FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
Our Example of Servant-Leadership is Jesus
How many in the world are out there making money hand-n-fist on the books they’ve written, or speeches they given, on leadership? Truth be told, we all want to be leaders in some form or fashion, and we seek as much information as we can to achieve those goals. Yet, right before our very eyes is the only definition of servant leadership we need, from Jesus Himself: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20: 26- 28).
Indeed, the most important truth we all need to embrace as Christian men (and women) is that all leadership should be servant leadership.
Of course, a common misconception among many who want to exercise a leadership role over others is that it comes with glory, power, and positions of honor – we’ve all met those guys and gals, right? In fact, such a mistaken belief was the primary reason for Jesus’ words about servant leadership in the first place. James and John had just asked Jesus to place them at His side when He assumed His throne in the kingdom to come. The other disciples became indignant at the arrogance of their request (Mark 10:41). And, as an object lesson, Jesus modeled the true servant style of leadership; He, the Lord incarnate, bent down, and washed their feet, teaching them the true measure of leading by first serving others (John 13: 12-17).
A sad commentary in the church today is that we have many celebrities but very few servants. There are many who want to “exercise authority” (Matthew 20:25), but few who want to take the towel and basin and wash feet. Paul reminds us that our attitude is to be like Christ’s in that we consider others better than ourselves and do nothing out of vanity or selfishness – that we look out for the interests of others (Philippians 2: 3-4). In this sense, then, every Christian is a servant.
As Pastor Pete shared with us at Forge, the focal point of servant leadership within the church – and our families – is to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (Ephesians 4:12). This means, with Christ being the head of the church, the entire church body is served in the act of providing leadership. It’s not just the church leaders who become acutely aware of their place at the foot of the cross but all those within the body of Christ – you and I! We all mutually submit ourselves to Jesus just as He was in submission to the Father. From a biblical perspective, servant leadership frees the church (and family) of the abuse of power and coercion and promotes mutual respect and love for one another.
As we concluded at our table-talk at Forge, a servant leader seeks to invest himself in the lives of “his” people so that the church community is challenged to grow to be more like Christ. This is demonstrated in the leader’s willingness to give of himself to meet the
needs, but not necessarily the wants, of those around him. Like a good parent, the true servant leader knows the difference between spiritual needs and selfish wants and desires.
Bottom line, the application of servant leadership is not to emulate the examples of the world, but rather, Jesus, who came as a servant. Our mission should be to serve one another, and to give of ourselves. Christ came to give His life. We are to give of our lives not only in service to Him but to our fellow man, including those in the church and outside it.
Blessings,
Joe Bouch
FORGE WINTER SPRINGS
