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Pastor's Blog

Servant Leadership

By November 12, 2019No Comments

First Peter is written to the early church that has been scattered throughout the Roman Empire. The church is growing and experiencing persecution of various kinds. Peter encourages them that God is still in control and that suffering for the sake of Christ is noble and good. Life may have its difficulties, but God is always good, and for Christians, there’s a much better day ahead in paradise. Christians live with a living hope in a world, not our home and we do so asking and participating in “God’s kingdom coming and His will being done on earth as it is in heaven.”

In First Peter 4:7-11 and 5:1-5, Peter describes what it means to follow and lead in humility by following the example of Jesus Christ. What we are talking about here is servant leadership. This leads us to a crucial question. What does servant leadership look like? Peter begins, in verse 7, declaring that Christ is going to return and we need to be ready. The believer needs to be prayerful. In fact, if we really believe that we live in the last days, it is all the more appropriate that we give ourselves to prayer.

Then, Peter, in verses 8-9, teaches that Christians need to love like Jesus. Christian love means that we treat others the way God treats us. For instance, God forgives us, and we need to forgive one another. Where love abounds forgiveness flourishes. Peter writes that Christian love is, among other things, forgiving. Christian love also displays hospitality. Christian love involves faithfulness, commitment, and an act of the will. It is distinguished from the other types of love by its lofty moral nature and strong character. Paul describes Christian love beautifully in First Corinthians 13.

Peter addresses our service to one another. He teaches that every Christian receives a spiritual gift from God and that every gift is important. These gifts are given to those in the church to fulfill God’s mission to know Him and make Him known. Even the smallest gift or part is important in Christ’s body, His church. I heard the story of a man rebuilding an engine for his lawnmower. When he finished, he had one small part left over. He carefully started the engine, and it ran like new. He proceeded to mow his lawn. After he was finished, he went to turn the mower off, and it wouldn’t stop! Here’s the point: Even the smallest piece is an important part of Christ’s church. These gifts are graces given to us by God. The simple truth is that the grace of God is wasted when it only comes to us and not moved on from us to others. In our service to others, God receives the glory. After all, God is the only one that is all-powerful and deserving of ultimate glory.

The first five verses of First Peter chapter five continues the theme of servant leadership by addressing church leaders. Church leaders or under-shepherds should be living patterns or models of the “Chief Shepherd,” Jesus Christ. The church leader must be a person who walks with God and who is growing in Him. This is true for each and every believer. Peter makes this point by encouraging the Christ-follower to “clothe” themselves with humility. What does the clothing of humility look like? Humility is willing to perform the lowest and littlest service for Jesus’ sake. Humility is conscious of our inability to do anything with eternal value apart from God. Humility is willing to serve without recognition. Humility is not self-deprecating, but self-forgetting, being truly others-centered instead of self-centered. The 19th-century British preacher, Charles Spurgeon, once said: “If you are willing to be nothing, God will make something of you.”

To sum up Peter’s teaching on servant leadership and to answer what servant leadership looks like I would say: “Servant leadership looks like a believer who is serious about their relationship with God, prayerful, and selflessly sharing God’s love with others in tangible ways.” We live in a world filled with trials and hardships, yet, as believers, we have a living hope in Jesus Christ and the promise of an eternal inheritance. What the church needs today, as it did in Peter’s day, are those who are willing to take the position of a servant…the church needs servant leaders.

It’s a privilege to journey with Christ, along with each of you. Let us encourage one another to follow the Lord’s example and be servant leaders. We all have a part to play as part of Christ’s body, His church. Let us surrender ourselves to Him, experiencing His love, as we allow Him to use us to share His love with others. Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be the glory)!