12. Release the People God Has Already Given You
Who Are You Preventing From Leading? · Part 12
What if the greatest obstacle to multiplication is not a lack of willing people, but leaders who will not release them?
Paul explains that Christ gave leaders to the church:
“For the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ.”
Ephesians 4:12 WEB
It is to prepare God’s people to do the ministry.
Yet we often build churches around a few gifted people while everyone else watches.
We preach.
We teach.
We lead.
We make the decisions.
And then we wonder why the people around us never become disciple-makers.
Perhaps they have never been trusted with anything meaningful.
Multiplying leaders recognize potential before it is fully developed. They demonstrate the work, help others practice it, and gradually step aside so others can lead.
They understand that people will make mistakes.
But they also understand that people cannot mature while sitting in the audience.
A controlling leader asks:
“How many people follow me?”
A multiplying leader asks:
“How many people have I equipped, trusted, and released?”
Jesus did not keep His disciples permanently dependent upon His physical presence. He trained them, gave them authority, sent them out, received them back, corrected them, and sent them again.
That is how ordinary people became leaders.
That is how disciples became disciple-makers.
That is how the gospel moved beyond one location.
Look at the people God has already placed around you.
Who could begin leading a Discovery Bible Study?
Who could disciple a new believer?
Who could share their testimony?
Who could pray for the sick, serve a neighbor, or gather people in their community?
They may not appear completely ready.
Neither were the first disciples.
Equip them.
Practice with them.
Encourage them.
Trust them.
Then release them.
Your greatest leadership legacy may not be what you personally accomplished.
It may be what God accomplished through the people you believed in.
Final challenge: Who around you is ready to be equipped, but is still waiting for you to believe that God can use them?
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