GODLY LEADERSHIP 2

This is a continuation from where I left off in the last post on Godly leadership. Today, I will look at elements of Jesus's words in Mark 10: 42-45.

       But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many ( Mark 10:42-45).

•  DESIRE: THE PASSION TO LEAD

Leadership surfaces from a desire deep within, a desire to solve a problem or help people to become better in one field or the other. It also comes from a desire to live to one’s full potential in life. Note that in the scripture quoted above, Jesus didn’t condemn the desire to lead; He rather condemned the motive or desire of wanting leadership to laud it over others. A desire to lead should never be confused with pride or arrogance.

“…If a man desire the office of a bishop [overseer, elder, leader], he desireth a good work (1 Timothy 3:1). Emphasis is mine

• ·    SERVICE : SERVANT LEADERSHIP

From Jesus’ words, Leadership involves service; serving instead of being served: What the business world calls Servant Leadership. The term Servant Leadership, though not written in the Bible in the exact words, it is a leadership principle that runs throughout scriptures. When God calls a person, He calls them to service to Him and humanity.

• “…the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people” (1 Samuel 13:14NIV).

God is still searching for servant leaders who will serve His people. Because the concept Servant Leadership only exist in the Bible in principle, but not by definition, let me share with you the definition of Servant Leadership from Robert K. Greenfield, who is  acknowledged as the originator of the term Servant Leadership in an essay he first published in 1970. He wrote:

The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.” “The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served.¹

Comparing Greenfield’s “Servant Leadership” with Jesus’ words in Mark 10:42-45, we can clearly see that “Servant Leadership” is not a concept foreign to Christianity—it is our style of leadership and we have to live it to the full.

·   SACRIFICE: LIVING BEYOND SELF

Godly leadership flourishes on Sacrifice. Every leader should understand that leadership is a call to sacrifice: seeking the welfare of others first before thinking about self. In our aggressive, self-projecting, self-seeking and egoistic world, Sacrifice might appear like an archaic word; but if the Bible is true—and it is true— then as Christians, we have to model eadership as Jesus taught it. “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

  

LEADERSHIP IS NOT:

Titles, Positions and Post

   But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many ( Mark 10:42-45).

In the scriptures above, Jesus teaches us that leadership is not exercising of “showing people where power lies” and as emerging leaders of this generation, we have to take note and realise that leadership is not necessarily titles, positions and posts. If we can lead with Jesus’ concept of leadership, our generation will be greatly influenced. You may ask, “what is Jesus’ concept of leadership”? I will answer that in the next post and then I will want us to study the life of a young man in the Bible who exemplifies godly leadership.

Notes

1. http://en.wikipedia.or/wiki/servant_leadership.