Breaking Free

514 Ministry - "to serve" - Secrets of Divine Service

This lesson has been taken by permission from the Daniel Files; Author-Winkie Pratney. The Daniel Files is a publication on the Internet that may be copied freely.

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ, Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped after but made Himself of no status, taking on Him the very nature of a servant... in human likeness." (Phil 2:5-7)

QUALIFICATIONS FOR MINISTRY

When we think of someone who is in authority we usually think of someone who by their position has the right over others lives. But Jesus linked power and leadership to SERVICE. He said that the one who was greatest should be the one who serves best. Paul lists the key conditions of being part of a leadership team in the church in I Tim. 3 and Titus 1. The requirements for serving those who belong to Jesus are identical to those required for long-term leadership in any successful business or major corporation. Both those who minister in the church and in the world must be:

(1) Blameless: Surveys of business leaders who are at the top of their field show that in the majority of cases, the person has been married to their partner for twenty years or more, and have children brought up to understand authority as something good and valuable you need neither rebel against or pretend to obey.

(2) Stewards: A good leader wisely uses what he has been entrusted with. He is practical, not mystical. He is not demanding, arrogant or self-willed. He works for the overall good of his company. He serves and meets the needs of others, his customers and employees. He is in the middle of his work, serving both those who serve and those who his company serves.

(3) Calm. A president or CEO is not a driven man; he is slow to anger. He is grown up. He doesn't throw tantrums; he has seen most of the challenges and aggravations before. He realizes life is a martyrdom of pinpricks; he does not ride the emotional roller-coaster of feast or famine, success or failure, of fear or dream. He does not give in to every new whim of management theory. He knows what works. His confidence, his spiritual maturity, his character and professional competence mean that the details of life do not overwhelm him.

(4) Sober: He concentrates on what is important, not merely urgent. He does not have to escape pressure by hitting the bottle, He has no frustration that needs venting by violence. He takes what comes, a day at a time while at the same time strategically planning long-term.

(5) Not greedy: Realizing wealth is a by-product of first doing things correctly, he is not greedy for money. He knows making money takes care of itself when a company first provides the needed goods or services and meets the needs of the people.

(6) Peaceable: Recognizing the sum is greater than the parts, he works to build up his associates so they will all want to work together as a team towards their common objective. He is not threatened by those beneath him. He is hospitable to those under his authority as well as customers and strangers in the land.

(7) Prefer love of good to love of pleasure: He has been tested on the way to the top. He avoids the traps of money, sex and power, gold. girls and glory, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. He has learned to control his thoughts, his tongue and his time; self-controlled, he is disciplined himself and so is a good discipler of others.

(8) Temperate: He realizes the importance of the radical middle, and does not fall into the ditch of egoistic extremes. His life is a model and his wisdom earns him the right to teach those under him. He has learned that quarrel accomplishes nothing and that a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.

(9) Speak the truth in love. As a proven veteran who finds his fulfillment in humility and service of leadership, he has earned the respect of his peers.

(10) Self-sacrificing. The true leader knows pride never serves, but like a novice, only self-promotes. Jesus (the greatest leader of all) said He came not to be served, but to serve and lay down His life for others. (Matt. 20:28) His unequaled service gives Him the right to sit at the right hand of the Father where He is given all power in heaven and earth. Jesus was tested in all things before He earned His position of authority. Isn't He both our Savior and our example? (Source: R.E. McMaster; The Reaper int. investment advisory newsletter)

THE INNER CIRCLE OF CHRIST

Jesus seemed to set His twelve disciples in three groups of four. Peter James and John were the "inner circle". They did more with Jesus than the other disciples. Jesus took them with Him when He went up the mountain. Yet Peter James and John were not more spiritual than the others. They did and said as many dumb things as any of the other disciples. Why did Jesus single them out? How do you move from the outer fringe to the inner circle of Christ? God has two conditions for those He calls closer to His heart. They are simple but profound principles you can use to choose leaders.

CONDITIONS OF LEADERSHIP

Gods two great principles for happiness and unity are common understanding and common unselfishness - wisdom and love. Without these no real teamwork is possible.

When you look for leaders, keep these two things in mind. Choose those who show the greatest willingness to learn, and who are the most keen to do what they are given. It is not always the most talented, good-looking or gifted that make the best leaders. God's Kingdom works with people with servant-learner hearts. It is consistently those that are quick to learn and obey God and who know how to do the same in His work. The quicker you learn and the sooner you do what is called for, the faster you qualify to lead others.

THE POWER OF HONOR

The Bible reward for good leadership is not status but HONOR AND RESPECT for a job well done. (I Tim. 5:17; Rom. 13:7; Rev. 4:11) Honor is recognition of someone's value, significance and service. We are to honor parents (Ex. 20:12; Matt. 15:14) church elders, national leaders (Num. 27:20; I Pet. 2:17), older people (Lev. 19:32) and one another. (Rom. 12:10) We are to honor the gift of God in someone's life, because it honors the God Who gives it. (Mal. 1:6; John 12:26; Matt. 13:54-57 ).

