Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.
Hebrews 13:7 NLT
As I decided what to write this month’s blog on, I initially had a hard time deciding what to specifically write on as several topics came to mind. However, the one that kept coming back to me again and again was on leadership. This is a topic where so much has been said, spoken, and written about that I was initially hesitant to approach writing a blog on this, but after reflecting on it for almost two weeks I thought why not, haha.
This topic came up as the result of being asked to be interviewed by a college student about leadership in the ministry where I am currently serving as an Assistant Campus Minister. I was humbled that she approached me and being asked questions I had never quite fully reflected on before. One of the questions she asked me was, “How would you define leadership?” I thought for a few moments as many ideas or types of answers came through my mind, but there was one that came to the forefront of my mind as I began to work on the phrasing in my mind. As I reflected on things I have read in books, listened to in podcast, and thoughts from Scripture. The answer I gave was, “I would define leadership as building a platform for others to stand on.” I believe that answer was spirit driven and mostly from my experience in ministry so far in listening to speakers, observing the actions of leaders I look up to, and ultimately in seeing how Jesus carried himself as a leader or should I say servant.
The Greatest in the Kingdom
After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” But they didn’t answer because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”
Mark 9:33-35 NLT
Only a chapter later in Mark 10:35-45, we find Jesus having to call his disciples together again in having another conversation about what it “truly means to be a leader.” The two disciples, James and John approach Jesus in making a request that when he sits on his glorious throne, they want to sit in places of honor, one on Jesus’ left and the other on Jesus’ right. Jesus responds to James and John saying that they do not understand what they are asking and that he has no place to say who will sit on his right or left as God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.
When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:41-45 NLT
We find that James and John understood that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, but they lacked understanding in what it means to be a leader in God’s Kingdom. Furthermore, we find that the other ten disciples were outraged when they heard what James and John had asked. I can imagine that they felt excluded and wanted in on being recognized in special places along Jesus’ side. The fact that the ten disciples were indignant shows that all the disciples did not have a proper understanding of what it means to be a leader in God’s Kingdom. Then Jesus gives them a proper teaching in what it actually means to be a leader in God’s Kingdom in verses 42-45 and that is being a servant.
The question that I felt prompted with after reading this passage was this, “Are we in the church like rulers in the world who lord it over people we supervise and mentor in flaunting our authority before them?” I believe this is a type of question we should regularly ask ourselves and check our heart posture. If my heart posture becomes inward focused on myself in what I supervise and my authority as the Assistant Campus Minister, then I have strayed from a heart posture that honors Christ and instead have taken up one that is self-focused.
As a leader, Jesus lived out an example of what it means to be a leader and that is being a servant. When thinking of Jesus as a leader or servant, I would venture to say that many of us would see Jesus first as a servant, before seeing him as a leader. Why? Because it is a strong foundation in scriptural teaching and particularly the four gospels when you see how Jesus interacted with those around him.
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Philippians 2:1-5 NLT
Here Paul writes to the church in Philippi while in prison to encourage them as they suffer and face opposition in sharing the Good News. Here in chapter 2, Paul writes to encourage them to have the attitude of Christ and in doing so, he calls them to live a humble life like Christ. To be united in the spirit of Christ in working together with one mind and purpose. Paul exhorts them to look outwardly for the care of others, rather than inwardly in seeking their own self-interest. Furthermore, in taking an interest in caring for others, Paul is calling them to imitate the servant attitude that Christ had in serving those around him.
How often did Jesus serve those on the fringe of society, the outcast, the foreigner, the non-Jew, and many more? Often I believe it is easy for us to fall into the trap of serving those who we have immediate relationship with and those who we are close to rather than those on the fringe of society, those we see as an outcast, those who are foreigners, and those of different beliefs. Jesus never taught or exemplified to serve only those who are within the body of Christ, quite the contrary, and this is why many Jewish religious leaders in Jesus’ day had issues with him. Jesus’ heart posture was one to go and serve all people of all nations regardless who they were. Thus, being a follower of Jesus means serve others and as followers of Christ we are not to pick and choose who we decide to serve and not to serve. Jesus simply calls his followers to serve those around them regardless of who they are.
A great example of this would be the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37 as Jesus responds to an expert in religious law in answering the man’s question of “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29 NLT). The basis to Jesus’ parable shows that “authentic spirituality is not based on ethnic identity or religious associations, but on love for God and for others” (NLT Illustrated Study Bible, 2015). Jesus teaches us that the most important commandment is to first love God and a second as equally important to the first is to love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:37-39). Here Jesus teaches us to love God, love yourself, and love others. When it comes to the second and third part of the previous sentence, we must be able to love ourselves in order to love others. Because if you do not love yourself, how do you expect yourself to love others properly?
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Proverbs 4:23 NLT
As leaders we need to have awareness when it comes to guarding our hearts. Especially when it comes to leading others to make sure we are living a correct and true witness of Christ, one that honors Christ and not a heart posture where our hearts are unguarded and being swayed in a non-Christ honoring way. Having a Christ honoring heart posture I believe is significant when it comes to leadership inside and outside the body of Christ. If our hearts are not lined up with God, we are more apt to go in a direction away from God when it comes to serving others. Being a leader equals being a servant.
Best Regards, Derrick Shipley