I Chronicles 4: 9-10 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bore him in pain.  And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.  So God granted him what he rquested.

In this prayer that Jabez prayed he requested 5 things.  1.  He requested for God to bless him.  2.  He requested that God would enlarge his territory.  3.  He requested that God’s hand would be upon him.  4.  He requested that God would keep him from evil.  5.  He also requested that God would keep him from grief. 

This was in reality a prayer of enlargement.  How many believe in the prayer of enlargement.  He was asking God to make him a leader.  He wanted all limitations and boundaries to be removed.

Jabez’s name means sorrowful!  All of his life he was labeled as someone who was sorrowful.  He was labeled as someone who was limited.  He was labeled as someone who caused pain or who had experienced pain.  But right here in I Chronicles chapter # 4 for no specific reason we find this prayer of enlargement from Jabez because he did not want to live his life limited.  You have to want to be enlarged!

God wants to place within each of us the capacity to do more than what we are doing.  I believe that the church is called to reproduce leaders.  We need to understand that leaders are born, but they are also trained and developed.  Part of the churches job is to train and develop kingdom minded leaders.  

Enlargement demands leadership.  Whenever you increase you must learn to lead.  You have to lead in your house, on your job, in your business, as an usher, as a worship leader, as a greeter, as an interest group leader, etc……Enlargement demands leadership.

The mentality of the church is usually to sit outside of leadership and complain about the world.  God has not called us to sit outside of leadership and complain, but he has called us to be kingdom leaders so that we can change the culture around us.  We cannot allow the culture to define who we are.  The church is not simply a sub-culture, but we are a counter-culture.  We cannot relegate leadership to republicans and democrats.  We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  We are the city that is set on a hill that cannot be hid.

Enlargement demands leadership!  If we want to grow beyond where we are there must be an emerging of leaders within the church.  I believe when people prepare themselves to lead the favor of God comes on their life.  This is where we are.  We are preparing ourselves to lead on a higher level. 

What does it mean to be a leader in the kingdom of God?  How many of you realize that Jesus has set you free?  Freedom presents you with opportunities.  Christ has set you free!  You must be ready for these opportunities.  Serving God gives you opportunities.  Religion says if you serve God you are limited.  If you serve the devil you have options.  The devil is a liar.  

The bible says that in my father’s house there are many mansions (rooms, dwelling places).  The bible says that God has given us keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Keys unlock doors.  Keys speak of authority.  In the kingdom of God you determine how much territory you possess.  In kingdom, you determine how much you will be enlarged.  In kingdom you determine what room you live in.  In other words, when you serve God you are given options.  God, increase our capacity! 

People in poverty have fewer options than those who are living in prosperity.

People that are sick have fewer options than those who are healthy.

People that are in bondage have fewer options than those who are free.

When the Spirit of the Lord sets you free he hands you a life of options.  Abraham, look to the north, south, east, and west because this is what I am going to give to you.  Joshua, I will give you every place that the soles of your feet touch.  In other words, you determine how much I give you.  

How would you like to come to a place in God where it did not matter what direction you took?  God just simply said it is all yours anyway.  It is up to you.  Every place that the soles of your feet touch is yours. 

Before a person commits suicide they have to come to a place in their life where they believe that they have no options.  Change begins when you have options.  You lose hope when you allow the devil to convince you that all decisions have already been made.

This prayer that Jabez prayed was a prayer of enlargement.  Jabez was simply getting prepared for what God was going to do in his life.  This prayer of enlargement is not a self-centered prayer.  This prayer is for mature people who have a vision that is bigger than they are.

In the natural realm we see franchises that have a vision that is bigger than where they are.  KFC and McDonald’s both are all over the world.  They understood that if people like our chicken and our Big Mac’s here then they will like them everywhere.  They did not sit on success.  Both of these restaurants got their system down.  Someone had a global vision.  They understood that if it works at home then export it.  Home is the training ground.  In other words, lead where you are.  Do it well where you are then take it to other places! 

Leadership and Enlargement demand focus.  You cannot do anything significant yourself.  When your life is small you can do it all.  When your life is enlarged you cannot do everything.  You must become focused.  You must become specialized.  Anything that you lead whether it is a home, job, or business will feed off of your faith.  Your faith keeps whatever you are leading alive.  You cannot give your faith and energy to everything.

There are other people that can do the other things so that you can do the thing that God has called you to do.  In other words, don’t try to make all of your weaknesses strengths, but simply develop what you are good at.  God puts the mantle on you, not on the thing that you do.  No one can do what you do.  You don’t have to worry about somebody taking your spot.  They can take your recipe, but they cannot bake your cake.  The mantle is on you.  Folks can assist you, but you must wear the mantle and do what God has called you to do.  

When churches back out of leadership someone else steps in.  When churches back out the culture steps in.  In other words, we need to be focused and specialized, but we also need to be diversified.   Other people can help you do what God has put in you.

10 Characteristics of a Kingdom Leader

1.       Visionary.  Kingdom leaders are visionaries.  They are propelled by their dreams.  They see God’s desire and design.  Where there is no vision the people perish.  If all you want to do is work all week so that you can go to the buffet on Sunday then you have already arrived at your destiny.  Energy is wasted on you.  Intelligence is wasted on you.  You don’t need anything to do that.  People of vision see opportunities while others see reasons to fail.  If you are looking for reason to fail you will find it quickly.  You have to learn to see challenges as opportunities and not obstacles.  Some people do not want to see you blessed.  If God says you are going up, then up is where you are going and it does not matter what those around you say.  You have to decide that you will not quit at the estimation of someone else.  I will encourage myself in the Lord.  I will have a vision.

