This is Part One in the "Faithful Servant Series" by Pastor Tim Hodge.

It seems today there is a plethora of material on “LEADERSHIP”.  But, it appears to me that we have gotten the cart before the horse.  We are trying to appropriate leaders who have not yet learned the qualities of servanthood.  Mind you, I am not belittling the great teaching that God is pouring into the body of Christ (the Church) in avenues of leadership.  Thank God for the John Maxwells and men like him all around the world who are breaking new ground in leadership. 

However, before we can learn to reign we’ve got to learn how to serve.  Before we learn how to sit on a royal throne we have to learn to thoroughly clean porcelain ones.  It is a fact which we must learn.

Servanthood builds character.  Too often we qualify someone as an anointed and a gifted leader because of their talents or their “charismatic gifts.”  Unfortunately a lot of people’s gifts take them to places that their character won’t or can’t keep them.  In the long run they do more harm than good and the kingdom of God is repeatedly tarnished because of their short-comings.  Well, slaves of Christ… welcome to “CHARACTER BUILDING 101.”

This series is in no way intended to denigrate anyone’s self-esteem or self-worth.  Let me say  that any one of us who participates in this series of messages either in the live services, through the tape ministry, or by reading the manuscripts in printed form or through our internet site is worth everything to God.  Glory to God for His great love for us.  However, this series is a direct onslaught toward any area of pride, so open yourself up and let the Holy Spirit do His thing: surgery.

As I prepare this study I am overwhelmed by the feeling the responsibility that this is not a “sermon preparation”, but a lifestyle preparation for MYSELF.  If I am to truly “demonstrate the passion of Christ” then I must first become a servant.  This fact is revealed in Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (KJV).  What was this… or better yet what IS this “mind”?  Christ “…made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a SERVANT, and was made in the likeness of men…” (Philippians 2:7b, KJV).  If I am going to be the faithful servant Christ wants me to be then I must be willing to “empty myself”—my agendas, my career goals, my retirement, my family, my stuff – everything.  Does that mean I leave my wife a note such as, “Dear Sweetie, I love you, but I’m leaving you, the kids, the vehicles, the house, everything and I’m going to live in a cave to be servant of Christ”?  Of course not.  But, if that is what God told me to do I’ve got to be resigned to the fact that I would do whatever He said.

We are in a day when those who hide under the shadowy covering of “CHRISTIAN” must be real.  REAL.  REAL.  REAL.  REAL.  Having a Christian fish on our car, a Christian t-shirt, and a W.W.J.D. bracelet isn’t going to cut it if you’re not real.  The best way to dispel the plague of hypocrisy from the body of Christ is to BE SO REAL that there is no doubt.  Being real does not mean perfection, but if we are genuine even our skeptics will have mercy on our failures.

What we are going to do first is to get a definition of this word “SERVANT.”  To do this we must look again to the aforementioned passage where Jesus took upon Himself the form of a “servant.”  That word in its original form which the Apostle Paul used under the unction of the Holy Spirit is the Greek word “doulos” (the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament was written in Greek).  According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance it is listed as word #1401 and is defined as “a slave.”  The Thayers Greek Lexicon describes the “doulos” as “devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests.”  To paraphrase a mixture of these two definitions we could say, “The doulos is a slave who is totally devoted to his master’s will to the point that the slave completely disregards his own self-interests.”

Let’s make this a God-centered workable definition:

“The doulos slave is a slave of God who is totally devoted to God’s will
to the point that the slave completely disregards his own self interests
knowing that our loving Master will abundantly provide for us.”

Remember the three underlined attributes of this definition: (1) totally devoted to God's will, (2) completely disregards his own self interests, and (3) knows the Master will abundantly provide.

Now I know there are going to be some super-spiritual kooks who are, right now, getting red faced as their blood pressure rises.  They are spewing out, “Nope.  Not me.  I don’t receive this!  That’s the law… that is the Old Testament… Christ has made me free indeed… don’t try to put me under bondage.”

Well, beloved I’m not trying to put you under bondage… I’m wanting to see you free.  If you missed it the verses used thus far are from the book of Philippians and that is in the New Testament.

You are free indeed in Christ Jesus.  He has set you free from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13).  However, read these words of Jesus, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:29, KJV).  The term “yoke” is metaphorically used in scripture to speak of “slavery.”

As already mentioned, this “SERVANTHOOD” is not to belittle your self-esteem or self-worth.  You must expect your Master to bless you.  I will refer to many verses which will show how “faithful servants” were made wealthy by their masters.  But, before honor comes humility (Proverbs 15:33; 18:12; 22:4).  Grasp this lesson quickly: God wants to do more in you than He does through you.  Learn this quickly and build character… the sooner you do the sooner you get out of character class.

Jump to Part 2: "It's A Mental Thing."

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