Building a Legacy of Service

That was spectacular. I see you, all the Ambassador Bible College choral members walking back. You probably can't hear me, but that was spectacular. Very inspiring. Such a message in itself. My wife and I were just tapping along. Everybody else? Yeah! When the Planning Committee for the General Conference of Elders came up with the idea to have our first Chairman and our present Chairman give the split message today, I only had one request. I said, please don't make me speak after Mr. Dick. Please. It's like giving a message after your dad got up.

It's just a hard act to follow. I'm looking out here and seeing my pastor when I was a teenager here, and services, and using a Bible here that's got notes from men in this congregation here, in this room, and online, who helped me put these notes in this Bible.

But, you know, I did. I'm up here after Mr. Dick. I'm a manager authority. That's how we structured it, right? The GCE Planning Committee said, no, this is what we want you to do. That's what we do. As was mentioned, my wife and I attend in Seattle, but we go back and forth to France.

I have a pastor in Seattle, and when I'm not on the council, he's my pastor. He's in the room, too. He makes decisions about things that relate to me. I'm the president of the United Church of God French Association of Bordeaux, but we have a national council there, and so I report to them. The United Church of God looked at our history, and we chose this model of how authority within the church would be administered. Basically, submitting one to another, depending on our roles. We chose roles over ranks. We chose gifts over hierarchy. We meet as fellow elders of the General Conference of Elders here, brothers in the faith under Jesus Christ, the head of the church. And as members of the Body of Christ, we all come together to worship before our Heavenly Father. Fundamentally, we're talking about a legacy of service, because that's what authority is. It's about service. Ultimately, under the authority of Christ as the head of the church and as He follows His Heavenly Father's will. Revelation 20, verse 4, you don't have to turn there, but it tells us that we've been called to rule alongside Jesus Christ for a thousand years. Learning to serve under the authority and to exercise authority is the ultimate intent of what we're in training for right now. And I'm thankful for the governance model that the United Church of God established 30 years ago. And in this regard, in 1999, a young man in my congregation, I went up to my pastor after church, and I shared with him an observation about my time growing up in the church. I grew up back then in what was considered the headquarters of Pasadena, California. We had 1,200 people in my congregation, but 4,000 people in the different congregations there in the area that would get together for feast days. And in 1999, I told my pastor, and I said, you know, it seems that people came into the church because of prophecy, what we were teaching prophetically. They stayed because of the teachings and the values, and it seems like they left over government. And to my pastor's credit, as he listened to me, he didn't take offense at that somewhat unflattering remark. And he said, hmm, I think that pretty much sums it up. That was 1999. Now, here we are many years later, and I've been thinking a lot about that. And I put together a message that I gave in French at the feast in France about three years ago now. And if you've heard that message in translation, you get to hear it directly in English. Just some variation of that. By way of introduction, turn with me to Luke 22, verse 24, talking about authority and service. Luke 22 is a scripture we go to year after year after year at the Passover, and we read verses 14 to 20. If we had just gone a few verses more, I wonder how much pain we might have saved ourselves. Luke 22, verse 24.

And yet, even as I asked that question, I think I know the answer, which is that from the very beginning, too much attention has been paid to who's in charge. And it is so easy to point the finger, but the fact is, it's our fundamental human nature. It's really who I am. It's who you are. It's who we are. This is our issue. We desire to control or dominate. But look here at Jesus' response here in verse 25.

On the contrary, He who is greatest among you let him be as the younger, and He who governs as he who serves. Our elder brother, Jesus Christ, gave them and gave us a radical concept of authority, something they had never even seen or imagined. How can it be that he who is greatest is basically he who's least or serves? How can that be? It was in direct opposition to anything in their life experience. And so today, I want to talk about this legacy of service, this legacy of service, and specifically the godly exercise of authority today, so that we can see that this is our training to be leaders in the world tomorrow, as we've talked about for decades and decades. What does that look like? I want to contrast this human leadership form and this divine leadership that we see here in this passage, and then look at what this practically can be like for each of us. And when I'm done, I hope each of us has moved to examine how we will govern when we have that opportunity.

Fundamentally, what it's going to be like when we're the, quote-unquote, boss. What does that mean? The title of my message, if you're looking one here for one, is Building a Legacy of Service. Building a Legacy of Service. And so let's look at this in verse 25. Let's contrast human and divine authority that we see in this passage. Verse 25, the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship. The help, word studies, Bible dictionary says, the Greek word for lordship means to exercise rights over his own property. To exercise rights over his own property as an owner with full dominion over his jurisdiction.

