|
About
CFCFFL
Who
is the CFCFFL?
The
Movement for Restoration Our
Covenant
Our
Mission and Vision
Our Statement of philosophy
Our
Core Values
Family Ministries Kids
for Family and Life (KFL) Youth
for Family and Life (YFL)
Singles
for Family and Life (SFL)
Handmaids
for Family and Life (HFL)
Servants
for Family and Life (SvFL)
Wish
to JOIN?
The
highest courage is to dare to be yourself in the face of adversity,
choosing right over wrong, ethics over convenience, and truth over
popularity.
Travel the path of integrity without looking back, for THERE IS
NEVER A WRONG TIME TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
-
Bishop Soc Villegas
25 July 2007
|
<< Go
to the "Servant Leadership" Menu...
ON SERVANT
LEADERSHIP
(Part 19)
PROCLAIMING THE FULL GOSPEL
June 7, 2011
Today’s reading: Acts 20:17-27
Paul was the servant leader par excellence. We have much to
learn from him, as he spoke to the presbyters of the church at
Ephesus in his farewell address at Miletus (Acts 20:17).
First, he was a zealous evangelizer. By the witness of his life
and words, he brought many people “to repentance before God and
to faith in our Lord Jesus.” (Acts 20:21). For us in CFC-FFL, we
do person-to-person evangelization, and bring people to our
Christian Life Seminar (CLS), where they are brought to repentance
and faith. Leaders not only lead others, but are right there at
the forefront of evangelization, proclaiming the good news of
salvation in Jesus. We are not arm-chair generals, but we plunge
into the battle with our soldiers.
Second, Paul “did not shrink from proclaiming to (them) the
entire plan of God.” (Acts 20:27). Those of us who are top
leaders in the community need to educate and form our people,
especially other leaders and most especially seniors (elders),
according to the whole plan of God. This includes, nay,
necessitates, the hard teachings, such as:
-
the lessons of
Lamentations
-
the lessons of
Job, especially on redemptive suffering
-
the call to give
our all for the cause of Christ
-
the true meaning
of servant leadership.
Third, Paul “did not at all shrink from telling (them) what was
for (their) benefit” (Acts 20:20a). At times we are reluctant to
speak a hard word to our leaders, for fear of hurting them or
turning them away. This is a great disservice, for we then keep
them from fully maturing in Christ. What is for the benefit of
leaders? It is to know the meaning of God’s call to servanthood,
especially the very challenging aspects. Consider the following:
-
If we are to be
disciples, then we are to deny ourselves and carry our cross.
-
If we are to take
territory from the enemy, we are to be formed as warriors,
mindful of the suffering and pain that spiritual warfare
brings.
-
While
encouragement is important, fraternal correction is a must.
-
While care and
concern are a staple of community life, so is tough love.
-
While there will
be many blessings as we serve the Lord, there will be trials
and oppression and persecution as well.
Fourth, servant
leaders are to be obedient to the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies us
and sends us out on mission. We are not to choose what we prefer
to do. We are not to eschew the hard assignments. We are not to be
so overly careful (we do need to be prudent) that we are no longer
willing to take risks. Paul’s posture was this: “compelled by
the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there
I do not know” (Acts 20:22-23a). We are to tread even into the
unknown, into uncharted territories, fully trusting in God and His
provision.
Fifth, servant leaders must be willing, nay, even eager, to
embrace the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the way of
discipleship. This is the way of our Master and Lord. The cross is
where the path of holiness leads to. The Holy Spirit continually
warned Paul that imprisonment and hardships awaited him (Acts
20:23), but he plodded on. In fact, are we not to rejoice when our
Lord Jesus gives us the privilege to suffer for him as we pursue
his mission?
Sixth, we must be persevering, dogged, zealous, single-minded,
persistent, in the pursuit of our mission. Even to the point of
giving our very lives. “Yet I consider life of no importance to
me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I
received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the gospel of
God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24). Our mission should consume us. We
have been given a responsibility, and woe to us if we do not
proclaim the gospel. We have been given a great privilege, and we
simply rejoice in that. We hold nothing back, we give our all, we
endure through the challenges. We want to be found to be good and
faithful servants, whom our Master will welcome into his joy.
Finally, in the face of God showing His glory through us as we
serve Him (Is 49:3), we are to remain humble. We are mere
instruments. The glory belongs only to God. In fact, the
sufferings in mission are designed to keep us down-to-earth, to
realize that apart from God we can do nothing, to know that we in
fact are the obstacles to God’s work, but to be thankful that
God still works in spite of us. Like Paul, we must be able to say,
“I served the Lord with all humility and with the tears and
trials that came to me” (Acts 20:19a).
God formed us as a servant from the womb, tasked to bring back and
gather to Him His people (Is 49:5a). Let us apply ourselves to
this task, proclaiming the full gospel to the world, including our
brethren who are already with us and the leaders who are already
serving. And let us look to Paul, who moved in the very strength
of God.
|