2.       Innovative.  Kingdom Leaders are always looking for a new way, a new design, and new productivity.  Kingdom Leaders are not emotionally attached to old ways of doing things.  They have to look for a new way.  They are looking for something that is not attached to yesterday.  You have to be willing to look for another way.  At least investigate and see if you are doing it the best way.  Ask the right questions.  When you ask the wrong questions it is impossible to get the right answers.  Entire civilizations change when the right questions are asked.  Back in the old days they used to ask how we get to the water.  We have followed the water and are near water.  Later on the question changed to from how we get to the water to how we get the water to us.  They began to build irrigation systems.  All because one question changed.  Quit asking why me and how come and start asking if they can do it then why can’t I?  Why can’t it happen here?  What do they know that I don’t know?

3.       Integrity.  Kingdom Leaders are people of integrity.  Doing what is right even when no one is looking.  The price tag of commitment will always be challenged.  Your yes has to be yes and your no has to be no.  You cannot prosper and be a kingdom leader with a lack of integrity.  We need to do what we say we will do even if it hurts.  If you said it you need to do it.  Kingdom Leaders live their lives by principle not emotion. 

4.       Optimistic.  See the bright side!  Believe.  Start looking at the reasons why things are possible.  Even if you don’t know how it is possible don’t say that it isn’t because you don’t know.  Do not say that there is no way, but say there is a way, but I’m not sure how God is going to do it.  You don’t know, but there is a way.  For every lock there is a key.  For every giant there is a David.  Start changing your mind.  Refuse to die where you are and see beyond.

5.       Sacrifice.  Kingdom Leaders understand that in order to be successful there will be sacrifice.  It is easy to set and look at someone who is already successful and criticize them.  We criticize others who are successful because it makes us feel better about our own failures.  College Degree.  You weren’t there.  How dare you?  Business Owner.  You weren’t there.  How dare you?  You don’t know what it took to get there.  Kingdom minded people realize that I must give up in order too go up.

6.       Never Give Up.  If you don’t quit you cannot lose.  If you are not winning right now it is not over.  God always plays to until He wins.  If you are not winning it is only half-time.  Man’s life is defined by what he does with discouragement.  You cannot let every little thing cause you to quit.  What separates leaders and achievers from those you are barely holding on is what you do with discouragement.  Sometimes you share your dream with others and they are not as happy as you would like them to be.  Just tell them to come back in a few years when the dream is a reality.  The bible says that a righteous man falls seven times, but gets back up again.

7.       Develop Ability.  Kingdom leaders understand that they must be able to do something.  In other words, you must bring some skills.  Ability is interesting.  Ability is different than giftedness.  A lot of people are gifted, but not able.  Difference between leadership and success is the difference between ability and success. 

The church is one of the few places in the world where people don’t have to be able in order to be in leadership.  That is the way it has been.  It is not true.  The world knows what kind of image it wants to portray.  These car shows normally have beautiful women standing by those cars.  They want you to look in that direction.  They understand what kind of image to portray.  Colgate commercials don’t use someone who only has 2 teeth left, but they use someone who has beautiful teeth.  They don’t use big people when advertising work out equipment.  They use people that look like they don’t need the equipment.  If they used big people you would say it isn’t working for them. 

The church is only place where you don’t have to have certain abilities.  This has been true in the past.  You have to be able.  Your ability can be developed.  You may be gifted, but you must also be able.  There are people who are awesome, but not able.  There are people who are awesome, but broke.  There are people who are awesome, but living under a bridge.  They are gifted, but they are not able.

The local legend that plays everyday on some playground.  Everybody knows that he is awesome and could have been another Michael Jordan, but after the game he gets a 12 pack of beer and gets wasted.  Everybody talks about how awesome he is, but you can’t tell him anything.  He’s in and out of jail.  He’s gifted, but not able. 

Major League Baseball = If you make it as a pitcher in the big leagues you represent less than 1% of those trying to make the big leagues.  It means that you struck everybody out since you were seven years old.  Once you make it to the majors you sign a multi-million dollar contract and the first person you are introduced to is a pitching coach.  They immediately take you to the film room to dissect your game.  They show you everything that you are doing wrong and the things that you need to improve on.  Some people cannot take instruction.  They are gifted, but they are not able. 

Some people are gifted, but have a difficult time functioning in a church structure.  They cannot submit their gift in order to have their ability developed.

8.       Relationships with other People.  Kingdom Leaders must learn to prioritize relationships.  Good things flow through relationships.  You cannot be a leader if everybody dis-likes you.  You cannot get through life without making enemies so stop trying.  You cannot get through life without making friends so start trying.  This does not happen by itself.  You must prioritize relationships.  All relationships are not equal.  Quit acting like everybody is on the same level relationally.  Quit asking people questions just because you bumped into them.  Wait until you find someone who can really answer your question.

9.       God Factor.  Kingdom Leaders prioritize God.  They put God first.  If God be for me then who can be against me.  With God all things are possible.  If God is on my side then it does not matter what people say.  There comes a time in your walk with God that you must believe him for the impossible.  We have to rely on the God Factor with where we are going.  What we are doing is going to take the God Factor. 

10.     Attitude.  Kingdom Leaders understand that attitude is everything.  It is a disposition, opinion, and a mentality.  You will never be happy if your attitude does not find expression.  The reason there are people who serve God, but they are unhappy is because they never change their disposition, their opinion, and their mentality.  It is possible to change your attitude which is your disposition, your opinion, and your mentality.  You can change.  You don’t have to be critical and judgmental all the days of your life. 

It is hard to be happy when you refuse to change.  Some people develop their attitude by the age of 18 and they never change.  If you are a leader you don’t have the luxury of being small minded and only having influence over 4 people (all related to you).  You have got to see world beyond your zip code. Your attitude tells me where you are going.  They want to see people blessed and going up and doing what God has called them to do.