See, the word lordship isn't often used here in the United States, but it was used extensively in Europe in past ages. If you look at the French dictionary for this equivalent term, it'll say that lordship is, quote, to reduce someone by force, to reduce them, to put them down, to tame an animal.

It's a very strong term. Authority in this world is based upon this concept. You know, when the president of Russia ordered his people mobilized for war in Ukraine, he took control of their lives. I read a story about a Russian man who said, when I go to war, who's going to pay my mortgage? My wife's pregnant. How is my family going to eat if I'm gone? One day he's living his life, and the next day someone has come in and taken total control over him.

And he has no choice. That's the kind of human authority that Jesus Christ is describing with this term lordship. In 1 Samuel 8, we read about Israel wanting a king, and God warned them. He warned them about the distorted things that would occur, about how the king would abuse them and take their fields and conscript their children and demand tributes and taxes.

But if we go back to verse 25, it's interesting that even as this human authority is considered lordship, it says, and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors. Fundamentally doers of good. That as people are doing this, they actually think that they're doing us a favor. They actually think they're doing good. And how's Baptist commentary points out that the two rulers who would have been known at this time actually took this title.

Antiochus VII of Syria and Ptolemy III of Egypt. They actually took this title unto themselves. So this was a known term at the time. A benefactor wants to be seen as doing something good and be recognized for their goodness.

It's a self-deception about the exercise of authority. But this is not the way that Jesus Christ described godly authority. Let's see the contrast, verse 26. But not so among you, on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as the one who serves.

God does not seek control of us. He seeks to serve us. This is the model of authority in the kingdom of God, lead by service. I find it interesting that if you look in the New Testament for the title of the person responsible under Jesus Christ for directing the activities of the church, you can't find it.

You can't find it. It's not there. It doesn't exist. Yes, there are roles—prophets, apostles, small a, evangelists, pastors, teachers. Paul, in writing to Timothy, uses the term overseer to describe individuals at the local level who have responsibilities. But the singular role did not exist. And so there wasn't a need to create a title for it.

So today we have terms like president or chairman, but those aren't biblical terms. Those are terms that we've created, that we need at this time for being able to operate in society. The biblical term, though, that is most used is minister. I think we know that. A servant. A servant. Paul used that term to describe himself. A minister means one who serves, and it follows exactly that model that Jesus Christ described. And there doesn't appear to be any ranking among those who serve. And so, as I said today, we add things like senior pastor. That's not a biblical term. That just helps us here.

Senior pastor in the United Church of God is somebody who has responsibilities both here, perhaps, in one country, but then has responsibilities in another country. Continuing in verse 27, For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table, yet I am among you as the one who serves?

I am among you as the one who serves. The greater one is, according to their views, the one at the table. How many here have been waiters or waitresses? A lot of you. Yeah. I've been a waiter. Several years, actually four years. You know, I think you might be a little bit ahead of us, because you know what it means to have a guest at a table and take care of them. When I was at Ambassador College in the 1980s, I worked at the Ambassador Auditorium as an usher and a waiter.

I washed a lot of dishes, too. That's what we did. We were trained to wait tables. And actually, it was quite an opportunity because we had government officials, we had very well-known artists who would come to the Ambassador Auditorium, and we would have these very special dinners, sometimes in the lower lounge or lower lobby of the auditorium, sometimes in the student center next to us. And we were trained to really serve like you would serve, let's say, in a Michelin-starred restaurant or for government officials. At a state dinner or a Michelin-starred restaurant, a waiter has to be constantly aware of the needs of the guests at the table.

And here are some of the things that we were taught. We were told to stand at a certain distance from the table so as to not disturb the guests, but to not be so far away that if something happens, you can't get there quickly. So it was this very careful distance that we had to keep so as to not disturb the guests, but so that we could be available to them. And if someone got up from the table, we had to immediately go there and help them pull out the chair and then put the chair back in so that they could easily get up from the table and then come back to the table.

We monitored the water glasses, the level of water in the glass, and if some amount of water would come down a little bit, we'd go there and make sure we refilled it. So that the person didn't even have to think about that. They always had it there, available to them. We monitored the level of bread in the bread basket, the butter that was there, and to make sure that there was always something.

And if it got low, we made sure we came and brought them more. We observed the pace of people eating at the table. And we had to choose the right moment to serve that next course. You had people eating at different speeds at the table. And you couldn't just completely wait for the slowest person because the other people would be hungry. But you couldn't rush the slowest person either. So you had to think about everybody at the table and how the dynamic was operating.

