INTRODUCTION

  • Educational systems, businesses, and other organizations have begun to embrace the concept of servant leadership. There are courses of study on the topic, and whole Centers for Servant Leadership have emerged.
  • Servant leadership is different than the world’s model. In Luke 16: 15, Jesus said of the Pharisees, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.”

I.WHAT IS A SERVANT LEADER?

  • Servant leadership is an attitude of the heart. It is leading in order to serve God and other people.
  • A servant leader is one who is both a servant AND a leader.
  • The NT frequently uses the Greek word for servant “doulos.” Doulos signifies bondage, but most commonly applies to a servant who has willingly bonded himself to a master, by some legal obligation. The OT background for this is found in Deut. 15:1-23, in which a slave could decide to stay with his master, when it was his time to be released as a “bond-slave.” A doulos slave had no rights or privileges, no wants or desires, only the commands of the master. The Jews did not want to be slaves to anyone. They rejected Jesus’ picture of leadership because it was not what they wanted.
  • Mark 10: 35-45, James and John ask to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand in glory. Jesus says that instead of the person being prepared for a position in the organization, the position is being prepared and conformed for the person and his specific gifts.
  • Richard Foster distinguishes between serving and being a servant. He says, “When we choose to serve, we are still in charge. We decide whom we will serve and when we will serve. And if we are in charge, we will worry a great deal about anyone stepping on us, that is, taking charge over us. But when we choose to be a servant, we give up the right to be in charge. There is great freedom in this. If we voluntarily choose to be taken advantage of, then we cannot be manipulated. When we choose to be a servant, we surrender the right to decide who and when we will serve. We become available and vulnerable.”

II.BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP

A. Daniel
Daniel and his friends were given the opportunity to overcome the circumstances of being held captive in a foreign land. But he trusted that that his service to God was more important than his service to an earthly king- even if his chance to advance was jeopardized. He refused to accept the king’s food, in favor of foods chosen by God. His trust in God gave him confidence to take a risk.
  • Daniel was committed to pray even when it was banned.

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B.David
  • Ps. 78:70-72, “He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”
C.Jesus Christ

1. He was a servant

  • Phil. 2:6-7, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
  • Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
  • In John 13, Jesus takes the place of a slave and washes the disciples feet.

2. He was strong

  • Jesus served, but also demonstrated that He could be strong and firm when the situation warranted.
  • Matt 21:12, “Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.”

3. He was a shepherd

  • John 10 describes Jesus as the Good Shepherd
  • John 21:15-18, Jesus asks/tells Peter if he loves Him, he must feed and take care of His sheep.
D.Paul
  • Phil 1:1, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus…”
  • Paul was a servant of Christ; his work and service were motivated out of his love for Jesus.
E.Other Examples in the New Testament

1.Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with expensive perfume and her hair.

  • She demonstrated leadership by serving Christ and showing what true worship is.
  • John 12:1-8; Luke 14: 1- 9, (v.9) “I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

2.Onesiphorus ministered to Paul

  • 2 Tim. 1:16, “May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.”

3.The Seven Chosen in Acts 6

  • Acts 6:2-3, “…It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to pray and ministry of the word.”
  • One of those chosen was Stephen, a man who (v. 8) “full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous sings among the people.”He later spoke before the Sanhedrin and was stoned to death.

III.WHO IS A SERVANT LEADER?

  1. Someone who has a master
  2. Paul refers to himself as a servant of Christ in Romans, Galatians, Philippians, and Titus
  3. 1 Cor. 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, who you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
  4. Not a human master: Gal. 1: 10, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
  1. Someone who is willing to serve God, to the exclusion of other masters
  • Eph. 6:7, “Serve wholeheartedly, as serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”
  • Col. 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

C.Someone who knows who he/she is and uses his/her gifts

  • Romans 12: 3-8, (v 5 & 6), “so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing the needs of others, let him give generously if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”
  • 1 Peter 4: 10-11, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms…so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.”
  • A leader is not operating out of his/her own strength, but from the authority we have from the Word of God, and from members of the Body who recognize and confirm the spiritual gifts of that person.

D.Someone who is focused on the mission

  • The sense of mission is a passion for the servant leader. Once we understand and accept the call that God has on our lives, we give ourselves to that mission, and enlist others to join in the mission

IV.WHAT DO SERVANT LEADERS DO?

  • On Jesus’ last night with his followers, this is what he chose to do….John 13: 3-5; 13-15, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him….’You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.’ ”

Principles taken from C. Gene Wilkes, Jesus on Leadership

A.Servant leaders ______for God to exalt them

  • 1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.”
  • Matt. 18:4, “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
  • Francis of Assissi, “Blessed is the servant who esteems himself no more highly when he is praised and exalted by people than when he is considered worthless, foolish, and to be despised; since what a man is before God, that he is and nothing more.”

B.Servant leaders follow Christ rather ______

  • “Servant leaders are created not in commanding others, but in obeying their Commander” – Calvin Miller
  • James and John in Mark 10:32-40
  • Leith Anderson in A Church for the 21st Century writes, “The Bible says comparatively little about leadership and a great deal about followership. Jesus did not invite Peter, Andrew, James and John to become leaders immediately. He said, ‘Follow me.’”

