Paul – a leader taught to serve
The zealots and the Jerusalem riff-raff were baying for blood, as Stephen stood undefended before them. They stripped off their outer garments in order to throw their stones more effectively. But rather than cast their cloaks haphazardly on the ground they laid them at the feet of Saul. What was it about this young man that singled him out as a focus for their zeal?
As we follow the story of Saul-who-became-Paul, we begin to see him as a man with an innate authority - a born leader. Governed by principle, he was fearless not only in standing for what he believed to be right but also in pursuing it with unremitting vigour.
But when he met the risen Christ on the Damascus road he fell to the ground, and the first words he spoke were, 'Who are you, Lord?'. The born leader met a leader greater than he, to whose authority he submitted all his powers, unconditionally, for life. Blinded by the light, he was led, helpless, to Damascus, where an otherwise unremarkable disciple called Ananias was sent to lay hands on him and commission him for his future service.
Immediately, he faced the necessity of submitting himself, also, to the apostles, that mixed bunch who were the leaders of the fledgling church in Jerusalem. Understandably suspicious, they didn't welcome him, and he was accepted only after the intervention of Barnabas. One humiliation after another? But Saul didn't see it like that. Submitting himself to the authority of Jesus and of the apostles, and to the help of Ananias and Barnabas, his innate qualities of leadership resurfaced, and he 'moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord' (Acts 9:28).
Christian leadership is servant leadership. Modelled by Jesus, who washed his disciples' feet and told them to do the same, practised by Paul, who throughout his long ministry described himself as a servant of Christ and endured untold hardships for the sake of the church - servant leadership is one of the great distinctives of Christian living.
How do we follow this example, at work, in the church, at home, wherever we are called to be leaders?
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