Honor is vital if you are going to lead. One of the great hindrances to an effective team is division and disunity. A work begins well, then somehow begins to fall apart. People get critical and hurt. What is the key to helping people all work together as one? How do you get people with different strengths to act as one? The Bible says:

"Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be." (I Cor. 12:14-18 NIV)

What is the root of division? An INDEPENDENT SPIRIT. It is an attitude of self-sufficiency. It is thinking and acting as if you are the whole thing. It is imagining that because you can do one thing better, then you can do all things better. It is to project an attitude, especially to others who have no status or prominence: "I don't need you."

"The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable." (1 Cor. 12:21 NIV)

So what makes the difference for unity? The Bible says it is honor. "On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other." (1 Cor. 12:22-25 NIV). Do not fail to honor and give special encouragement to those who need it.

INDEPENDENT SPIRIT vs. SERVANT LEADERSHIP

This is the real secret of leadership as a Christian. You may do some things badly and make mistakes. You can be ignorant of what is God's best and be wrong. None of us are infinite. We are all learners. We can and will do better. The one thing you must guard against in your life is an independent spirit.

People may disagree with you. They may think you have some funny ideas and are not making the right choices. Sometimes they will be right. Yet none of these can hurt you if you have really set your heart on loving God and loving people. Forgiveness is easy to give to a person with a servant's heart. As long as you take the role of the learner, even people that disagree with you will find it hard to dislike you.

The marks of an independent spirit are:

Pride. An arrogant, know-it-all attitude. Knowledge puffs up but love builds up. (I Cor. 8:1; Jas. 3:13-18; 4:6; I Pet. 5:5)

Ingratitude. A proud person cannot be thankful. He owes "nobody nothin'." His favorite song is "I did it my way." (Rom. 1:21; I Thess. 5:18)

Religious deception: The heart of every cult is an independent spirit.

Study the first deception: (I Sam 14:12-16) Satan was a church kid. He came from a perfect church. He had the perfect Pastor. He sat under perfect teaching. He had flawless moral examples. Everybody around him, always without exception acted just like an angel. Even the choir was out of this world. Yet he blew it big-time. Satan didn't fall because he tried to run off with a lady angel or steal heavens' crown jewels. He simply set his heart to be independent from God. "I will be like the Most high" he said. He tried to play God and wound up losing it all. And that from the angel made most beautiful and wise. (Ezek. 28:12-15) At all costs, stay with a learner's heart. No matter how much you learn, STAY A LEARNER. (Matt 11:29; Luke 10:21; Phil 3:7-8,13)

THE MARKS OF A LEADER

George Verwer of Operation Mobilization makes these penetrating remarks:

"The Lord Jesus said, 'Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.' (Matthew 4:19) This is but one of the many places where He exhorted His disciples to follow Him. He would say the same to us, His twentieth-century disciples."

"The burning desire for each of us should be to follow Him. We would not follow men or men's ideas, but Christ and His ideas. We need men of God who have been 'chosen of God' to take on definite responsibilities of leadership in both practical and spiritual realms. Only time will tell whether the young fellows and girls carrying responsibilities of leadership have what is necessary to see victories day after day in this type of work. And the question that will make the difference is whether or not they are followers of Jesus.

Some individuals might feel they should be carrying some position of leadership. To such individuals, I would say, 'Then learn to follow; learn to take orders from someone else. Learn to bury your own plans and ideas, allowing someone else to make decisions which you will wholeheartedly carry out, and soon you will find yourself being asked to MAKE decisions.'

"There is no room for the person who has all the answers. We must take the position of learners for a disciple is a LEARNER. A disciple is always willing to be taught. He is always willing to listen to another's' point of view and to esteem it better than his own. He does not covet a position of leadership, but only desires to be a disciple of Jesus. You must not expect that you will always agree with your leader, or see in him perfection; for remember, he is as you are, just a follower of Jesus.' "

NEGOTIATION : HANDLING CONFLICTS WITH OTHERS

One of the hard things a leader has to learn to deal with is people who disagree. One of the marks of a good leader is that they have learned to solve conflicts. They never go out of their way to stir up more trouble. If you hope to influence someone who differs from you, try these principles:

Find out what this person actually wants. Ask: How can I help them do this in a way that doesn't conflict with what I need? Pharaoh told Israeli parents to throw their first-born babies in the Nile. Gods' command to Israel was not to murder. Moses parents put him in the Nile all right - but in a boat, and so obeying God! Daniel and his three friends were put under Nebuchadnezzar’s program. They neither compromised ("Okay, anything is cool") nor rebelled ("Stuff it oh King, we're good Hebrew boys"). They instead took the Third Option: they found a godly way to meet the Kings expectations and wound up ruling for God under Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon.

