Empowering Young Leaders

 Go to the people
Learn from them
Love them
Start with what they know
Build on what they have
But of the best leaders
When their task is accomplished
Their work is done
The people will remark:
"We have done it ourselves."
-Ancient Chinese Poem

This poem characterizes alot of what we are doing and are hoping to do on the Westside, empowering young leaders. Sharing the gospel and making disciples is of the utmost importance to us and as we walk alongside the guys you see above, and many others, we want to be developing them, empowering them, to live a life worthy of the gospel (Phil 1:27). 

The three years of Jesus' ministry are filled with him training, preparing, and empowering his disciples from its beginnings in Galilee to the triumphant end in Jerusalem. At the Sea of Galilee he empowers Peter by leading him to the catch of a lifetime, one that would promise prosperity and security he had probably never known. But with the nets still full of fish, Jesus calls Peter to follow him and "I will make you a fisher of people." In other words he will empower Peter to do much greater that what was just witnessed. Peter left everything and followed. 

Later on in Peter's growth, Jesus and his disciples return to the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus sends Peter and the rest of the group out to the Sea while he remains back to pray. While they are gone a storm begins to move in and quickly the Sea becomes choppy and chaotic. Jesus seeing their struggle walks out to them from the shore. Showcasing his power and glory he comes to them walking on water and they are both amazed and frightened. Peter seems to be more  bold than the rest and calls out to Jesus, "let me come out to you!" Here, yet again, we see that Jesus is not about gaining power but giving power. It would be reasonable for Jesus to rightfully say, "No Peter, I am God and you are man. I walk on water not you." However, Jesus calls Peter out of the boat and empowers him to do just as he himself can do. Jesus in is in the business of empowering.

After Jesus' death on the cross, his mission and the cause Peter and the disciples had gave their lives to is at a crucial point in its history. Will the movement be short lived based around a charismatic leader or will it truly be the kingdom Jesus proclaimed? While in no way absent from the process, Jesus leaves the task of spreading his movement not just to all of Israel, but the entire world, to his disciples. Arguably the bigger job will be theirs and not his in spreading the good news to the world. But he empowers them to do it. 

Empowering is our mission as well. Power in our neighborhoods, unless it is bought or killed for, is painfully absent. Our communities are lacking hope for the future and leaders who can lead them there. The good news is both that the harvest is plentiful and we have a wonderful counselor in the Holy Spirit to guide this process. The big picture of what we have been doing is discipling young men to be the men that God has called them to be and be leaders in our broken communities. In the snapshot above you can see just one small practical step in the right direction. Taking our guys to a college football game to expand their imaginations and show them that their futures are much bigger and hopeful than they might imagine.