"Servantship"

Articles

Philip C. Strong
09/24/24 - Discipleship

“Leadership” gets a lot of play. During the Covid epidemic, I did an online live bible study on “Leadership Lessons from the Life of Moses” that garnered surprising interest and attention. “Servantship,” I suspect, would not be as popular. Although we readily admit the biblical concept of servitude, even the word is somewhat distasteful and “demeaning” to our current culture. Being a “leader” is much more palatable.

The “service industry” is struggling to find those willing: a) to actually work; and, b) to serve others. Obviously, “management” positions are preferred, even within “service-oriented” businesses. However, the general lack of work ethics of modernity, or its causes or cures, is not our purpose here. Instead, think of the bleed-over effects a general disdain for service, and preference for being served, have on us spiritually…

In Worship. Generally, most of us like being served. We go out to eat and grade the “service” as much as the “food.” But unfortunately, many of us tend to bring that mentality with us to worship. If the “service” is not what we prefer, or up to our standards, we think “‘My how tiresome it is!’ And (insert “we” instead of) you disdainfully sniff at it,” Mal.1:13. We want to be not only served in worship, but served according to our tastes. However, worship “services” are not a restaurant with a menu from which we get to pick and choose according to our own individual tastes. We are supposed to be there to serve God, not ourselves, “Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name,” Heb.13:15.

In Prayer. All too often, our prayers- at least our public ones and perhaps even those tendered in private also, seem to be more of a recitation of our list of needs, wants, and desires submitted to a “Celestial Santa Claus” concept of God, rather than an avenue of praise and thanksgiving to the Creator of the Universe, the Giver and Sustainer of life, and the Author of eternal salvation. This is not to say that petitions and entreaties (cf. 1Tim.2:1) are wrong, for they definitely are not, Matt:7:7ff. It is just that sometimes I fear we resemble the “two daughters” of the “leech” in Prov.30:15, “Give” and “Give.” It’s as if we expect God to serve us rather than the other way around! And, should He say “No” to one of our multitudinous demands (even if it’s in our own best interest, cf. Jas.4:3), then we feel we’re not being properly served and decide to go elsewhere.

In Fellowship. Brethren are given one another in fellowship that we might love one another (1John 2:9-10; 3:10-11; 4:7-8,20-21; 5:1), care for one another (1Cor.12:12-26), be devoted to one another (Rom.12:10) educate and encourage one another (Eph.4:11-16; 5:19), all of which means we “serve” another, Gal.5:13! But if we are only interested in having our own “appetites” or desires served, we make ourselves “enemies of the cross of Christ,” and our only “glory” is in our “shame,” cf. Phil.3:18-19. Fellowship with one another is supposed to be a mutual service experience (cf. Phil.2:1-4), not an “everyone is here to serve me” situation, Rom.16:17-18.

If “serving” is beneath you, Christianity is not for you. If you are a “leadership” person rather than a “servant” person, then: a) you really don’t understand leadership; and, b) you’re not practicing Christianity. Perhaps we need more “servantship” classes and training!