3. Unity.

4. Prayer.

5. Leadership.

Notice that Peter willingly stepped forth. He did not step forth by constraint nor out of fear. Compare what he later said to the leaders of the church: " The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 1 Peter 5:1-3.

Essentials For Choosing Church Leaders Pt. 1 Acts 1:12-26

The life, power and glory of the church is prayer. The lift of its members is dependent on prayer and the presence of God is secured and retained by prayer. The very place is made sacred by its ministry. Without it, the church is lifeless and powerless. E.M. Bounds Verse 13 says that when they got back to Jerusalem they headed for an upper room. (Gk: huperoon) Many Bible scholars believe that this might have been the place where they ate the Last Supper with Jesus, but Luke uses a different word (Gk: anagaion) indicating that this might well have been the home of John Mark where the disciples were in Acts 12:12.

6. Agreement.

In verses 12-26 we find the apostles doing three main things: waiting, paying and selecting a new apostle.

What does Peter tell us about Judas? (Verses 16-20) 1. Hed betrayed Jesus. 2. Hed been numbered and called by Jesus.

Why did they need to select a new leader?

3. Hed given his heart to greed and sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. 4. He died a terrible, tragic death.

The church had an empty office because one of its leaders Judas had died a tragic death.

5. He died without Christ.

What is the process for choosing church leaders?

And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, 16 "Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry." 18 (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. 19 And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 "For it is written in the book of Psalms: 'Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it'; and, 'Let another take his office.' Acts 1:15-20 1. Obedience. 2. Followship. What is the difference between being ministry-minded and social minding? Being ministry-minded means reaching out to help people both socially and spiritually, leading people to an evangelistic encounter, to a personal relationship with Christ as well as meeting their physical and social needs. Being social-minded means reaching out to help people with little if any attention given to evangelism. A social gospel seldom stresses the need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.