If someone finished his or her plate, you didn't leave it in front of them. You had to take that away. You wanted them to have a clean place to be able to sit while they're enjoying their meal and waiting for that next course. And you know, what was also very important was that we had to work together as a team of waiters. Because those dinners could go on for three and four hours sometimes. And so, you know, if you had to go to the bathroom or you had to take a break, there was somebody there that covered for you because you could never leave the table unattended.

And so, you were constantly working with other waiters. Okay, you know, I've got to take a break. Yeah, okay, I'll go over there. I'll take care of that. Now, this person over here is a little bit slow, but we're moving to the next course. And so, you were coordinating with your team. Now, this is an imperfect comparison, I know, but I hope it gives a picture of what it means to be attentive as a servant serving a table. This is his analogy. This is what Jesus Christ describes, being served at a table.

We have to anticipate the needs of those we serve in so many different ways. And as a pastor, I've tried to follow this, but I'll tell you, it's not easy. I think you've asked yourselves, and here, men in this room and those who have served others, when should I say something?

To what extent should I share an observation that I see here? Perhaps I can see this person is really struggling with something, but they don't quite know what it is, and is this the right moment to say something or not? How can I balance the needs of the whole congregation with this person here? It is so much easier to swoop in and fix it. I know the problem. I have dealt with this before. Let's fix this. That is so much easier. But that's not necessarily service. That's not necessarily how you would serve somebody at a table.

Hey, you know, you're kind of going a little slow there. Could you just speed it up a little bit? Everybody's waiting for the next course. You don't do that. You can't treat people that way. You have to recognize that everybody's at different speeds and in different places. It would be so much easier sometimes to handle that. It takes a lot of patience. It takes a lot of self-reflection. We have to understand if we just move in too quickly. Did the person internalize? Or did I just sort of tell them what they needed to do and they have respect so they just do it? But they really understand why. Did they have enough time to really see that for themselves?

It takes a lot of long suffering. Look in verse 28. But you are of those who have continued with me. This is interesting. Okay. But you've continued with me in my trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as my father bestowed one upon me, that you may eat and drink at my table in the kingdom, in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus makes it clear that there will be government in the kingdom. There will be thrones, seats of government, seats of authority. There will be people appointed to make judgments. And today we need some form of governance as well. Without governments, there would be no limits. Somebody had to decide that church was going to be at 2 o'clock today. Maybe this is too early for you. Maybe this is too late. Somebody had to decide. We have all sorts of different processes in place. We have a certain dress code for how we as speakers should appear before congregation. We certainly have a doctrinal committee that establishes and sets what our doctrines should be. We have a process for how people can go through and ask questions about that. We have spent an extensive amount of time researching that we are following a proper calendar that corresponds to the example of the New Testament church. We have to have a structure in place. In the church of God, we know Christ is under authority and does what the Father tells him to do. We need to submit to authority. That is unquestionable. But over and above all, within his laws, we have to accept that not everything we would like will happen the way we like. We may be unhappy sometimes with those decisions, but we have to learn to submit. If we're seeking to submit one to another and we're seeking to serve, and we know the person who's having to make that decision is seeking to serve, it's a little bit easier sometimes. But not always. So what does this look like practically? We've contrasted biblical authority, human authority. Practically, where's an example of this in Scripture? I've looked. I've spent a lot of time. And there's one that I think gets very, very close. If you're in the book of Luke, turn over to Luke 6, verse 27, just a few pages back.

You might be surprised by this. Sometimes we just pick certain Scriptures out of this passage. But let's look at all of these Scriptures in context, and I think we'll see something interesting here. What does it look like? How should we be behaving? But I say to you, Luke 6, verse 27, I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. What I think about is the disciples James and John, who were upset by the behavior of the inhabitants of the Samaritan village. They were ready to bring down fire and destroy it. This is our human reasoning, apart from God, when we're not treated well.

When we're not treated well, this is our human reasoning. And I think it's interesting that that same apostle John, who wanted to call down fire on the Samaritan village, wrote later that Christ did not come to condemn, but to save. I think he saw that example, because he was rebuked for that attitude.

Authority is about saving lives. Authority is not about destroying them. When we find ourselves in positions of responsibility, sometimes people can become upset with the decisions we make. That is the hard part. They themselves might have had some bad experience in the past. They can be suspicious. The key is whether we as leaders can overcome our own insecurities or wounds or whatever it might be and lovingly understand where that other person is. Because maybe at that moment they disagree with us. But maybe that's just where God is working with them at that time. God is love. And He is the one who will make things right at the end.

