What do you most admire in a leader? There are many answers to this. Some might say they admire clear thinking and straight talking, others competency, whilst others look for character. What was Jesus' model of leadership? He has certainly has authority and power. He teaches in a way that inspires some and turns others away. He acts in a way that both provokes and heals. That said, the standout attribute of Jesus the leader is his position of servanthood. What does it mean to follow Jesus the servant leader? Let's explore this by looking at Mark 10:32-45 and the request of James and John, who needed to learn a lesson from Jesus about what it means to lead. It is a lesson that applies to every follower of Jesus.

Servant Leadership

'Jesus loved them to the end'. This is one of those phrases in the Bible that stops you in your tracks. What does it mean for Jesus to love them to the end? As we explore the second topic on Servant Leadership, our focus will be on when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples - a symbolic act that displays ‘loving them to the end’. Jesus knows who he is. He knows why he has come into the world. He knows what is about to happen to him on the cross, and the foot washing is an act of selfless, sacrificial, servant love. Wow! It is sometimes hard for us to receive such love. We may be resistant, or feel unworthy or uncomfortable at being served. It is humbling to receive such love. Leadership is about learning to answer the question that Jesus asks 'Do you understand what I have done for you?' As we learn to answer, we are invited to follow and also wash the feet of others - meaning to love as Jesus loves. 'It is when we love one another, that the world might believe' (John 13:34-35).

Servant Leadership (2)

Holy Week is that moment in the year when we pause to remember that “Christmas is important but Easter is decisive”* Why? Well, because Jesus showed us the full extent of his love on the cross. How He forgave us and set us free to experience the fullness of life. How He rose from the dead and so offered hope for the world. A lot happens in Holy Week. It is decisive. Have you made a decision to follow Him?

*Apparently quoted by the former Arsenal Football manager Arsene Wenger regarding winning the English Football Premier League, but hey, it's a good line for the Christian faith too!

Easter is Decisive

Question – Are you willing to do a bit of preparation before you listen to this sermon? The mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read the letter of Philemon. It’s the shortest letter written by the apostle Paul - only 25 verses long - and comes just before Hebrews towards the end of the New Testament. The heart of the letter is about the health of the heart. It involves human relationships, gospel transformation, inspiring challenge and change in action and attitudes, and about living in such a way that honours Jesus by refreshing the lives of others. Wow, so much packed into such a short letter. Go on, give it a read. It’ll both warm and soften your heart, which is never a bad thing! 

Refreshing Hearts

What does it mean to welcome someone who is 'not one of us'? This question is at the heart of Paul's most personal letter to Philemon, his family and the church in Colosse. He writes, '... so if you consider me your partner, welcome him (Onesimus the slave) as you would welcome me'. It is clear what Paul is saying and asking of the church. You should expand your welcome beyond your imagination. Paul aligns Onesimus, the runaway slave who has stolen and wronged Philemon, with himself. You couldn’t get two more different people, yet Paul says to Philemon and the whole church, treat us the same. What is going on here? Every church wants to be welcoming until, perhaps, it becomes too uncomfortable. Welcome was never meant to be an easy characteristic of church life. Welcome is costly, it is challenging, it disturbs and for some, it is plain frightening. But welcome is also at the heart of the gospel because welcome says you belong, and to belong is the invitation of Jesus to all. Now that is good news!

Welcoming All

Wherever we are and wherever we go, God is present and at work. Everyone is made in God’s image and that is a beautiful thing. The truth is, however, that although each of us is gloriously made by God, we are tragically fallen too. So, how do we model God’s character when we are imperfect and fallen? The answer to this is to live a life by the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTOL. Our frontline everyday life is to be characterised by these fruits. Not one or two, but all of them. This is a challenge, not just inside the church walls but outside them too!

Modelling Godly Character

What does it mean to live a radical lifestyle - where grace and love are acted out? The story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 is the inspiration for such a lifestyle. This might be a well-known story heard many times before, but we shouldn't lose sight of the challenge of Jesus’ words - "go and do the same". What does it mean for us to do the same as the Good Samaritan? What might it look like to act graciously and lovingly to those we might otherwise consider different from us? What does it mean to be a neighbour to everyone rather than those who are like us and think the same as us? That’s the challenge of grace and the boundless nature of love!

Ministering Grace and Love

On our frontlines, it is good to be prepared to share our story of why we have hope in Jesus. 1 Peter 3:14-16 explores what it means to give such an answer. What is important to remember is that those asking matter to God. So we need to make the effort to enter their world, the world of the curious, the questioner, the seeker and the lost. Whether we are asking the questions or attempting the answers, each thumbprint is cherished by God.

Messenger of the Gospel

Psalms are prayers and hymns directed to God. They are words that express the range of human experiences from joy and thanks to pain and anger, and all this is brought before God. Psalms are full of honesty and openness. There is no spiritual performance or polite Christianity. Rather, faith is expressed in raw and real ways. Psalm 1 is about what it means to live wisely in the world today. Jesus may have had Psalm 1 in mind when he taught the beatitudes because both are about finding true happiness. To be blessed or happy is to be rooted in God, and it seems many are starting to discover the wisdom of this.

Wisdom is a Choice

Are you a morning person or a night owl? Psalm 5 is about seeking God in the morning and laying requests before God. It’s a discipline, but also a brilliant way to start each day. So let’s have a shout-out for the quiet time in the morning! The Psalm is also about learning to live a life well and being rooted in God’s love. We all need that, right? And maybe it begins when we wake up each day, because there is something special about the morning light that wrestles with the darkness of night. 

Show Me How to Live

Shirley Baptist Church is a thriving, contemporary evangelical church, with an emphasis on Scripture, faith and mission, working out its purpose in the power of the Holy Spirit.

New tracks tagged #Mat Wilson