#456: 8 Signs of A Courageous Christian Servant Leader

In 1970, Robert Greenleaf published an essay entitled “The Servant as Leader.” The concept of the servant as leader marked a significant change in leadership models from the command-and-control model prevalent following World War II and the Korean War.

Command and control leaders, Greenleaf said, led out of a need to control, whereas “the servant leader is a  servant first who happens to lead…it begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.”

Greenleaf’s servant leader model may have been viewed as a novel approach to management in 1970, but it was far from new. As any student of the New Testament will tell you, Jesus was the ultimate servant leader. Moreover, the model of servant leadership Jesus espoused is seen in His disciples.

Paul, for example, wrote on several occasions about the need for leaders to be servants of the followers in the young Christian church.

Servant Leadership in Galatians

One example of Paul’s writing on servant leadership is in Galatians 6. While Paul never uses the term “servant leader,” it is clear from his writing, following the example of Jesus as a servant leader, that it is what he had in mind as he wrote to the Galatians.

To understand Paul’s instructions in Galatians 6, we first need to understand the context supplied in Galatians 5.

The focus of Galatians 5 is freedom in Christ vs. the Law (5:1-15) and the need to walk by the Spirit, not the flesh (5:16-26).

• “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these (5:19-21).
• “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (5:22-23).

The focus of  Galatians 6 is our freedom in Christ as expressed through service to our brothers in Christ.

Galatians 6:1-5 (ESV)

¹  Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
²  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the Law of Christ.
³  For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
⁴  But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.
⁵  For each will have to bear his own load.

Verse 1 — Restoration of a fallen brother

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Sin is not a hypothetical possibility in the body of Christ, but it is a reality.

The transgressions Paul has in mind are not specified here, but he is likely thinking of the works of the flesh just mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21.

Who Should Take Action?

Paul identifies the people responsible for restoring a brother as those “who are spiritual.”

Spiritual brothers and sisters are those who are led by the Spirit of God, as evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

What Action Should Be Taken?

Paul then explains that we should restore the fellow believer caught in sin.

The Greek word for “restore” means “to put in order” or “to restore to its former condition.” Elsewhere (Matt 4:21; Mark 1:19), this same word is used to mend or overhaul fishnets. It was also a part of the medical vocabulary of ancient Greece, where it meant “to set a fractured or dislocated bone.”

How Should This Action Be Taken?

Paul does not prescribe the exact restoration method except to say it is to be done in a spirit of gentleness (an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit).

We do not respond with violent, arrogant emotions. Gentleness, as a fruit of the Spirit, is not weakness; it is strength under control.

Paul likely had the process of church discipline in mind when he said we should restore fellow believers. Jesus’ four-step discipline process in the church also applies to us in the business world (Matthew 18:15-17): address the issue one on one; if they do not respond, take 2-3 witnesses. Then, if they still do not respond, take the matter before the church body.

A Warning for the Restorer

Paul shifts from his emphatic instruction to restore in a spirit of gentleness to a warning for the person engaged in restoring a brother. The temptation is to respond self-righteously or arrogantly (Galatians 5:20). To ward off this temptation, Paul specifically reminds us to be mindful of the temptation, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:26).

Paul gave a similar warning to the Corinthians, saying, “Let anyone who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Verse 2 — The bearing of others’ burdens

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Paul’s statement is imperative; we must bear one another’s burdens. Burden sharing among Christians is not optional.

What Kind of Burden is to be Shared?

The Greek word “burdens” is also translated as “weight.” Thus, initially, it referred to “a heavy weight or stone” someone must carry for a long distance.

So, Paul is saying there are some burdens in life we simply cannot manage on our own. They are too heavy a load for us to bear.

All Christians have burdens, and our burdens differ. For some, they may be moral lapses, others may struggle with physical maladies, mental disorders, family crises, lack of employment, and so on, but we all have burdens too great for us to carry alone.

