Servant-Leadership

I read a quote the other day that said the only type of leadership that the Bible endorses or speaks about is servant-leadership. Seems like so much of what we read these days in new books on leadership has left out this very important leadership quality--a leader leads by a humble servant attitude.
I think this is because its not about us, whether we are the preacher, minister, an elder, deacon or any other individual having a sway of influence in the church. It's about giving it over to God and letting him lead through us. We are a simple earthern vessel prone to mistake after mistake. We lead not by conqering above others but rather by simple servant-leadership after the manner of Christ. We do not have a complicated structure of leadership in the church; Jesus is the head and we are the body. When we create a complicated structure of leadership that is non-biblical we defeat who we are as the church.
Ron Clark has written a book entitled, Emerging Elders. Here is an excellent book needed in all churches. It presents the Biblical model of leadership that if churches only got back to a Biblical model of leadership we could be doing it God's way.

What Am I Reading Right Now?

Philip Yancy is one of my favorite authors, always has been since I read, What's So Amazing About Grace. I've been reading The Jesus I Never Knew and it is an excellent book for an overview of the life of Christ. Yancy has done a masteful work on the life of Christ. He spent many years researching the life of Christ and spent much time on how people perceive the life of Christ in our world today.

Jesus came into this world not in a way that we might expect the King of kings to enter into our world. Jesus did not abuse his power over evil in such a way that would take our choice to follow him away from it being our decision. He conquered evil and death, but in a way that allows us to to freely choose to follow him and put our faith in him.

Quote from, The Jesus I Never Knew: "The crowd at Jesus crucifixion challenged him to prove himself by climbing down from the cross, but not one person thought of what actually wold happen: that he would die and then come back. Once the scenario played out, though, to those who knew Jesus best it made perfect sense. The style fit God's pattern and character. God has always chosen the slow and difficult way, respecting human freedom regardless of cost. 'God did not abolish the fact of evil: He transformed it,' wrote Dorothy Sayers. 'He did not stop the crucifixion: He rose from the dead.' The hero bore all consequences, yet somehow triumphed."

I think that you should read this book by Yancy. It will give you a very humble understanding, but assured trust in God because of the life Jesus came and lived amongst us.

Don't Worry Be Happy

I’ve always liked the song by Bobby McFarren, Don’t Worry Be Happy. It’s a fun song that always seems to cheer you up when you hear it. The video is just plain fun nonsense. It is three guys just messing around smiling, laughing, and letting loose with a message of not letting worry control your life and finding happiness and joy in living. The message it portrays is a very simple message and it is intended to take your worry away and let happiness come through.

The song doesn’t really give you any practical advice about how to keep from worrying, what to do with your worries and what reasons you have to be happy. “Don’t worry be happy” is most of the time a lot easier said than done.

Worry doesn’t get us anywhere it only clouds the issues all the more. It fills our minds with hopelessness and we are unable to really make our circumstances better.

· Worry, like a rocking chair, will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere. –Vance Havner

· Worry kills more people than work because more people worry than work. --Robert Frost

· The word “worry” is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning to strangle or to choke. Normal sensible concern is an important attribute of the mature person. But worry frustrates one’s best functioning. --Norman Vincent Peale

· There is no disputing the fact that, nine times out of ten, worrying about a thing does more damage to those who worry than the actual thing itself. –Ken Anderson

· Worry is not reasonable, it only muddies the waters further. –Shawn Williams

· The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith. The beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. –George Muller

Thank goodness God gives us better advice and reasons in our lives on what to do with our worries and what it is to be truly happy.

Psa. 37:7, Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Phil. 4:6-7, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Pet. 5:7, Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

How great God is that he takes on our worries and fears and calls us to stillness and calm! Trust in the Lord; don’t worry be happy (in His love).

Shepherd's Lead By Example

Shepherds/Elders lead by example. They are to be an example of love for others, service to others, and have the concern for the souls of flock. Shepherd's do not create new laws and carry authority as the bosses as if to say "what I say goes because I'm in charge." God is the only one with authority, he makes the rules, and he is our judge. Shepherds/Elders lead by a loving and humble example.

Shepherding God's Way

One of the most defeating things a shepherd/elder can do is take leadership lessons from the business world and try to instill it in the shepherding of the Lord's church. We see in Matt. 20:25-28, that a leadership style must be one of a servant-leader.
²⁵Jesus called all the followers together and said, “You know that the rulers of the non-Jewish people love to show their power over the people. And their important leaders love to use all their authority. ²⁶But it should not be that way among you. Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest of you like a servant. ²⁷Whoever wants to become first among you must serve the rest of you like a slave. ²⁸In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”
A shepherd/elder must learn shepherding and eldering from God's way and God's design.

Worrying Is Like Choking Yourself

The Bible speaks much about "worry, fret, and anxiety." By the way, God is against it for his children. Look at Psalms 23, 37, 55:22, Matt. 11:30, Luke 12:22-34, Phil. 4:6-7 and 1 Pet. 5:7. These are a few of the passages that teach us what to do with our worries.
Here is a story typical of the emptiness of worry in our lives and shows that it really does nothing to help us or benefit our situations.

Tsai Chunmo’s Beard

Tsai Chunmo had a remarkable beard. One day, at an imperial party the Emperor said to him, “Your beard is truly wonderful. When you sleep do you put it under the coverlet, or outside?” He answered, “I’m sorry, I don’t really remember.” When he got home and went to bed he thought of what the Emperor had asked, and tried both ways, inside and outside, but both seemed uncomfortable, and he could not sleep all night long.

Sadly enough, we all relate way to much to this in our own lives. Read the passages above to learn to escape the battle of worry.

Shepherding

Shepherding is about being with your sheep when they need to feed and drink upon the word of God. Shepherding is less about being in meetings deciding church business and more about being with the flock. As Lynn Anderson titles his books, shepherds should smell like the sheep. Shepherding is less about being decision makers and more about encouraging, guiding, lifting up, and teaching.