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When we demonstrate the heart and humility of Christ, we practice transformational leadership, we practice servant leadership, we practice spiritual leadership. And while this is an encouragement to focus upon the interests of others beyond our own in our interactions with them, it does serve our interests, because, in serving like Christ, we become like him, and we know him on a level we could not have otherwise imagined.
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Demonstrating the Heart and Humility of Christ as Spiritual Leaders
We have a growing list of scriptures that have guided us in our journey. These scriptures have given us direction and courage. Last week, in episode 92, we reviewed some of those scriptures. In episode 81 we discussed the topic of Living Joyfully Through Embracing Humility. In episode 64 we discussed 7 Scriptures to Guide Your Great Adventure. Now we have 10!
Here’s the “original” list:
- 2 Kings 6 — Open our spiritual eyes to see the spiritual reality
- 2 Corinthians 4.18 — Fix your eyes on the unseen
- Jeremiah 33.3 — God will show you things you could not otherwise see
- Ezekiel 37 — Prophesy to the “Wind”
- Zechariah 4.6 — The task is accomplished through spiritual empowerment
- Matthew 6.33 — Supernatural provision
- Ephesians 3.20 — Beyond our imagination
We added #8, Philippians 1.12, as a part of our story: That which has happened to us has served for the advancement of the gospel.
We added #9, Galatians 2.20, because we are called to “Live Dead.” We are crucified in Christ, nevertheless, we live, but it is Christ living in us. We’ve determined to not live according to feelings, but to live by faith. Our lives are not our own.
This is spiritual leadership: Surrendering our lives, our dreams, our vision, our priorities to Christ.
Spiritual leadership is about leading others in the pursuit of living a life with Christ in the center.
Just this week we added #10, Philippians 2.3-4.
If you’ve listened to the last several episodes you’ve heard us talk about demonstrating the heart and humility of Christ.
To recap: We do not ONLY experience Christ through our prayer and devotion. We do not ONLY experience Christ through corporate worship. There is a dimension to knowing Christ that we only experience when we serve others with the heart of Christ.
Our mission is not about David and Donna. This is not a lark or a fun adventure, this is THE great adventure, this is coming closer and closer to the unfolding of the purpose of Christ in our lives of losing ourselves and finding joy through serving.
Demonstrating the Heart and Humility of Christ
Philippians 2.3-4 says:
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (ESV)
Let’s consider some key words…
Selfish — Lacking consideration for OTHERS, concerned chiefly with one’s OWN personal profit or pleasure.
I am sick and tired of social media ads about starting a blog, a podcast, an online business so you can sit on the beach and rake money in. Listen, in a gold rush, the only ones who make money are the first ones there and then the ones selling shovels. Those people are selling shovels to people with dreams of gold.
Spiritual Leadership is about leading others to participation in a God-path.
“Selfish” is the antithesis to “serving.”
Ambition — A strong desire to do or achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.
Nothing wrong with ambition. We are ambitious. We are ambitious to pursue a God-vision. We are not motivated by selfish ambition, but by an ambition to advance the Good News.
Conceit — Excessive pride in oneself.
We’ve all known a few conceited leaders. They thought they were “all that.” We have to coach ourselves in boldness and confidence. I’ve always had a confidence challenge. If only I could see myself the way God and others see me. Self-confidence is often misplaced. We need God-confidence. As it relates to self, we’ve got to have confidence in God in US. We’ve got to have confidence in God ability and desire to empower US.
Paul made this declaration, “…we…put no confidence in the flesh…” (Philippians 3:3)
Now, let’s consider some key phrases…
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit…”
Our motivation cannot be a strong desire to work hard to achieve something for the sake of our own personal profit or pleasure. Our ambition cannot lack consideration of what is best and needful for the transformation of others. Our motivation and confidence must not be an excessive pride in ourselves and our abilities. Our natural abilities will never be enough to prompt spiritual transformation.
“…but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
Significant — sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy
In humility, think of others as greater or more important than yourself. We are so afraid of being a “doormat” that we brace ourselves to contend for ourselves. What if we simply took a posture of thinking of others as significant? What if we took a servant posture that governed our interaction with other reckon them as more significant in the interaction than ourselves?
When we interact with others, a young leader, an older person, someone on a journey, could we possibly interact with them in such a way as to focus on them rather than on ourselves, just in that one extended moment?
This positions us to demonstrate the heart and humility of Christ. It sets us up to experience Christ in a way in which we have not yet known him.
Are others more important than me? This scripture says “count” or “consider” or “reckon” them to be more significant. We believe this indicates than our interactions with them should position us to focus upon them rather than upon ourselves in the context of those interactions.
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests,…”
Finally, the comforting implication that we are to consider and look to our own interests. For Christ, the interest was the redemption and transformation of all people. He never lost sight of that interest. So, we anchor in our redeemed interests, but not exclusively.
“…but also to the interests of others.”
It is the difference between TRANSACTIONAL and TRANSFORMATIONAL leadership. Transactional leadership focuses upon if-you-do-this-I-will-do-that. It is an exchange. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.
Spiritual leadership is servant leadership. It is a leadership style that serves the interests of others. Spiritual leadership is transformational leadership. It is a leadership style that seeks to invest in the growth, and the true spiritual interests of those we lead and lift.
This is the challenge…
I so remember sitting in the chair in my study inching my way through the book of Philippians in early 2013. My world was rocked. I was hurting. My grief and pain centered upon me. I was the one who experienced loss. I was the one who was feeling pain. I needed to be the center of people’s sympathy and comfort. Me.
I clearly remember coming to Philippians 2 and coming to the realization that as great as was my pain, I had to take myself out of the center of this narrative and put Christ in the center of the story. Believe me, that was painful to let go of center stage when I felt it was rightfully mine because of the pain I was experiencing.
The rest of Philippians chapter 2 tells the story of Christ humbling himself, becoming incarnate flesh, stepping down from his position to serve the greatest need of humanity. This story serves as our example.
Calibration Tools… Calibrating our Lives and Lifting Those We Love and Lead
- How do you manage the tension between self-confidence and confidence in what God has invested in you? Does your thinking need adjusted or realigned in this area?
- As a spiritual leader, how do you or will you deal with situations when the “interests of others” are selfish or uninformed?
- In what ways is your leadership transactional? How will you realign? In what ways are you leading transformationally?
- In what parts of your “story” are you in the center and how must you or can you shift that center to Christ?
Finally…
When we demonstrate the heart and humility of Christ, we practice transformational leadership, we practice servant leadership, we practice spiritual leadership. And while this is an encouragement to focus upon the interests of others beyond our own in our interactions with them, it does serve our interests, because, in serving like Christ, we become like him, and we know him on a level we could not have otherwise imagined.
Foundational scripture #10, Philippians 2.3-4 — Demonstrate the heart and humility of Christ.
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