(1) What is your long-term goal? For both Moses' mother and the boys in Babylon it was to HONOR AND OBEY GOD. All you do should relate ultimately to this. Part of that purpose is to live as much as possible peaceably with all - to be a peacemaker. That means you will trust God to ACT and not just to REACT when people differ from you. No anger. No bitterness. No arrogance. "A soft answer turns away wrath." (Prov. 15:1)

(2) Forget the immediate differences between you. Before you say or do anything ask yourself: "Will it make it easier or harder for me to do what I came to do?". Do your homework first. Know what the facts really are before you begin. Don't slack off here. Your goal is not to show how much smarter you are but to get the job done.

(3) Put yourself in their shoes. TAKE THEIR SIDE as much as you can. AGREE with everything they say that is true. COMPLIMENT them when they make a fair point. Ask yourself: "If I was in his/her position how would I think and feel? Do they see what I'm saying as a request or a threat? Why might they not trust my motives? Could they gain anything from what I suggest? How can I say what I need to say in a way that will appeal more to the other person's interests? Is my claim convincing?"

Study the WAY Jesus talked with the woman at the well. (John 4) He never used what He knew in a way that put her down or made her feel stupid. "I have no husband" she said. "True" He said. "You have had five husbands, and the man you are living with now is not your husband." Jesus words are the model of loving confrontation. See the problem from their side. Think it through first as if you were them. Try to describe things as you talk both as they see it and as you see it as fairly as you can .

(4) Focus on the other persons' choice. You don't just want to understand a position but change it. You always send a three-part message: What you WANT him to do. What will happen if he DOESN'T do it. What will happen if he DOES.

Show you understand HIS SIDE of the question as well as your own. Discuss his goal sympathetically. ("That's great. I understand what you're trying to do.") Explain why what you propose will help him. Explain what might not be able to happen from your side if he gets his way. When he replies, emphasize the positives; not "Yes, but" but "Yes, and." AGREE with all you can. Keep a "quiet and gentle spirit." Don't lose it.

You have to know WHO the key decision-makers are and present what you see in a way that will make them realize they will gain more from ending the conflict than continuing it. Remember: the Bible way to PROMOTE UNITY is always to honor one another. If you never fail to honor the other person, no matter what the outcome or the result, you will honor God and often create a healing path for future situations.

Your goal is the highest good of God and of people. Your goal is not to show off some so-called superior authority or insight. What if you win an argument but lose a soul? Never by word or attitude give the impression to anyone "I don't need you."

PRESSURE IN LEADERSHIP

Being a leader often involves stress. Leaders deal with change, and change of any kind - good or bad - involves stress. If you are a leader you are both responsible for what you direct and accountable for what you command. You must answer for the decisions you make and give account for the results of your policies. Criticism produces stress. You have to deal sometimes with "riots and wild beasts"; difficult people and difficult circumstances. (2 Cor. 1:8-11). On top of that, as a leader you become both a spiritual and strategic target for attack. (Mark 3:27) No wonder Paul said "Don't everyone try to be a leader." (James 3:1) How do you handle leadership pressure?

(1) LEAN ON JESUS when you reach your limit. The power of God always operates at the perimeter of our capacity. You were never made to live adequately. God cannot do the new thing when we camp out in our own personal safety zone. Faith has a tensile strength. It increases by being stretched to the limit. It grows by stress, then relaxation. (I Cor. 2:1-5) (See: "Be Perfect - Creative Tension under Aptitude)

God will not command you to get you from where you are now to that edge. That step is in your hands. "In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel of honor, set apart, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work." (2 Tim. 2:20-21)

Revival, healing, faith, miracles always involves a VOLUNTARY RISK. You must move beyond mere legal obedience (doing only what is expected and asked of you) to the realm of loving and doing more than required. (Luke 17:6-10)

(2) Hold on to your HISTORY OF HOPE - What God did for you in the past gives you grounds to believe Him for the future. When the stress gets bad, REMEMBER His mercy and power before. (Lam. 3:21-23) Keep a journal or a diary, some written record of God's work in your life. Often God calls us to remember His greatness and goodness. (Lev. 26:45; Deut. 8:18; Ps. 106:4-5; Ps. 103:2)

(3) CALL IN THE TROOPS: Stress and trouble can open the door to breaking us of an independent spirit. Sometimes we go on with hidden pride in our hearts, thinking we are adequate in ourselves to get the job done. A leaders' ability can involve the strength to keep going when all others have given up, the confidence to stand alone. But our strength is usually our weakness. People don't identify with our strengths and our successes. They may admire them, envy them, but they cannot share in them

. What they can identify with is our weaknesses. Paul prayed for his people. He told them he was praying for them. He told them what he was praying for them. Then he asked them to pray for him. (I Thess. 5:23-25) Peter said: "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way." (Heb 13:17-18) Let stress draw you closer to others.