Jesus The Powerful Servant

What did Jesus really mean when he said, "Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, the servant of all" (Mark 9:35)? Servant leadership is commended by popular leadership writers and scholars. However, much of the practical, theoretical, and even theological commentary on servant leadership doesn't do the Bible justice. It fails to account for the context and history of interpretation around this often-quoted saying of Jesus. This context has everything to do with a truly biblical understanding of servant leadership, and that's what Servant of All unfolds. In a culture where greatness is often confused with fame or competence, Servant of All is a much-needed correction. This useful guide includes personal and group reflection questions, ideal for ministry training and discipleship.

The world is obsessed with leaders: identifying them, training them, becoming them. Even in the church, this preoccupation is all-too apparent. Jesus, however, is not interested in developing leaders. Rather, he is interested in the formation of servants. In this powerful reflection on leadership and servanthood, Dr. Hwa Yung addresses the overemphasis on leadership development within the church. Challenging a culture of hubris, ambition, and self-seeking, he reminds us that ministry is not a call to position and power but to service and obedience. He draws us back to the example of Christ, who came as a servant of God and of his kingdom, who lived in submission to the Father, and who rooted himself in his identity as the incarnate Son of God. Linking spiritual authority to these three characteristics, Hwa Yung offers examples from both Scripture and church history to demonstrate that it is in fact the faithful practice of servanthood that leads to leadership impact.

Have you ever thought about the leadership style of Jesus Christ? There has never been anyone who has had an influence on the world the same as Jesus. He began His ministry with a small group of men who He equipped to change the world. Jesuss strategy of leading did not focus on prestige, wealth, power, or force. The plan of Jesus, from the start of His ministry, was to be a servant-leader. The servant-leadership style of Jesus is a strategy that will benefit any organization, business, charity group, or congregation.

Arguing that the way Jesus leads and the way we follow are symbiotic, Peterson begins with a study of how the ways of those who came before Christ revealed and prepared the way of the Lord that became complete in Jesus. He then challenges the ways of the contemporary American church, showing in stark relief how what we have chosen to focus on--consumerism, celebrity, charisma, and so forth--obliterates what is unique in the Jesus way.

Servantship is essentially about following our Lord Jesus Christ, the servant Lord, and his mission--it is a life of discipleship to him, patterned after his self-emptying, humility, sacrifice, love, values, and mission. Servantship is humbly valuing others more than yourself, and looking out for the interests and wellbeing of others. Servantship is the cultivation of the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: making yourself nothing, being a servant, humbling yourself, and submitting yourself to the will and purposes of the triune God. Since servantship is the imitation of Christ, it involves an unreserved participation in the missio Dei--the Trinitarian mission of God. In this pioneering work, sixteen servants describe the four movements of radical servantship. Servantship is the movement 1.from leadership to radical servantship; 2.from shallowness to dynamic theological reflection; 3.from theories to courageous practices; and 4.from forgetfulness to transforming memory. Servantship recognizes, in word, thought, and deed, that "whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

"This book presents a biblical theology of discipleship that gives the “big picture” of God’s relationship with humanity. It surveys God’s interaction with humankind from Eden, through the sequence of the biblical covenants, and on into the fulfillment that comes in Jesus. Throughout, the twin themes emerge—one of God’s demand of righteousness and another of his prior, enabling grace. Discipleship to Jesus stands in relation to its Old Testament precedents, preserving continuity in the grace/demand interplay. Jesus’ ministry to Israel is the fulfillment of the interactions between God and his people, assuming the roles of righteous King and gracious Servant. Faithful discipleship to Jesus the King, therefore, must always involve responding to his bracing call for righteousness, but doing so in the ongoing experience of the Servant’s prior, enabling grace. This book provides an understanding of Jesus that will facilitate ongoing experiences of transforming grace, which in turn will enable faithful discipleship. As such, it presents a view of Christian discipleship that is grounded in an informed Christology of Jesus, the Servant King."