God has Called You to Lead – Your Personal Discipleshift
God has Called You to Lead
Together Church | Pastor Brandon Werner
August 31, 2025 | Series: Your Personal DiscipleShift
INTRODUCTION
As we get started today, I want to recap a specific part of last week’s message to make a point…
Last week, as part of this series on making a personal DiscipleShift, we looked at the kind of relationship you need in your life to grow as a disciple of Jesus.
We said that every disciple of Jesus needs to identify an intentional leader who is setting the right example and become an intentional follower of that intentional leader.
To illustrate this truth, we unpacked the story of two biblical prophets: Elijah and Elisha.
Elijah was the intentional leader, and Elisha was the intentional follower. We learned some excellent lessons about becoming intentional followers from Elisha’s example.
Are you with me?
Remember that powerful moment when Elijah’s mantle was passed on to Elisha? Ah, if you missed it, go hear the story. Elisha stooped down, picked up Elijah’s mantle, and struck the waters of the Jordan river. When he did, God parted that river and he walked across on dry ground.
That was the moment. A shift occurred in Elisha’s life. Elisha had been the intentional follower; now, it was time for him to become the intentional leader to others.
About 50 other student prophets saw Elisha strike the water. When they saw what happened, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests upon Elisha!”
Here’s the lesson we learned from that illustration…
Becoming an intentional follower of the right examples is God’s doorway for you to become an intentional leader to others.
Okay, that’s the recap; now, what’s the point?
I realized something important this last week. I realized not everyone had the same feelings about that statement!
Some of you got excited.
You want to grow as an intentional leader. When you heard that becoming an intentional follower of the right example is God’s doorway for you to become an intentional leader, it excited you because you saw yourself as someone called to lead!
But I realized this week that was only some of you.
There’s a whole group in here who had an entirely different feeling about that statement. What I learned is that some of you, maybe a lot of you, heard that statement and thought something like…
“Welp, that’s not me! I’m not called to be a leader.”
So, today, the title of this message is “God has Called You to Lead.”
I’m not just talking to some of you; I’m talking to every single person who is a believer and a follower of Jesus Christ. If you’ve been saved, you’ve been called to lead. Today, there’s only one goal for this message – that you would identify and embrace God’s call on your life to become the intentional leader He wants you to be.
Now, don’t hang up on me before we even start this message. Before you stop listening because you disagree, let me agree with you…
I know that God is not calling all of you into a leadership POSITION in His Church:
- God is calling some of you to be a pastor, but not all of you.
- He’s calling some of you to be a deacon, but not all of you.
- He’s calling some of you to be a teacher, but not all of you.
- He’s calling some of you to lead a ministry area and administrate, but not all of you.
- He’s calling some of you to be a small group leader (probably more of you than feel like it in this moment), but not all of you.
We are so thankful for those who have heard and accepted God’s call to lead in His Church! We recognize and celebrate those leaders!
But I know that God is not calling every disciple of Jesus to accept and serve in an official leadership position in His Church.
That’s true.
But I’ll say this again…
If you are a follower of Jesus, God has called you to lead.
You say, “Pastor, how so? If I’m not called to a position of leadership in the church, why do you say God has called me to lead?”
Because I know that God has called you to be a disciple of Jesus who makes more disciples of Jesus; and to make a disciple of Jesus means being an intentional leader to at least one person at a time.
If we don’t get this straight biblically,
Your Personal DiscipleShift just hit a dead end.
For you to continue Your Personal DiscipleShift, you must believe that EVERY disciple of Jesus is called by God to go make more disciples of Jesus; and you must see that calling as a call to PERSONALLY become an intentional leader to at least one other person at a time.
BODY
To illustrate this, let’s look at a famous PERSONAL discipleship relationship between two people in the Bible: Paul and Timothy.
The Apostle Paul is one of the most famous intentional leaders in the Bible. We know Paul held leadership positions in the church. He was at least an apostle, elder, teacher, preacher, church planter, apologist, and missionary.
But Paul’s leadership wasn’t limited to just his positions of leadership in the church…
Paul understood that Jesus has called every one of His followers to be an intentional leader to others, at least one person at a time. So, amidst all his responsibilities in his leadership positions in the church, Paul devoted Himself to being disciple-maker and intentional leader who PERSONALLY and RELATIONALLY invested in the lives of others…
Look at this list of names on the screen. There are 11 of them. Each has one reference by their name, but in most cases, there are several more scripture references we could list.
- Timothy (1 Tim 1:2)
- Titus (Titus 1:4-5)
- Silas (Acts 15:40)
- John Mark (2 Tim 4:11)
- Luke (Col 4:14; wrote Acts)
- Apollos (1 Cor 3:6)
- Epaphroditus (Phil 2:25)
- Onesimus (Phil 1:10-11)
- Epaphras (Col 4:12)
- Demas (2 Tim 4:10)
- Priscilla & Aquila (Acts 18:1-3)
Who are these people? These are all INDIVIDUALS mentioned in scripture that Paul PERSONALLY invested in as an intentional leader!
