Servant – leadership principle
Everyone can become a leader. Leadership is influence and everyone of us have influence over people in our area of jurisdiction and sphere of life. We exert influence even when we dont realize it, and that is what it means to be a leader. Our Lord Jesus taught different models of how one can become a leader.
Leadership model as thought by Jesus
There are many ways by which people can be great and successful in ministry and life
- Through servant leadership ideology
- Through being “Allos”
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Mar 10:35-45 KJV 35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. 36 And he sid unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? 37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. 38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: 40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John. 42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
How to be a leader?
In talking about how to become a leader, Jesus first talked about how not to become a leader. He said, the gentile becomes leader in a peculiar way:
Mar 10:42 KJV But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
The Greek word used for “exercise” is “katakurieuō” and according to Thayer lexicon it means: to bring under one’s power, to subject one’s self, to subdue, master to hold in subjection, to be master of, exercise lordship over.
Strong concordance dictionary define it as to lord against, that is, control, subjugate: – exercise dominion over (lordship), be lord over, overcome.
In order word, the way the gentile nations becomes leader is by lordship, by force, by subjugating their own people, putting them down, dominating them by the rule of force, they make slaves of them. They overcome people and rule by fits of iron.
You can see this styles of leadership in many countries of the world today where certain people take rulership by coup, fights, war, violence and killings. This has produced dictatorships across the globe of which the likes of Hitler, Saddam Hussein of Iraq, etc.
Who is a dictator? According to WIKIPEDIA, A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique.
Like the term “tyrant” (which was originally a non-pejorative Ancient Greek title), and to a lesser degree “autocrat”, “dictator” came to be used almost exclusively as a non-titular term for oppressive rule. Thus, in modern usage, the term “dictator” is generally used to describe a leader who holds or abuses an extraordinary amount of personal power. Dictatorships are often characterized by some of the following: suspension of elections and civil liberties; proclamation of a state of emergency; rule by decree; repression of political opponents; not abiding by the rule of law procedures, and cult of personality. Dictatorships are often one-party or dominant-party states.
They violate human rights
Over time, dictators have been known to use tactics that violate human rights. For example, under the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, government policy was enforced by extrajudicial killings, secret police and the notorious Gulag system of concentration camps. Most Gulag inmates were not political prisoners, although significant numbers of political prisoners could be found in the camps at any one time. Data collected from Soviet archives gives the death toll from Gulags at 1,053,829.[21] Other human rights abuses by the Soviet state included human experimentation, the use of psychiatry as a political weapon and the denial of freedoms of religion, assembly, speech and association.(Wikipedia)
The Lord do not expect Christians to act that way. He laid down a great principle which I called SERVANT LEADERSHIP.
Jesus defined it with His explanation that whoever will be great will be the servant of all. In order word the path to leadership is through servanthood..
The word “minister” in Greek is “diakonos” and it means: one who executes the commands of another, especially of a master, a servant, attendant, minister, the servant of a king, a deacon, one who, by virtue of the office assigned to him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge of and distributes the money collected for their use, a waiter, one who serves food and drink
The Greek word for “servant” is “doulos” and it means: a slave, bondman, man of servile condition
a slave, metaphorically, one who gives himself up to another’s will those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men, devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests.
He used Himself as an example that He came not to be the boss but to “diakonos” to the world.
He demonstrated it when He washed the feet of His disciples. That job was done in ancient time by the lowest of the lowest slave in the house. The slave washes the feet of the visitors before they enter into the house. Jesus did that to show us example of how to work our ways to leadership.
The same principle apply to business. Discover your gifts or passion: Develop it: find out how you could render service
Serve it free: volunteer your service, this day people want to be paid for every thing not knowing that referral is what bring connection
Look for need and service or problem in your neighborhood
Render free home lesson, volunteer to do social service, deliver message free, don’t be quick about money.
Joseph offered dream interpretation free but he later got rewarded for the same service he offered free to chief Butler.
Gen 40:9-12 KJV 9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; 10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: 11 And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. 12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:
Charge for it: after people have tasted it they will want it then you can charge for it.
Render service to people and they will pay you for it.
Money is an exchange for value
Therefore if you want more money then add more value to the service you are rendering.
May be you need to learn more skills, improve on the skills you have now so you can render more value which will translate into more money. Nobody will give you free money unless you render service.
Serve people and you will be the chief
Second principle or model of becoming leader
Allos
Joh 14:16 KJV And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
The Greek word “Allos” means “another of the same kind”. This is in contrast to “heteros” which means “another of a different kind”. Heteros is used to describe something or someone who is different but similar of.
When Jesus was going, He told the disciples that He was not going to leave them but He will come back to them. He said He will another comforter like Him. “Allosparakletos” is the Greek word for Holy Spirit there and it means one of the same kind. Holy Spirit is just exactly like Jesus. He is called the Spirit of Jesus. In fact anyone who doesn’t have the Spirit of Jesus is not Jesus’s own.
Rom 8:9 KJV But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
There are many places in the Bible in which “allos” principle is manifested. In Genesis during the creation of the heaven and the earth, allos was the creative principle God applied.
Gen 1:26 KJV And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
God created us to be like Himself. We were created in His own image and likeness. The word “likenesss” actually means to function like Him, be like Him, in order word, we are allos of God. One of the same kind. We resemble God in many ways: He is a Spirit, we are spirit too. There are three parts to Godhead; God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirt. Mankind is in three parts too, we are spirit, that have souls and live in earthly vessels.
When plants and trees were created, the same principle was applied:
Gen 1:11-12 KJV 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Fishes were after their kind
Gen 1:21 KJV And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Animals were after their kind
Gen 1:24-25 KJV 24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
APPLICATION
Whatever you desire to become in life, someone else somewhere has become it or has done it. Solomon said there is nothing new under the earth. Rather than trying to become somebody new, become allos of another. You want to become a great Pastor, seek for a great Pastor and adapt yourself after him, let him be your mentor, be a disciple to him and you will still be yourself in your unique calling but will definitely be his allos.
Some of the great ministers of the gospel today pattern their model of dressing, preaching, stage-manship after another person. This is very obvious when you see them. It is the principle of greatness.
Whatever you do, as a singer, lawyer, engineer, Doctor or whatever, there is somebody out there that has gone ahead, read their autograph or biograph and you will learn to be like them.
Elisha acted like Elijah because he was his allos. The same spirit of Elijah was on Johb the baptist, Bible described him as coming in the spirit of Elijah. Joshua was great because he was allos of Moses. Moses actually laid his hands on him. The disciples of Jesus ministered and preached like Jesus that make people to call them “Christians” in Antioch. They were His allos.
Find allos of your dream, bussines and follow after. You will retain your inherent God given potential and fulfil your purpose easily. Being an allos saves you the stress of starting new and going through the learning curves, making mistake here and there and learning from your own failure. You gain knowledge from what others have gone through and be a success in a hurry.