An Authentic Calling: Representing Christ and His Kingdom through the Church

Session 6 A Call to Service Understanding an Authentic Call as a Call to Service

Why describe the following concepts as responsibilities of the call of God?

• They are particular in the sense that although they include everyone within the covenant community they are fleshed out in specific, unique, and individualized ways . • They are particular in the sense that although the community is unified under a common covenantal purpose, the situations, gifts, backgrounds, and abilities of the individuals vary greatly according to God’s endowments. • They are particular in the sense that God orders the steps of each individual and family in the community and calls each according to his sovereign will and purpose , for his glory and the good of the community.

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I. Understanding an Authentic Call as a Call to Service

Given the importance of competent leaders in the Church – and in business and government, too – we might expect that the Bible would use the term more often. In fact, the King James Bible (on which many of my generation have been nurtured) uses the term leader only six times. Much more frequently, the role is called servant. We do not read about “Moses, my leader,” but “Moses, my servant.” And this is exactly what Christ taught. Jesus was a revolutionary, not in the guerilla warfare sense, but in his teaching on leadership. The term servant speaks everywhere of low prestige, low respect, low honor. Most people are not attracted to such a low-value role. When Jesus used the term, however, it was a synonym for greatness. And that was a revolutionary idea. Christ taught that the Kingdom of God was a community where each member served the other. Paul wrote in the same vein: “Serve one another in love” (Gal. 5.13). Our loving service should spread also to the needy world around us. But in most churches, a few people carry the load. Jesus knew that the idea of leader as “loving servant of all” would not appeal to most people. Securing our own creature comforts is a much more common mission. But “servant” is his requirement for those who want to lead in his Kingdom. ~ J. Oswald Sanders. Spiritual Leadership . 2nd Edition. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994. p. 21-22.

Matt. 20.25-28 (ESV) But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. [26] It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, [27] and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, [28] even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

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