I went conservative on this list, y’all.
This list doesn’t include MANY other names of house church leaders and other helpers in ministry associated with Paul in the Bible (117). These are just the ones who appeared to have a close, personal relationship with Paul – where Paul was discipling them and acting as an intentional spiritual leader in their life… like Elijah did with Elisha.
There’re eleven relationships here. Let’s look closer at just ONE of these relationships – the most famous one on the list – Paul’s relationship with Timothy. What lessons can we learn about being a disciple-maker and intentional spiritual leader to at least one person at a time from their relationship? Here’s the story…
Interestingly enough, Paul wasn’t the first intentional spiritual leader in Timothy’s life; the first spiritual leaders in Timothy’s life were his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois…
2 Timothy 1:5
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
We get another insight in…
2 Timothy 3:14-15
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
From his childhood, Timothy’s mother and grandmother were intentional spiritual leaders in Timothy’s life.
As far as we know, Eunice and Lois didn’t hold any particular positions of leadership in the church. That’s not what this was about. They saw themselves as intentional spiritual leaders called by God to invest in their child and grandchild.
So, that’s where Timothy’s story starts. Where does Paul come in?
From scripture, we know that Timothy caught Paul’s attention while Paul was on one of his missionary journeys. Paul recruited Timothy to leave his mother and grandmother to become an intentional follower and to help him in his ministry. We see that piece of their story in…
Acts 16:1-3
1 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
So, Timothy caught Paul’s attention. As an intentional leader, Paul recruited Timothy to be an intentional follower and accompany him.
From that moment on, Paul watched over Timothy’s soul. He became a spiritual parent to Timothy. He took special interest in Timothy’s life, spiritual growth, and training. He and Timothy lived together, traveled together, shared life together, and did ministry together. Timothy was a true child in the faith to Paul; he was an intentional follower who faithfully served with Paul in ministry. Here’s just a couple snapshots of this from scripture…
1 Timothy 1:1-2a
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith
Paul called Timothy a “true child in the faith”. There’s even more in…
Philippians 2:19-22
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. 20 For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. 23 I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, 24 and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.
This second passage doesn’t just express the close personal relationship that Paul and Timothy shared – a relationship like that between a father and son. But that’s not all… this passage also shows a DiscipleShift happening in Timothy’s life!
Timothy was walking through God’s doorway. He was an intentional follower who was becoming an intentional leader as he identified and followed the right examples!
Eventually, Paul was confidently sending Timothy out to many different places on various assignments to provide intentional leadership in the local church. Timothy was tasked with checking on churches, reporting back to Paul and others on the condition of churches, encouraging churches, addressing problems in churches, and even establishing elders in various places to lead the church.
Timothy started as a young man who had intentional leaders in the home; then, he was recruited by Paul, an intentional leader, who was a spiritual parent to Timothy and helped him grow as a disciple of Jesus.
Ultimately, through personal discipleship, Timothy walked through God’s doorway and became an intentional spiritual leader to others.
Now, God’s calling to a leadership POSITION in the church was also on Timothy’s life. We know he was an elder, evangelist, and church planter in the church. But was Paul’s vision for Timothy’s leadership limited to just official leadership positions in the church?
Absolutely not.
One of the most famous discipleship verses in the Bible was written by Paul to Timothy. In this verse, we see Paul’s intention for Timothy. Paul didn’t just want Timothy to become a leader in the church; Paul’s vision for Timothy was the same as Jesus’ vision for Timothy!
Paul wanted Timothy to become an intentional spiritual leader to others personally, just like Paul had been to Timothy! And he wanted him to help others become an intentional spiritual leader so they could do the same with others also…
2 Timothy 2:2
1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
There are four generations of discipleship represented in this one verse! There’s Paul to Timothy, Timothy to those he will disciple, and then there’re those people to the ones they will disciple!
Paul knew Jesus had called every disciple to become an intentional leader who would make disciples of Jesus at least one person at a time.
CONCLUSION
That’s the highlight story of Paul and Timothy’s famous discipleship relationship. What insights can we gain from their story?
First, Paul wasn’t the first intentional leader in Timothy’s life – it was his mother and grandmother!
Come back to the main idea… the aim of this message is to help every disciple of Jesus understand that God has called you to lead because He has called you to make disciples; and making disciples means being an intentional leader to at least one person at a time.
Christian husbands, fathers, and mothers – do you understand that your first responsibility to be an intentional spiritual leader starts in your home?
According to Ephesians 5 and 6, God has called husbands to be intentional spiritual leaders of their wives, and for fathers and mothers to be intentional spiritual leaders of their children.
Eunice and Lois were the first intentional spiritual leaders in Timothy’s life! They didn’t just raise him physically; they raised him spiritually!