At these times, says Paul, our duty as Christians is to come alongside our struggling brothers and share the load with them.

Why Should We Share the Burden?

Paul explains that we fulfill the Law of Christ by sharing these burdens with our brothers and sisters. The Law of Christ expressed by Jesus in John 13:34-35 is:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

There could be no burden-bearing except from a principle of love. The fulfillment of the duty implies fulfillment of Christ’s Law.

Verse 3 — A warning against self-deceit.

“For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”

A Warning Against Self-Deception

Paul continues warning the person engaged in the restoration of a fellow believer not to think too highly of themselves as though they could not fall victim to similar temptations.

The Effect of Self-Deception on Ourselves

We are not self-sufficient. The person who believes they do not need others is pridefully deceiving themselves. They are wrong on two counts: 1) they believe caring for others is too menial for them, and 2) they believe it is a sign of weakness to ask for or accept help themselves.

The Effect of Self-Deception on Others

A self-deceived person is incapable of bearing others’ burdens. Their imagined superiority leads them to be harsh, critical, and overbearing. They have forgotten Paul’s admonition to the Philippians “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:4).

Verse 4 — The necessity of testing our work.

“But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.”

A Warning Against Comparison

This instruction to test our own work warns us to avoid comparing ourselves with others and thinking we are better than our struggling brothers.

A proper self-examination of our own work requires testing our thoughts, actions, and attitudes in light of the will of God.

What Reason Will We have to Boast?

The word translated “boast” or “pride” is always positive when recognizing what the Lord has done in our lives and is always negative sinful pride when the focus is on self.

We exhibit good pride or gratitude to the Lord as we carry our assigned loads well.

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Romans 12:3).

We exhibit sinful pride if we assume a “holier than thou” attitude toward others.

We exhibit Godly pride when we rejoice in our good work rather than the failure of others!

Verse 5 — Our own individual burden.

“For each will have to bear his own load.”

The Greek word translated “load” is also translated as “burden.” Originally it meant the pack of a marching soldier.

We Each Have Our Own Burden from God

Specific Christian responsibilities (burdens) are assigned to each believer and cannot be shared with others. Jesus said,

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).

We Are Individually Accountable to God

Every one of us will bear his own “load of responsibility” at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, said,

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

8 Signs of A Courageous Christian Servant Leader

Victor Frankl once said,

“Don’t aim at success—the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself.”

The same could be said for servant leaders. We do not aim to be servant leaders. Instead, being a servant leader results from our day-to-day actions and our dedication to Christ.

The lessons on servant leadership from Paul in this passage of Galatians for the courageous Christians leader are clear:

• We realize and accept that people will fall.
• We are ready to come alongside to assist in their restoration gently.
• We maintain a humble heart, realizing that we, too, are tempted to sin in every way.
• We bear one another’s burdens because of our love for one another.
• We are careful not to delude ourselves into thinking we are better than anyone else.
• We examine the motives for our own work, knowing our accomplishments are only through God because of His Grace.
• We are aware of the responsibilities God has assigned us individually and accept that we will each be held accountable for how we used the gifts He gave us.
• We recognize the difference between situations when we need to step in to help carry another’s burdens and times when we need to step back and let people carry their own burdens.

While we do not set a goal to be servant leaders, we become servant leaders by how we lead. Abiding these eight lessons from Paul to the Galatians will put us well along the road to being a servant leader who brings honor and glory to Christ.

More Articles

I have written several articles on servant leadership. You can find them by typing “servant leadership” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are four of my favorites.

• #309: Do You Know This Servant-Hearted Seamstress Who Caused A Revival?
• #374: Is Serving What We Are Called to Do?
• #414: What Is Different About A Leader in The Kingdom of God?
• #427: Powerful, Faithful Godly Leaders Embody These Two Traits

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. Do you see the benefit of being a servant leader today? Which element of servant leadership from Paul’s instructions to the Galatians do you struggle with the most?

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Category: Relationships | Servant Leadership