life throws at us and to, together, find the Biblical truths that will help us navigate these sometimes turbulent and troubled waters.  Grab a seat and get ready to... relax and enjoy a time of fellowship and learning where we can grow from our collective experiences.

There will be six main topics that will be discussed when we get together.  We'll break it up over a couple of weeks for each topic during a quarter.  

Come prepared to share what these topics mean to you and let's grow collectively!

1. Our Identity in Christ
2. Life Leadership
3. Purposeful Living
4. Stability in Our Walk
5. Faith and Family
6. Divine Direction

Each week, on Tuesday evenings, we'll meet up at Pastor Todd's house.  There will be no hard and fast time, other than we'll be there starting at 6pm.  If you can't get there right at 6, no problem.  We'll catch you up to speed on what we're talking about when you get there.  If you can't stay the whole time, that's fine, too.  We all have responsibilities and obligations (part of "doing life") such as work the next morning or kids to get to bed.  The point is to fellowship and grow.  Life makes enough stringent demands of our schedules.  There may even be times you can't make it.  We understand.  We will always be continuing the discussion online and encourage you to join us there when you can't fellowship in person.  This is one place where you get there when you can and leave when you need to.  We'll be there for you!