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12th April 2010 by Claire Hill

Want to be one of those leaders who has a powerful impact? Want a healthy ministry? Want to be the best leader you can possibly be? 

There are a heap of things that will help you develop as a leader. You can attend conferences, read books, get a mentor and volunteer for opportunities that will stretch you, but in John 15:1-10 we discover some non-negotiables. I get the impression that there's not a lot of use in us doing all this other stuff if we don't do these three, central things.

1. Stay deeply connected to Jesus

Jesus commands us to 'remain in him' like branches remain in a vine. If we want to be a Christian leader who sees fruit in our ministry, we need to be intimately, deeply connected to Jesus and we need to minister out of that. Verse 4 says plainly: "no branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine".

Don't try to do anything without him. Plug in to him every day like you plug your TV into a power point.

How's your relationship with Jesus?

2. Nurture healthy connections with other Christians

The picture in John 15 isn't of one single branch attached to the vine. That wouldn't be a healthy vine! The picture is of a complete vine – one with heaps of branches. See verse 5: "you are the branches".

God wants us to be plugged into the body of believers in a rich and healthy way. Do you have strong relationships with other disciples? Are they deep relationships where mutual encouragement and sharpening takes place? Are there some relationships you have that are actually really unhealthy?

How are your relationships with other Christians?

3. Submit yourself to regular pruning

Even the branches that are successfully bearing fruit need to be regularly pruned if they want to stay healthy. If we want to be healthy leaders, we need to be prepared for regular pruning!

What is the stuff that might need to be pruned for you today? A bad attitude? Your ego? A secret sin? An inappropriate relationship? An unhelpful pastime? A bitter tongue? An unforgiving heart?

On a regular basis we as leaders need to go through the process of firstly asking God what parts of our lives need work, and secondly, allowing him to deal with them.

Are you up for regular pruning?

The three prongs

Whether we're a rookie Christian leader, or a veteran one, there are three very clear priorities for us here:

1. Stay close to Jesus;
2. Make sure you have healthy relationships with other Christians;
3. Regularly come before God in humility and ask him to prune away the stuff that's not of him.

By Claire Hill

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1. 

   Stephen Buchanan

   April 13, 2010 at 11:06am

   Thanks Claire. Love this passage - has been one of the most significant passages in regards to understanding my ongoing relationship with God. Hope it inspires others to hook in to Jesus and to stay vitally connected:)

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