What Does Jesus Say
Leadership: What Does Jesus Say? – Kenneth Mick
Argyle Church of Christ, Jacksonville, FL
October 15, 2006
Acts 20:28: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”
As God surfaces the people who will lead Argyle effectively into His future, we must make sure it is the Holy Spirit who anoints, selects, empowers and enables us. Jesus goes against the grain of those who preceded and most who succeeded Him unless they were of the philosophy of Jesus.
There is a mind and heart of God revealed in scripture of what leadership is and Jesus might surprise us when He says: The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:11-12)
We will focus on the nature of leadership as Jesus presents it. It is typical for us to call service “ministry.” Dressing it up formally in this vocabulary may deceive us. The Bible word is “diakonia” – meaning to serve from a position of inferior status, and Jesus is the best illustration of this. II Corinthians 8: 9: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. In military terms, he went from a rank of seniority to an enlisted person. He voluntarily was “busted” in rank.
I. Negative example of leadership – Matthew 23:1-9 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. (symbol of authority) So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;7they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’ But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
A. Leadership in today’s world is not so different – it is visibility and perks.
1. Rabbi – literally means, my great one – titles and greetings sought after
2. If you sat in Moses’ seat in the synagogue, you had the right to tell others
what to do. This is illegitimate authority.
3. Phylacteries – A box made of shiny metal or the finest wood attached to
the forehead and arm with leather strips. Inside they are inscribed from with passages from the Old Testament. Conspicuous symbols.
a. If you had a box taped to your forehead, you would remember who
you are.
b. Matt. 23:8-11 “But you (listen, this is what leadership is) are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. (Father and Teacher are exalted titles) The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
B. Jesus is trying to re-educate us, so he says
The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
1. One of Jesus’ key components for understanding who is a leader and
who has God’s heart and mind as a leader: The greatest among you will be your servant. (Matthew 23: 11)
2. He is the pattern.
3. The violation of leadership in Jesus’ day: They were not examples to imitate. They couldn’t be looked at as models to emulate.
4. Illegitimate leadership - demands obedience.
a. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his
friends. (John 15:3) Watch and see if a leader does this.
b. If a leader burdens others, he has an illegitimate understanding
of leadership.
6. Symbols- recognition - titles
a. Name on stationery, bulletin, desire for visibility and honors.
b. The issue instead “How effectively do I read/apply the Word?”
7. Disciples: “DO NOT BE LIKE THEM.”
a. The greatest is your servant
b. Exalting self results in humiliation
c. You want a title? Your title is “servant.”
II. Quest for influence and power – Mark 10: 35-45 - James and John came to Jesus. They were the sons of Zebedee. “Teacher,” they said, “we would like to ask a favor of you.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right hand in your glorious kingdom. Let the other one sit at your left hand.” “You don’t know what you’re asking for,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup of suffering I drink? Or can you go through the baptism of suffering I must go through?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink. And you will go through the baptism I go through. But it is not for me to say who will sit at my right or left hand. These places belong to those they are prepared for.” The other ten disciples heard about it. They became angry at James and John. Jesus called them together. He said, “You know about those who are rulers of the nations. They hold power over their people. Their high officials order them around. Don’t be like that. Instead, anyone who wants to be important among you must be your servant. And anyone who wants to be first must be the slave of everyone. Even the Son of Man did not come to be served. Instead, he came to serve others. He came to give his life as the price for setting many people free.”
A. Sign of insecure leadership
1. Listen for the “a” word – “authority” – those people do not understand
ministry and service
a. When a leader insists on authority, the battle is pretty much lost
2. The disciples wanted a position of influence
B. What would Jesus say? NOT SO WITH YOU
1. Jesus is in the middle of a raging river that wants to sweep Him away,
but he stands against the current and says, “If you are with me, NOT SO
WITH YOU.”
2. If it is in our head and heart to jockey for a position of influence, power,
privilege and status, we do not have the mind and the heart of God.
3. NOT SO WITH YOU – Those four words are the death of worldly
leadership ideas.
C. Leadership from a position of inferior status
1. The greatest among you will be your servant. – Matthew 23:11
2. This kind of leadership would turn the world upside down.
3. For disciples, greatness is found in ministry, service – caring others’ need
III. “Common Sense” is wrong – Luke 22:24-30 - They also started to argue. They disagreed about which of them was thought to be the most important person. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the nations hold power over their people. And those who order them around call themselves Protectors. But you must not be like that. Instead, the most important among you should be like the youngest. The one who rules should be like the one who serves. “Who is more important? Is it the one at the table, or the one who serves? Isn’t it the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You have stood by me during my troubles. And I give you a kingdom, just as my Father gave me a kingdom. Then you will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.
A. Who is greater?
1. The sitter or the server?
2. A recurring refrain – NOT SO WITH YOU
a. The oldest is to be like the youngest
b. The one who rules is to be like the one who serves
c. We are back to ministry
B. Jesus is indisputably greater
1. The path to the top is straight to the bottom – making no worldly sense
2. “I am among you as one who serves.”
3. Do disciples follow worldly inclination on leadership or do they follow
the radical notions of Jesus?
This is a season about surfacing the shepherds who will help and be God’s agents, God’s servants. Common sense may not inform us all that well. Leadership will be defined in service, not in religious jewelry or costuming for God, as the Pharisees would model it. Find one who has become like the youngest, the slave of all. There is our leader.
How do you answer the question: Who do you think God is calling to run and supervise and encourage the body at Argyle? Some might say, “I’d like to see this man get it. He’s been in church for 20 years, he gets along with me, his personality meshes with mine, we like his wife…..” IRRELEVANT!
IT MUST BE – Do you have the heart and mind of God on leadership.
IT MUST BE – Are you servant of all.
It wouldn’t be so serious except for the fact the church is the Body of Christ. We ought to have the heart and mind of Christ to help it minister.
Churches are made and broken on decisions like this.
The Spirit is invited to come to the Argyle church, and we are invited to discover the shepherds whom the Spirit has chosen to oversee.
Listen to the Audio Sermon Here
10.15.2006 Ken Mick: “Leadership: What Does Jesus Say?”
(Three Moments from Matthew, Mark, and Luke)
Download it here
