Copyr. 1997, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D.
INTRODUCTION: WE ARE GOING THROUGH A SERIES OF STUDIES ON SPECIFIC
SPIRITUAL GIFTS. THIS WEEK WE TURN TO THE GIFTS OF WHO CAN "TAKE
CHARGE." SO LET'S DIVE INTO OUR STUDY!
I. CHURCH LEADERS: OUR EXPECTATIONS
A. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A CHURCH LEADER?
1. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THEM TO DO?
2. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THEM NOT TO DO?
B. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE TO BE GOD'S PURPOSE FOR CHURCH LEADERS?
C. OVER THE YEARS I HAVE HEARD A CRITICISM OF CHURCH LEADERS
THAT GOES SOMETHING LIKE THIS: "THESE ARE JUST A BUNCH OF
MINISTERS, WHY DON'T THEY HIRE BUSINESSMEN, ACCOUNTANTS,
LAWYERS, AND EXPERTS TO HELP RUN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE OF
THE CHURCH AND ITS ENTERPRISES?"
1. DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS CRITICISM?
2. SHOULD CHURCH LEADERS BE MODELED ON THE LEADERS OF
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES?
II. CHURCH LEADERS: GOD'S EXPECTATIONS.
A. LETS FIND OUT WHAT GOD EXPECTS IN A CHURCH LEADER. READ
MATT. 20:20-28.
1. WHEN I ASKED, WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A CHURCH LEADER,
"MOM" (IN MATT. 20) SHOUTS OUT, "I LOOK FOR THEM TO BE MY
SONS!" WE HAVE "MRS. Z" TELLING JESUS THAT SHE THINKS
THAT HER SONS JOHN (THE BELOVED) AND JAMES SHOULD BE THE
TWO RANKING LEADERS.
2. WAS MRS. Z's CRITERIA FOR LEADERS THE SAME AS THAT OF
JESUS? (NO. ALTHOUGH JAMES AND JOHN WERE TWO OF JESUS'
FAVORITE THREE: PETER, JAMES AND JOHN. JESUS TELLS MRS.
Z SHE DOES NOT KNOW WHAT SHE IS ASKING. v.22.)
3. HOW DID JESUS SAY THAT THE LEADERS SHOULD BE CHOSEN?
(v.23. HIS FATHER PICKS THE LEADERS.)
4. WHAT DOES JESUS SAY ABOUT CHURCH LEADERS VERSES
BUSINESS AND POLITICAL LEADERS? (v.25 HE SAYS THAT THE
POLITICAL/BUSINESS MODEL IS NOT THE MODEL FOR THE
CHURCH.)
B. WHAT IS THE MODEL FOR THE CHURCH? (vv. 26-28. YOU LEAD FROM
BELOW. YOU SERVE THOSE YOU LEAD. "SERVANT-LEADER" IS AN APT
DESCRIPTION.)
1. JESUS HAD OBVIOUSLY NOT BEEN LISTENING TO MODERN
MEDIA. HOW COULD HE SAY THAT GOVERNMENT IS NOT THE
CORRECT MODEL? DON'T WE HAVE A WHOLE PASSEL OF SERVANT
LEADERS TODAY IN GOVERNMENT? I HEAR ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE
WHO REFER TO THEMSELVES ON TELEVISION AND NEWSPAPERS AS
"PUBLIC SERVANTS." (THIS IS NO DOUBT DUE TO THE
HISTORICAL INFLUENCE OF THE BIBLE ON OUR SOCIETY. IN
FACT, OUR LEADERS HAVE BEEN MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE
LEADERS OF COUNTRIES WHICH ARE NOT DEMOCRACIES. HOWEVER,
I HAVE SOME DOUBTS THAT TODAY'S "PUBLIC SERVANTS" HAVE
PRECISELY CAUGHT JESUS' VISION.)
III. CHURCH LEADERS: PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF GOD'S MODEL
A. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF A SERVANT LEADING? HOW DOES A
SERVANT LEAD?
B. IS JESUS A MODEL OF A SERVANT-LEADER? (MATT. 20:22, 26-27.
JESUS EXPLICITLY SAYS HE IS THE MODEL FOR THIS NEW KIND OF
LEADER: THE SERVANT-LEADER)
1. HOW DID JESUS LEAD? (EXAMPLE. HE DID IT FIRST. ROMANS
12:8 REFERS TO THE GIFT OF "LEADERSHIP" (GR. "PROISTEMI"
WHICH MEANS "STAND BEFORE." (THE LESSON SAYS, "STAND IN
FRONT.") THIS CREATES A NICE WORD PICTURE FOR BEING AN
EXAMPLE.)
