Leader=Servant

I shared with you a few weeks ago that I’m doing a study on leadership. My class was postponed a couple of weeks and I’m only half way through however the word I believe Jesus would use to describe a good leader is servant.
The Greek word used for "servant" is the word doulos, which literally means, "bond-servant." It's not a hired servant, someone who serves because that's their job but rather someone who sells himself into slavery.
Since Jesus is God, God allowed himself to become a slave. Being a servant was part of the essence of God that humans hadn’t seen before because all they had seen was His power. Since Jesus was a servant than part of who God is is also a servant/slave.
Philippians 2:5-7 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Kind of mind boggling isn’t it? We need to include this reality of who God is in our understanding of Him.
So if Jesus was the slave/servant who was he a slave to?
His master, God.
A bond servant is someone who makes a willing choice to be a servant to someone else.
Deuteronomy 15:12 If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free.

God permitted people to be slaves in Bible times. But God's Law didn't allow His people to mistreat slaves. The images that we have in our minds when we hear the word slave is the way they were treated in our Southern states but that was completely against the principles of the Word of God.
A slave was freed the 7th year but he could choose to stay a slave.
Deuteronomy 15:17 But if your servant says to you, "I do not want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, 17then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your maidservant.”
If the slave decided to stay with his master, the master would then pierce the slave’s ear to show permanent ownership of the individual. It later became traditional to put in a gold earring. The slave could never go free but he also could never be sold again. He became permanently bonded to his master, a bond servant. A bond servant was trusted with more of their master’s affairs than a normal salve He was a servant but he was now considered part of the family.
Jesus came to earth to be a slave of His master, God. Jesus as a bond servant is a reflection of the Master and allowed us to become part of the family of God.
God is the Master yet His nature makes him capable to become Jesus, a servant. Servant leadership is vertical before it becomes horizontal.
Jesus becomes the servant because He is obeying the will of the father. He died for the act of submission to his leader.
We’re supposed to become servants who lead not leaders who learn to serve.
Matthew 20:25-28 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave -- 28 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."
In these verses, the first word "servant" in the NIV, or "minister" in the King James, is the Greek word diakonos, which is where we get our word "deacon." But the second word "slave" in the NIV, or "servant" in the King James, is our word doulos, "bondservant."
Doulos and diakonos don’t have the same meaning. Jesus used both words to let us know that if we want to be great in the kingdom of God, we can't just humble ourselves and be servants now and then or when it’s convenient, it's a lifelong commitment.
Being a servant isn’t an option. It's not something for Christians in a less important position of the church it's for everyone who says they are a follower of Jesus Christ.
Many times we have Pastors that are great teachers but not necessarily great servants so the ones he or she is pasturing don’t see a leader with a bond servant heart to be a reflection of.
1Peter 5:2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
Of course, as soon as you seriously start thinking about being a servant, the devil will start saying things to you like, " if you give yourself to serving others, who will look out for you?" The answer to that is, God will take care of you.
I recently moved and in the midst of boxes and packing before the move I got an email from one of my Gems asking me to come speak to a group of ladies at her church. I was thrilled because I love to do that sort of thing and said I would do it. I asked her to email me the date and time and I would put in on my calendar. When she sent me the email I freaked because it was the same day I was moving. Not only was it the same day but I had volunteers coming from my church to help me move from 9 to 12 the same time as the ladies meeting.
I assumed the Lord would want me to cancel but after praying I knew I was supposed to go. I asked a friend to lead the volunteers for the move and explain why I wasn’t there. I gotta tell you gems the morning of the move I felt guilty about not being there when the volunteers showed up to move ME! I prayed as I drove to the event and was telling the Lord how I was feeling guilty and you know what he said to me? Glad you asked, He said “you take care of my work and I’ll take care of yours.”
Another words you be my servant and I’ll have my other servants take care of you.
My leadership role that day was to be God’s servant not be the leader of the volunteers helping me move.
The truth is those awesome volunteers were also being bond servants showing up where God sent them and doing the work he put before them.
That’s how it’s supposed to work, each of us looking out for the other. To be a great servant means to be constantly connected to the Master, Jesus.
As I said before this will be a to be continued jewel as I continue my journey on Spiritual Leadership but there is not doubt in my mind a great leader is a great servant.