Login | Sign up

Robert K. Greenleaf, founder of the Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, said, "The great leader is seen as a servant first, and that simple fact is the key to his greatness."

Two thousand years ago, Jesus taught that truth to His disciples and lived it out. As the Son of God, He had been given "all authority...  in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). Yet He did not force people to follow and obey Him. His leadership model was radically different from what we see in today's world. It was one of humility and unselfish service to others.

Christlike leadership means considering the needs of our neighbors before our own, seeking their good, encouraging their spiritual growth and intimacy with God. It means treating others the way God has treated us. Servant leaders employ gentle persuasion and reason rather than barking orders and ultimatums. They don't dictate or demand but recognize that before God they themselves are but servants who are only doing their duty (Luke 17:10).

Whatever our position of leadership, we will never lose if we lose ourselves for others. Service that cares for others is the basis of true greatness.

For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus sake. 2 Corinthians 4:5. References from  1 Corinthians 1:1-17.

Walt Disney was once asked how it felt to be a celebrity. It feels fine when it helps to get a good seat for a football game, he answered. But it never helped me to make a good film or a good shot in a polo game, or command the obedience of my daughter. It doesn't even seem to keep fleas off our dogs... and if being a celebrity won't give one an advantage over a couple of fleas, then I guess there can't be much in being a celebrity after all.

The apostle Paul also found that celebrity status wasn't an advantage. Some in the Corinthian church had begun to identify themselves as followers of their favourite preachers, to the detriment of the church and of those who had come to be viewed as Christian celebrities.

The city of Corinth was built on a causeway between two seas and located on the main commercial route between East and West in the Roman empire. This meant that the Corinthian church was located in one of the busiest and most influential seaports of the ancient world. It was an especially gifted church that had enjoyed the ministry of some of the greatest preachers of the New Testament era (v3,12).

Instead of benefiting from these blessings, however, the Corinthians had begun to divide into factions. Some had identified themselves as followers of Paul, others of Apollos, and some of Peter. A few had adopted a super-spiritual pose by refusing to listen to any human teacher at all.

This inner rivalry splintered the church and obscured its message. Christian discipleship was no longer about following Christ, but a matter of following human teachers. Ironically, despite excellent teaching and a wealth of spiritual gifts, the Corinthian church became spiritually complacent and arrogant.

When it should have been one of the strongest churches, the tendency to fight over teachers made it one of the weakest. This fractured its relationships, hurt its testimony before the unbelieving world, and threatened to empty the message of its power. Because of this, one of the Corinthian church's greatest strengths became its greatest weakness.