https://odb.org/2023/09/20/shooting-ourselves-in-the-foot
In Mark 10:35-45, John and James, the sons of Zebedee, asked Jesus that they be placed at the right and left hands of Jesus. In other words, in the Kingdom of God that Jesus was advocating, they wanted to be No.2 and No.3. Jesus answered them by saying they didn’t know what they were asking and asked them whether they could drink the cup he would drink? Meaning, could they also die on the cross with Him? They answered yes – because they probably didn’t know what Jesus meant. In the end, Jesus said that their request was not for Him to grant but reminded that whoever wants to be great in the Kingdom of God must be a servant and whoever wants to be first must be a slave to all. For even Jesus did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.
Thus, the basis for leadership in church is service and not to be served. The leader is the one who works the hardest, who tirelessly attends to everyone’s needs. That is why it is very tough to be a pastor in church. Everyone’s problems are yours to help resolve, no matter what time of day. Then you have the weddings and the funerals, the baptisms, and the pulpit. It’s the servant-leader model, where service is key. That is why Jesus said you need to be slave to all!
While not everyone is called to shepherd a church, those of us in ministry will know that once we start, it’s service all the way. It’s somewhat like the disciples of Christ (Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John), although not quite. The day they dropped their fishing nets to follow Jesus, there is no turning back. For example, I have been serving in the church since I was a young boy and have been doing so for the past 40 years. It didn’t matter what my role was, but I continued to play some role here and there, in music, cell groups, and even in Christmas presentations.
The message this morning is for every one of us to continue to serve God in the church and from wherever we are. Service is the essence of Christian leadership. To do great things for God is to serve Him. Start small, but start somewhere. Once you start, you will never be able to stop – you will have your boots on the ground until your dying breadth! I recall my own dad was counselling someone in the morning before he was hospitalised in the afternoon and passed on the next morning. To love Jesus is to feed His lambs (see John 21: 15-19).
Ronnie's Thoughts 