Scripture isn’t clear why his father wasn’t part of that legacy of faith. Maybe he was dead. Maybe he had abandoned them. Maybe he wasn’t a believer. Whatever the reason, he either wasn’t able or wasn’t willing to do his part to be an intentional leader in Timothy’s life.
The crisis in the family in our country is a spiritual leadership crisis. For whatever the reason, far too many husbands, fathers, and mothers are not being the intentional spiritual leaders God has called them to be.
God has called EVERY follower of Jesus to make disciples; and making disciples means being an intentional spiritual leader to at least one other person at a time. And if you are a husband, father, or mother, that call to lead starts with the members of your own household.
The second lesson from Paul and Timothy is that God’s call on your life to lead is bigger than just your own household!
Timothy wasn’t Paul’s biological son, but Paul was a spiritual father to Timothy. Timothy wasn’t the only one – we saw eleven names explicitly identified in scripture!
God has called you to be an intentional leader in your home, but that call extends beyond the four walls of your house.
Rachael and I have learned this firsthand.
First, the call to be a spiritual parent and disciple others who are not your biological children isn’t hard to see in our home – three of our six children were not born to us!
It doesn’t matter to us how God brought us these children – we believe He has called us to be intentional spiritual leaders who raise them up to follow Jesus and to be able to be intentional spiritual leaders to others.
But we’ve learned an important lesson about how to do this –
Our children need to watch us minister to and disciple others in order to learn and catch this vision in their own lives.
ILLUSTRATION:
Friday Night, Family Night | Monday Night, Ministry Night
This is just one practical way we are living out the mission of Jesus and setting an example for our children to follow. To be an intentional leader to our children, we must embrace that God’s mission is bigger than just our family, and we must set the right example for our kids.
That brings us to the third lesson…
Being an intentional leader begins with your example.
In 2 Timothy 3, Paul affectionately recalls how Timothy had followed his teaching, his conduct, his aim in life, his faith, his patience, his love, his steadfastness, and his persecutions and sufferings.
Paul’s remembering gives us an important glimpse into the nature of their relationship… Paul was an intentional leader who first led Timothy by his example.
Too many husbands, fathers, mothers, and disciple-makers confuse the essence of real Christian leadership. Before it is anything else, being an intentional leader is about setting the right example for others to follow.
Jesus is the master disciple-maker. There’s never been an intentional leader greater than Him! Everything Jesus taught, everything He wanted us to do, can be seen in His example.
Perhaps the clearest example of this is found in…
John 15:12-13
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Jesus spoke these words just moments before He went to the cross to show us His love and die for our sins.
Jesus’ leadership began with His example. Paul’s leadership of Timothy began with his example.
Paul and Timothy’s discipleship relationship shows us that intentional leadership begins with being and setting the right example for others to follow. This is true in the home and outside the home.
Finally, the last lesson we’ll consider is Paul’s expectation that Timothy would become an intentional leader and disciple others.
When Paul first recruited Timothy, he had a solid foundation of faith from his mother and grandmother, but he still had a lot of growing and maturing to do.
Like we saw in Elisha last week, Timothy was willing to drop everything to become an intentional follower to Paul.
As an intentional leader, Paul invested much in Timothy. Eventually, Timothy recognized God was calling him to a position of leadership in the church!
But was a position of church leadership Paul’s highest aspirations for him? Absolutely not. We saw 2 Timothy 2:2 – four generations of discipleship in one verse!
Paul’s great hope for Timothy was that he would continue to be the kind of intentional leader to others that Paul had been to him.
This is true of Jesus’ relationship with His disciples. When He commissioned them to go make disciples, He was commissioning them to go and do for others what He had done for them.
This is the main idea of this message, and this is God’s plan for every disciple of Jesus…
YOU ARE CALLED TO BE AN INTENTIONAL LEADER!
God has called you to make disciples of Jesus; and to make disciples of Jesus means being an intentional leader to others… at least one person at a time.
INVITATION
The invitation is very simple today. Can you see God’s call on your life to be an intentional leader? Your Personal DiscipleShift hits a dead end unless you embrace this truth:
“God has called me to make disciples; and making disciples means being an intentional spiritual leader to at least one person at a time.”
I want to give a simple response to this sermon…
BOW IN PRAYER
Right now, will you embrace this truth: God has called you to lead.
- He’s called you to make disciples, which is a call to lead.
- If you are a husband, father, or mother, he’s called you to be an intentional spiritual leader in your family, which is a call to lead.
Whether He is calling you to lead in a leadership position in the church or not, God is calling you to lead.
Will you embrace that truth? If you will, raise your hand.
Now, your next step is last week’s lesson. If you have not already done so, Your Personal DiscipleShift continues as you become an intentional follower to someone who is an intentional leader and the right example.
Being an intentional follower of the right example is God’s doorway to you becoming the intentional leader He wants you to be.
PRAY
Where do you do that?
Small group! Join a group.
MESSENGERS’ CREED