Sermon: Leadership 101 – The roadmap of servanthood

Leadership 101 – The roadmap of servanthood

Mark 10:35-45

A Message by Rev Dr Stanley Lim on 17 August 2008

Introduction

This passage of the Word of God underscores for us 3 important aspects what leadership is not. Leadership is not power or position. Leadership is not a bed of roses. Leadership is not the exercise of control over others.

Jesus’ explanation of what leadership is has only one pivotal emphasis. The mark of a leader is defined by the way he serves. Jesus equates a great leader by the way he conducts his serve.

The world may have a different interpretation of leadership but the Word of God gives us a balance perspective of it. The path of greatness must be journeyed with genuine sacrificial service. A true leader is a great servant. Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” The 21^st. century’s understanding and teaching on leadership has evolved with the change of times. The understanding of leadership in the church today is getting involved with the people, to bring out their potential in God through a holistic (body, soul & spirit) care for them. The gurus of leadership today are sounding like bible teachers in that they are emphasizing more and more on the character, process and outcome of building people.

If servanthood is the underpinning teaching in leadership, then we must outline what it entails for every believer of Christ.

I. We should determine who we are to serve.

Luke 16:13 – “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

John 3:16,17 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

We are all saved from our sins, so that we can serve our Lord Jesus Christ. We are saved to serve the true & living God.

II. We should understand why we must serve.

Sin caused separation in our relationship with God but with Christ dying on the cross for us, he reconciled us to Himself. Let us read 2 Cor. 5:14-21.

Vs. 15 – “…and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”

Vs. 17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Vs. 18 – “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”

We must serve Jesus because we are debtors to the reconciling act of Christ on the cross at Calvary. Jesus now calls, enlists and entrusts each of us with this important ministry of reconciliation so that we can bring the word of reconciliation to them who are without hope. The greater your service to the Lord, the greater the hope becomes to those who are without Christ. The greatest thing in all my life is to serve Christ in leading someone to the saving knowledge of Jesus.

If we understand the admonishment of 2 Cor. 5:14-21, then we know what the apostle Paul is trying to get at. He is saying all believers must serve God by being a minister of reconciliation. When we are regularly serving God as a messenger of reconciliation, then Jesus recognizes us and calls us as His leaders.

III. We should know where we are to serve

Ps. 84:10 – “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

Ps. 84:1-4 – Read

The best place to learn to serve and lead is the house of the Lord. The training ground for our Christian service is the house of the Lord. We learn humility, we learn team-work, we learn sacrifice, we learn tolerance, we develop boldness & confidence, we learn to give & receive forgiveness, we learn people skills, we learn stewardship, we learn to pray, we learn to trust, we learn to draw close to God, we learn to be faithful and many more. The training that we receive in His house helps to improve our serve and further sharpen our skills for the Lord. The more we serve the better a leader we become.

Conclusion

The joy of seeing people strengthened and encouraged, reaching their potential, and being able to manage change in their lives as a result of our dedicated service to God, outweighs the pain and disappointments that we face every now and then. Jesus sacrificed His life in order to bring us the Message. We must now do the same by becoming His messengers of reconciliation today. If you have yet to receive His message of reconciliation, today is the day of salvation for you. 2 Cor. 6:2b says, “Behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”