C.Servant leaders ______to find greatness in service to others

  • Jesus came to show what life in the kingdom of God looks like, not to modify how the world does things.
  • Mark 10:43-44, “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be a slave of all.”
  • Jesus likens himself to a shepherd. The shepherding model revolves around RELATIONSHIP. Love, service and openness are characteristics of shepherds.
  • Richard Foster writes, “The spiritual authority of Jesus is an authority not found in a person or title, but in a towel.”
  1. Servant leaders can risk serving others because they trust that God is

in ______

  • John 13:3-5, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”
  • Joel Barker, Future Edge, uses the terms “pioneering leaders” vs. “settlers”: “What’s the difference between a pioneer and a settler? It is the settler who always is calling toward the horizon, ‘Is it safe out there now?’ The voice calling back, ‘Of course it’s safe out here!’ is the pioneer’s. That is because the pioneers take the risks, go out early, and make the new territory safe.”
  • Jesus could serve because he knew who he was, knew whose he was, and knew where he was going.

E.Servant leaders meet ______

  • Washing feet was not Jesus’ job. But his followers had dirty feet, and no one was willing to wash them. No one was willing to leave his place to meet this need. But Jesus was willing. He was not held captive by the “it’s not my job” philosophy.
  • Jesus even washed the feet of Judas, knowing that Judas had betrayed Him.
  • Abraham Joshua Heschel in A Passion for Truth, “The test of love is in how one relates, not to saints and scholars, but to rascals.”

F.Servant leaders ______with others to meet a greater need

  • “Good leaders never give their leadership away. However, they do share both the rewards and responsibilities of leadership.” – Calvin Miller
  • Matt. 28: 19-20, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

G.Servant leaders multiply their leadership by ______

  • 2 Tim. 2:2, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
  • Lynn Anderson in They Smell Like Sheep, “Good equippers do it like Jesus did it: recruit twelve, graduate eleven, and focus on three.”

V.WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO SERVANT LEADERSHIP?

A.God is exalted

  • Matt. 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

B.The Body functions as it is supposed to

  • 1 Peter 4:10-11, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms…so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.”
  • Gal. 5:13-14, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command:’Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
  • Bill Easum in Sacred Cows Make Great Burgers writes, “Imagine a human body where all the parts must ‘get permission’ before they function. Or a healthy body telling a kidney or heart to quit functioning on behalf of the body…These parts of the body function automatically without any help from the brain.”

C.Lives are touched

  • Steve Sjogren uses the concepts of servant evangelism and servant warfare, “using the power of kindness to penetrate the spiritually darkened hearts of people with the love of God.” Their church mission statement is “Small things done with great love can change the world.”
  • John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

VI.WHAT ARE THE HAZARDS OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP?

  1. Self-righteous Service
  2. Richard Foster writes in Celebration of Disciple that self-righteous service must be distinguished from true service. Self righteous service:

Comes through human effort

Is impressed with the “big deal”

Requires external rewards

Is concerned about results

Picks and chooses whom to serve

Is affected by moods and whims

Is temporary

B.Serving out of our own strength

  • When we serve from our own abilities, we also burn out much more quickly. Serving through our gifts tends to energize us.
  • We need to constantly be checking the state of our heart. Jer. 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
  • Gene Wilkes writes, “Places earned by self-effort alone are places that can be taken by someone else’s greater self-effort. Leadership among God’s people does not rely solely on self-effort.”

C.Lack of boundaries

  • Being taken advantage of; feeling you must always say “yes” in order to be considered a “servant.”

D.Misunderstanding

  • Some do not understand or accept the concept of a leader as a servant.
  • John 13:6-10. Peter does not want Jesus to wash his feet.
  • Many people want a forceful, domineering leader. The nation of Israel missed the fact that Jesus was Messiah because of their expectations for what a leader should be.

E.Individualism & Arrogance

  • Thought that “I am accountable to God alone”
  • A servant leader must submit to God in total obedience and at the same time, be accountable to the people they are leading (in authority, as well as under authority).

CONCLUSION

  • Servant leadership reflects the paradox of compassion and command that defines the character of God. Such leaders do not serve for money, prestige, position, power or selfish gain. But, because of security in relationship with Christ, and no need to prove oneself, servant leaders can serve God sincerely and lift up his/her brothers and sisters. When we know who we are, whose we are, and where we are going, we can serve wholeheartedly.

“Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve:

To give, and not to count the cost,

To fight, and not to heed the wounds,

To toil, and not to seek for rest,

To labor, and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will.”

Ignatius of Loyola

RESOURCES

Damazio, Frank, The Making of a Leader, City Bible Publishing, 1988

Foster, Richard, Celebration of Discipline, Harper & Row, 1988

Haggard, Ted, Primary Purpose, Creation House, 1995

Miller, Calvin, The Empowered Leader:10 Keys to Servant Leadership, Broadman & Holman

Publishers, 1995

Sjogren, Steve, Conspiracy of Kindness, Servant Publications, 1993

Sjogren, Steve, Servant Warfare: How Kindness Conquers Spiritual Darkness, Servant

Publications, 1996

Wilkes, C. Gene, Jesus on Leadership, LifeWay Press, 1998

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