We Need Some Leaders!
By Bob Lepine
... Much has been written in our day about the paradox of servant-leadership. When two of the disciples asked for positions of prestige in the coming kingdom, Jesus explained a different plan in Matthew 20:25-28:
"...You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
As pastor and author Robert Lewis points out in his book Rocking the Roles, the husband's responsibility to be "head" of his wife does not give him the right to be a selfish, "lording" leader. Nor does it allow him the option of shirking his responsibility by becoming a "passive" leader. The divine design is for a husband to follow the road of loving leadership in his marriage.
Because many men have abused their authority as husbands and as leaders, we have tended to emphasize his role as a servant. Slowly, men are shaking off the passive detachment that has defined a generation of husbands. Men are beginning to assume their biblical responsibility to serve their wives, demonstrating their service through sacrificial action.
But in the process of emphasizing service, we may have oversold our case. Unless that sacrificial love is expressed by bold, biblically-ordered husbands who assume both leadership and responsibility for their homes, we will have simply traded one grievous error for another less obvious one.
As counter cultural as this will sound, God has designed marriage so that a woman is to be under the authority of her husband. It's not because she is inferior to her husband in her decision-making abilities. She is gifted by God in very special ways as a woman. She has been created with equal value and equal worth. We're not talking about ability or about value. We're talking about function. God's design is that a wife should look to her husband for leadership and direction for her life. She should want him to lead her, and should be ready to submit to his leadership as unto Christ.
For the sake of our wives, we must once again assume our role as leaders who execute leadership with humble hearts and loving service for our wives. Here are some practical steps a husband can take as he seeks to take on the mantle of a servant-leader... (read full article)
Copyright 2005, The Council On Biblical Manhood And Womanhood. All Rights Reserved.
... Much has been written in our day about the paradox of servant-leadership. When two of the disciples asked for positions of prestige in the coming kingdom, Jesus explained a different plan in Matthew 20:25-28:
"...You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
As pastor and author Robert Lewis points out in his book Rocking the Roles, the husband's responsibility to be "head" of his wife does not give him the right to be a selfish, "lording" leader. Nor does it allow him the option of shirking his responsibility by becoming a "passive" leader. The divine design is for a husband to follow the road of loving leadership in his marriage.
Because many men have abused their authority as husbands and as leaders, we have tended to emphasize his role as a servant. Slowly, men are shaking off the passive detachment that has defined a generation of husbands. Men are beginning to assume their biblical responsibility to serve their wives, demonstrating their service through sacrificial action.
But in the process of emphasizing service, we may have oversold our case. Unless that sacrificial love is expressed by bold, biblically-ordered husbands who assume both leadership and responsibility for their homes, we will have simply traded one grievous error for another less obvious one.
As counter cultural as this will sound, God has designed marriage so that a woman is to be under the authority of her husband. It's not because she is inferior to her husband in her decision-making abilities. She is gifted by God in very special ways as a woman. She has been created with equal value and equal worth. We're not talking about ability or about value. We're talking about function. God's design is that a wife should look to her husband for leadership and direction for her life. She should want him to lead her, and should be ready to submit to his leadership as unto Christ.
For the sake of our wives, we must once again assume our role as leaders who execute leadership with humble hearts and loving service for our wives. Here are some practical steps a husband can take as he seeks to take on the mantle of a servant-leader... (read full article)
Copyright 2005, The Council On Biblical Manhood And Womanhood. All Rights Reserved.
posted by Clarissa Ramos at 5:46 PM
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