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A. God/Jesus Christ Is the Ultimate Master
B. The Contrast Between True Leaders and the
Type of "Leader" (False Leader) That the World Offers
Serving the "Real" Master
One Cannot Serve Two Masters - Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13
Must Do One's Job Faithfully and Properly - Luke 12:42,45-48; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Serving Both out of Love and out of Fear - John 21:16; 2 Corinthians 5:11a
We Are Not Better than Our Master/Teacher; We must Imitate/Follow Him - Matthew 10:24-25a; Luke 6:40; John 12:26; John 13:13-17; John 15:20a
People Will Respond to Us the Same Way They Would Respond to Our Master - Matthew 10:25b; John 15:20
With Regard to Control over Others
False Leaders - Matthew 20:25-26a; Mark 10:42-43a; Luke 22:24-26a
True Leaders - Matthew 20:26-28; Mark 10:43-45; Luke 22:26-27 [The time for "sitting at the table" would come in the future... v.28-30]
With Regard to "Credentials" and External Appearances of Leadership/Importance
False Leaders - Matthew 23:5-7
True Leaders - Galatians 2:6a; Philippians 3:7-11
With Regard to Titles
False Leaders - Matthew 23:7; Luke 22:25
True Leaders - Matthew 23:8-10
"Character Qualities" of True Leaders That Go Against the World's False Concept of "Leadership"
Conflicting Priorities/Emphasis
(1) Serving Jesus is more important than man's approval - Galatians 1:9-10
(2) Knowledge is more important than being a "trained" speaker - Acts 18:24 [The issue of "training" was not an issue.]; 2 Corinthians 11:6
[Don't forget Moses, in the O.T.! Exodus 4:10 // Numbers 12:3]
Lack of Qualities That the World Thinks Are a Part of Leadership; Presence of Those That the World Thinks Disqualify a Person from Being a Leader
(1) Weakness, lack of success - 2 Corinthians 4:7-11; 2 Corinthians 11:23b-30
(2) The acknowledged need for prayer - concerning their ability to speak and concerning their fears - Ephesians 6:19-20; Colossians 4:3-4
(3) The need for encouragement - 2 Timothy 1:6-9a
Being "Nobodies"
(1) For the most part, "nobodies" are the ones whom God saves. [That alone is enough to "disqualify" most Christians - from the world's perspective.] - 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
(2) Yet even the least of the "nobodies" - if they have "renewed" their minds according to the Word of God (Romans 12:1-2) - are more qualified to make discernment in matters of right and wrong, than are the greatest of the world's leaders - 1 Corinthians 6:1,4-6
(3) Even from the standpoint of the kingdom of God, we have nothing to boast about: there was nothing special about us that caused God to grant us salvation! - 2 Timothy 1:9a
How to Identify Who Is Great/who Can Really Be Called "First"? - Matthew 18:1,4; Matthew 23:11-12; Mark 9:34-35; Luke 9:46,48
Dennis Hinks © 1994