5.Servant Leadership

Mat 20:25 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.

Mat 20:26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

Mat 20:27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave

Mat 20:28 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."

This is one of the most challenging passages in the bible

Whoever wants to become great in the kingdom must be your servant

Luke 9:62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Serving God involves requires commitment, dedication and determination

Question: What would you say are some traits of those that come to be served?

Question: What would you say are some traits of those that come to serve?

The two greatest days of your life, the day you were born the day you discovered why

Psa 139:15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

Psa 139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Our responsibility when it comes to God’s gifts are to discover them, develop them and then deploy them in the service of God

God has a plan and a purpose for your life, God has a destiny for your life

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Eph 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

God as the manufacturer said I have designed and created you for good works

Eph 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Eph 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

Eph 1:5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will

God rewards good works

It would be perfectly unfair and darn right mean if God was to hold us accountable to something he never made clear to us

MSG Gal 6:4 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others.

Gal 6:5 Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

Rev 22:12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.

Mat 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Jesus will judge the world according to the sin and the church according to our good works

God expects us to do good works

Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Col 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Col 1:10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

2Ti 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

2Ti 2:20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.

2Ti 2:21 If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

1Ti 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

1Ti 6:18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,

1Ti 6:19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

Why would you want to learn and study the bible, why would you want to be rebuked by the word, corrected by the word, why would you want to be trained in righteousness,

2Ti 3:17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Were created for good works
We will be rewarded for good works
Were expected to do good works
We will be judge on the bases of good works

Why is God so concerned about us doing good works, because that is what he created us for?

1Co 3:5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believeas the Lord has assigned to each his task.

Your primary calling upon your life is to be servants, to be minister, to serve others

1Co 3:6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

1Co 3:7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

1Co 3:8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.

Whatever we do we need to be asking is this making a kingdom contribution

1Co 3:9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

1Co 3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.

1Co 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1Co 3:12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,

1Co 3:13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.

1Co 3:14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.

1Co 3:15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

We must understand that the only criteria God has to evaluate us is in accordance with what we have done, it is our work that will be tested
Your salvation is never on trial, you have been saved by the grace of God but you have been saved f
For a purpose, but it is how we fulfil that purpose that we will be critically appraised for.

1. Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual gifts are not necessary natural talents, virtues or character traits. They’re special abilities given to us by God when we become Christians.

Rom 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Rom 12:4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,

Rom 12:5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Rom 12:6 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.

Rom 12:7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;

Rom 12:8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to 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.

Rom 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Love is always other people centred

Rom 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Honour is the value you place on a person
The value you put on other will determine what you do for them, how you respond to them

Which are you drawn to or excited about?

Which have you, or could you, experiment with?

Which have you been most effective with? (Tip: ask others!)

2. Heart

Call it heart, passion or interest, but you probably find yourself drawn to a particular group of people or societal need. Don’t ignore this.

NIV Rom 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

NLT Rom 12:11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

EN THEOS God in Us

Joh 4:34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

What feeds you?

What motivates you?

What change in the world do you long to see?

What needs and causes do you care about?

What people group do you most care about (artists, children, the homeless)?

What are your dreams?

3. Abilities

Can you cook, design, fix cars, paint walls? You may be astounded how many skills you have without realising it. God has been part of you developing these too.

What am I good at? Why have I learned these skills instead of others?

What do I enjoy doing most?

Who can I most help with these abilities?

4. Personality

Your personality guides how you will express your calling, and in what environments you’ll best flourish in.

CHOLERIC

A person who is choleric is a doer. You can want to dominate people of other temperaments, especially phlegmatic types. Many great charismatic military and political figures were choleric.

SANGUINE

The Sanguine temperament personality is fairly extroverted. People of a sanguine temperament tend to enjoy social gatherings and making new friends.

PHLEGMATIC

Phlegmatic’s tend to be self-content and kind. They can be very accepting and affectionate. They are very consistent, relaxed, rational, curious, and observant, making them good administrators and diplomats. Unlike the Sanguine personality, they may be more dependable.

MELANCHOLIC

A person who is a thoughtful pondered has a melancholic disposition. Often very kind and considerate, Melancholic’s can be highly creative wether in poetry or art and can become easily pre-occupied with the tragedy and cruelty in the world.

How do I relate to others? (Am I shy or outgoing? Expressive? Competitive?)

How do I respond to opportunities? (Am I drawn to high risk or safety? Routine or variety?)

Am I people or task oriented?

How do I respond to people? (Am I a follower or leader? Team or solo player? )

5. Experiences

You have a unique mix of experiences and these add to your shape (an therefore your purpose) too. Think about:

Personal achievements

Career experiences

Relationship experiences

Educational experiences

Spiritual experiences

What needs do you love meeting

Who do you love serving

What causes are you passionate about

What do you do well

1Pe 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

1Pe 4:9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

1Pe 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

1Pe 4:11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.