Video Transcript: Lesson 8 Section 1

In the Bible, Jesus called 12 disciples and commissioned them to build the church after he  ascended into heaven. But what were Jesus' disciples really like? As we read Scripture, we  tend to think of them as men of great influence. Surely Jesus chose them because of their  merit, and following him develop them into spiritually mature leaders. But this may not be the 

case. These 12 were not the best and brightest of society. As young men, they probably failed out of tabernacle school. Some follow Jesus for less than spiritual reasons, perhaps to  accomplish a political agenda by aligning themselves with someone powerful. Others may  have responded to Jesus call for emotional reasons. We read in the Bible more than one  occasion when Jesus rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith. And in the end, it was one of  these men who betrayed Jesus to his death. If you were starting a church and these 12 young  men were available to help, you would probably not placed them in key leadership positions.  But Jesus did, and he empowered them to do more than they could have imagined. Jesus  modeled several important leadership lessons as he developed the 12 apostles into church  leaders. This lesson will equip you to put these principles into practice with the teenagers who are part of your youth ministry. We will explore how youth can serve alongside adult mentors  using their unique gifts and abilities. We will also examine the role of Scripture and prayer  play in the spiritual formation of teens in the servant hearted leaders. Remember, the words  we use matter. Jesus led differently from how people expected him to. He didn't aspire for  power, but instead made himself a servant who washed the feet of His own disciples. teens  may be drawn to leadership positions because it's an opportunity to be in charge. To help  avoid that, it can be a good idea to use the terms ministry team or serving team instead of  leadership team. Emphasize to your youth that leadership is a calling to serve others as Jesus  did. Servant Leadership is not something youth will see modeled in the world around them,  humbling yourself to meet the needs of others is seen as the opposite of powerful but as  Jesus demonstrated, it is the greatest way to lead and influence others. It is important that  you model servant leadership in your own life. The students will look to you to set the  example in your actions even more than in your words. empower students to lead and serve  with humility for their the next generation of leaders in your church, community and world