If we can accept that we are imperfect leaders, making our best effort to follow these models one to another, then perhaps we can deal with the mistakes that we make, our ability to apologize when we make mistakes. And so here we have a situation where we're told how we are to react to those who might disagree with us, who might have a problem with us.

And let's continue. Bless those who curse you and pray for those who spitefully use you. To Him who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other also. And from Him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.

Reading these verses, we may feel, wow, are we being asked to be victimized? Is that what our Master is telling us, that we're supposed to be victimized? But I think what Christ is describing here is doing those things out of a desire to teach and to serve. To give the other person the space to make mistakes. Giving the other person space to learn and to grow.

And we're doing this not because we're judging the other person negatively, but because we're serving that other person. And ultimately with the goal of wanting that person to be with us in the Kingdom.

I think we will deal with difficult people in the Kingdom of God. We will deal with people who will very much disagree with us and not want to follow what we're teaching them.

And they will react badly. They will react badly. But if we can see the big picture and how to serve them, allowing them to perhaps do some things that are not so appropriate, then perhaps Christ will be able to work with them at some point. Isn't this what Christ did? Allowing himself to be crucified? He did not revile back. And now verse 31, probably one of the most famous scriptures, and just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. So often we go right to this. It's a very powerful scripture.

But let's continue with this scripture in context. Verse 32, But if you love those who love you, what credit is it to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is it to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. And your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the highest.

For he is kind to the unthankful and evil.

Kind. Sometimes this word is translated as mercy. Kind. Merciful. Kindness, or mercy, is the key to knowing how to exercise godly authority with the ultimate intent to serve.

Verse 36, That's the example. Mercy. Kindness. Mercy is the key to knowing this. It is the standard that we must follow as leaders now and in the kingdom.

It doesn't mean that God doesn't hold people accountable.

And we have to hold people accountable.

But it means that we give them the benefit of the doubt. It means we take the time to consider the situation we're in carefully, and make wise decisions on how we answer and react.

It means we seek counsel. It means we avoid hasty decisions.

It means we're patient, sometimes holding back with trust and faith that God will work out that situation.

So how quick are we to react and to judge the actions of others before hearing the how and the why?

Mercy. Therefore, be merciful, just as your Father is also merciful.

You know, my wife's family and my family go back in the Church many, many years, as do many of your families. 60 and 70 years. We have all experienced leaders that have exercised their authority over us in harsh ways. Perhaps without realizing it, seeking to control. Many of us have suffered injustices. But Christ suffered injustices, and we follow in His footsteps. We cannot undo the deeds of those leaders, but what you and I can do is to set our hearts to lead through service and not control. When we're given the opportunity to exercise a position of authority that God may give us, we need to decide if we're going to learn from these examples, from the examples of our past, avoiding rash judgments, and how we're going to serve one another. We need to strive to respond, as it says here, with the full measure of God's mercy, God's spirit of love. Not just thinking about ourselves, but primarily about the best outcome for that situation.

I believe that if we commit to do this, then we can be that one point of change in a history that has been less than perfect. And we can be ready to humbly serve a very broken world under Jesus Christ in that millennium.

In conclusion, I'd like to ask you to turn with me to 2 Corinthians 1, verse 24.

Verse 24, and as you turn there, I'll just give a little bit of context.

Many scholars believe that the Apostle Paul had communicated a certain intention to travel to Corinth again, but he didn't end up doing it. He didn't end up actually going. And this raised questions in people's minds about his integrity. It raised questions about his motivations.

And so he had to answer that question. Why didn't he do that? Why didn't he come back again? And so if we look in verse 23, 2 Corinthians 1, verse 23, Paul answers this question.

Moreover, I call God as my witness against my soul that to spare you, I came no more to Corinth. He did it for them. He might have been judged. I wish he had been given the benefit of the doubt. But he said, look, I did it for you. And why did he make that ultimate decision? Why did he make that decision? Verse 24. Not that we have dominion over your faith.

Not that we have dominion over your faith. But our fellow workers for your joy. For by faith you stand. Look at the contrasting phrase here again. This word dominion, it's that same Greek word that Luke used when he described Christ saying lordship.

It's the same word. I don't think it's a coincidence that Paul followed that example. It's not about lordship. It's not about dominion. It's about contributing to your faith and to your joy. That was the model of leadership in God's church. That was the legacy that Paul left for the Corinthians and all those he taught. This is his legacy of service. This should be our legacy of service in whatever role that we follow. In the kingdom of God, we're told we're going to lead. But I don't think we'll be given the responsibility to lead until we truly understand what it means to serve. Let's continue to build a legacy of service that we may serve alongside our elder brother, Jesus Christ, in God's kingdom.