2. THE TEACHERS' HELPS QUOTE LAWRENCE RICHARDS' BOOK,
A THEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION, WHICH SAYS IN PART, "A
SERVANT DOES NOT COMMAND, HE DOES."
a. IS THIS TRUE OF JESUS? (RICHARDS' GENERAL IDEA IS
RIGHT, BUT IT IS NOT COMPLETELY CORRECT -- SEE NEXT
TEXT.)
C. TURN WITH ME TO JOHN 15:10,14-17. DOES THIS GIVE US A
LITTLE DIFFERENT APPROACH TO THE LEADERSHIP OF JESUS? (YES.
NOTE THAT HE EXPLICITLY SAYS THAT HIS FOLLOWERS ARE NOT
SERVANTS (WHICH ACCORDS WITH THE INJUNCTION IN MATT. 20:25
THAT THEY WERE NOT TO LORD IT OVER THE BELIEVERS), BUT JESUS
SAYS THAT HE HAS COMMANDS -- AND ISSUES ONE! THE RELATIONSHIP
IS THAT OF FRIENDS WHO LOVE EACH OTHER (IN A SELF-SACRIFICING
WAY) AND SHARE INFORMATION WITH EACH OTHER.)
D. FINALLY ON THIS QUESTION, TURN TO HEBREWS 13:17 READ. HOW
DOES THIS FIT (IF AT ALL) INTO THE PICTURE OF THE SERVANT-
LEADER?
1. WAS ALL OF THIS "SERVANT-LEADER" TALK GREAT WHEN YOU
ARE EYING UP THE "LEADERS," BUT NOT SO GREAT WHEN YOU
HEAR THAT THESE LEADERS MIGHT HAVE SOME AUTHORITY AND YOU
MIGHT HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO "OBEY?" (THE WRITER OF
HEBREWS HAS NOT FORGOTTEN THE CORRECT APPROACH TO
LEADERSHIP, SEE HEB. 13:7. IT APPEARS THE OBEDIENCE IS AT
LEAST TO IMITATE THAT PART OF THE LEADERS LIFE THAT HAS
A GOOD OUTCOME.)
IV. CHURCH LEADERSHIP: THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
A. DOES THE SERVANT-LEADER MODEL THAT JESUS PROPOSES COME
NATURALLY? (READ 1 COR. 12:28-31. BOTH THIS TEXT AND
MATT.20:23 (THE "MRS.Z" STORY) SAY THAT GOD APPOINTS THE
LEADERS, AND THAT THIS IS A "GIFT" OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.)
1. LOOK AT 1 COR 12:28 AGAIN. DOES PAUL RANK THE GIFTS?
(EXPLICITLY. SEE 12:31)
a. WHERE DOES ADMINISTRATION RANK? (JUST ABOVE
TONGUES!)
b. HOW DO YOU DIVIDE "ADMINISTRATION" FROM APOSTLES,
PROPHETS AND TEACHERS? DO YOU TEND TO PUT ALL OF
THOSE IN THE SAME GENERAL "LEADERSHIP" BAG?
(REMEMBER WE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED THE GREEK WORD
FOR "LEADERSHIP?" THE GREEK WORK FOR ADMINISTRATION
(KJV "GOVERNMENTS") IS "KUBERNESIS" WHICH MEANS "TO
STEER")
(1) IS "STANDING IN FRONT" DIFFERENT IN YOUR
MIND THAN "STEERING?" (THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE
DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF LEADERSHIP. AN APOSTLE,
PROPHET AND TEACHER WOULD NORMALLY "STAND IN
FRONT" AS PART OF THEIR DUTIES. HOWEVER,
SOMEONE WHO "STEERS" CAN BE SEEN MORE AS AN
ORGANIZER AND PLANNER. I THINK THIS MEANS
THAT THE ORGANIZING SIDE OF THE GIFT OF
LEADERSHIP IS A BROAD BASED GIFT POSSESSED BY
A LARGE NUMBER OF BELIEVERS.)
V. CONCLUSION: ALL LEADERSHIP GIFTS ARE GIVEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.
THE SERVANT LEADER MODEL IS CONTRARY TO OUR TYPICAL NOTIONS OF
LEADERSHIP, AND CONTRARY TO OUR NATURAL HEART. THIS MAKES THE WORK
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SO CENTRAL TO GIVING THAT KIND OF LEADERSHIP.
LEADERSHIP IS A PART OF A NUMBER OF GIFTS, BUT THE ORGANIZATIONAL
ASPECT OF THE GIFT IS GIVEN TO A GREAT MANY BELIEVERS. THIS MEANS
THAT ALL CHURCH PROGRAMS SHOULD HAVE A GOOD ORGANIZATIONAL BASE,
AND THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF MEMBERS SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THIS
ASPECT OF THE WORK OF THE CHURCH.
VI. NEXT WEEK: OUTREACH GIFTS. STUDY!