Are you a benefactor? The Greek word is Strongs #2110. In reading it in context, it would seem to mean beneficiary, as asking if you are benefiting from others. However, the term actually means benefactor, donor, or do-gooder. It means to deal bountifully with others with loving-kindness and mercy.
It is used only once, in Luke 22:24-30 there was an argument about who was the greatest among them. They wanted to know who contributed more, was making the greatest difference, and was the greatest with the most status among these leaders. Today, it might be like asking who has the most likes on YouTube or seen most visibly as the leader making the difference.
It says, “A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at the table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
What Jesus is point out here is not the need to do good works to be conserved great. Rather, what He is saying is that we need to humbly take the status of a slave rather than strive to be the greatest. He was addressing centrality in our thought processes.
In the time of Jesus, do-gooders or large donors, were honored and given the best seat at the table. They were looked to by others at the gate of the city to provide wisdom. They gave for reasons of status and centrality. However, Jesus had for them to move away from being central. A slave is disregarded. He was asking them to be sacrificial and be disregarded so that Jesus could be central. John the Baptist got this. He told his disciples that he must decrease and Jesus increase. This was the whole point.
Throughout history, centrality has been a temptation and struggle. We see this with Satan in Isaiah 14:13, "You said in your heart, 'I will ascend into heaven! I will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far north! I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!”
It was the desire for centrality that corrupted this most beautiful angel whose incredible job was to lead worship of the Most High. Rather than making the Lord central, he wanted to make himself central. He tempted Jesus that He could have the world as He desired if he would just bow down and worship him, making him central. Or, if Jesus would just make Himself central and command the worship of others. But Jesus made His Father central and His Father then made Him central.
We also see this temptation throughout the Old Testament. Absalom, when he took the kingship, swayed the people by promising them consideration. In service to them, he told them that he considered their plight, would give them justice. When they would pay him homage, he would take hold and kiss them. It was not about self-sacrificially serving others while allowing God’s purposes to shine through, but about centrality. We see this clear when he builds a monument of himself in the King’s Valley because he has no child. He wanted a name for himself among kings.
Another leader we see struggling with centrality under Absalom is Ahithophel. He was consulted and esteemed by David and then by Absalom for his wisdom. His words were taken as the word of God. But when Ahithophel offered to round up the current men and defeat David, while Husai, a spy, suggested Absalom gather all the men of Isreal and go out, the advice of Hushai won out. If he followed Ahithophel’s advice, he would be made central for winning and this probably felt like a threat to Absolom who was looking to make himself central. We can see that Ahithophel struggled with centrality as, when his counsel was disregarded, he set his house in order and then hanged himself.
Subtly, we see both Adonijah and Solomon struggle with centrality in establishing their leadership. Adonijah used his political and relationship power to establish himself as king without considering what God might have for him. When he found out that David made Solomon king, he ran in fear. Then later, he asked Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother for the hand of the beautiful Shulamite woman who was warming David. Had he not already tried to steal the kingship, he may have received this. But due to his error in judgement, Solomon was threatened by him and killed him for the request.
Not subtly, Saul from the Old Testament was another great example of a leader who was derailed due to their focus on centrality. When God tested Saul as a leader, it was on the basis of his centrality versus God’s centrality. Every time, Saul failed and derailed himself as a leader. It was because his need to be central and better than David that he sought to kill him which eventually led to his own and his children’s death as a result.
In these leadership examples, the issue is that of centrality and the testing from God as a leader was on this centrality. In these examples, people saw life’s attainments as the end result rather than their relationship with God. They failed to recognize and grow into a deeper relationship with God where he becomes central. In the ministry development process, successful ministry flows from being with God rather than doing or attaining. As one dies to self, submits to God and grows in dependence, their life and their leadership flourish.
A spiritually mature leader does not seek their own authority. They seek to know God. Their authority results from their experience with God. It is the process where a leader becomes fused to God in union. Union is the process by which a believer abides in Jesus by listening to the Holy Spirit and being guided by Him in their decisions. It is deeper than a communication but more of a connection.
As a mother may say to their child, “My heart goes with you,” union is a heart-to-heart connection with God that is based upon bonds of love that influences decision making. Dr. Robert J. Clinton calls this “Union life” and notes that it refers to both the biblical and spiritual reality of a believer joined in spirit with the resurrected Christ and the process of this union being lived out in the world.[1]
Moses is a great example of a leader that is fused to God. The Lord is central. While he was the most humble man on earth, he had tremendous influence that came by God’s backed power. He stepped out in faith to lead the people out of Egypt and up to the Promised land. When Aaron made a golden calf, he confronted his and the people’s sin directly. He took authority over the situation and rectified it. (Exodus 32:21-32)
Like John the Baptist who proclaimed, “He must increase and I must decrease, a leader is called by God to step away from the worldly viewpoint of centrality. Christ-centered servant leadership is modeled as a leader who makes other’s central. They put themself aside. To do so, a leader must continually be aware of what God is asking of them and willingly step aside at various times when asked.
As testing of a leader by God has to do with centrality, death to being right, being seen, being appreciated, being accomplished, and being understood all become part of the process in death to self that cause greater union with God.
Moses is also a great biblical example of moving out of the position of leadership as he called Joshua to be strong and courageous, stepping up into the role. Moses anointed Joshua with his authority and affirmed him as the leader in front of the people. After giving the people final instructions, and peering over into the Promised Land, Moses stepped away from his position completely and went home to the Lord. Moses never entered the Promised Land, demonstrating that a relationship with God and having faith for His purposes to come forth is more important than any of life’s attainments. (Numbers 27)
Moses grew in ministry leadership and spiritual maturity over time. However, at every point in his leadership, while growing and maturing, he was connected to God. Initially, we see this lack of connection when he murders an Egyptian. But then, as he enters the wilderness and learns from the Lord, He becomes led by His Spirit. He was led by the Spirit when he was called to lead the people out of Egypt, when he parted the Red Sea, and when he was called to turn everything over to Joshua. There were tests to pass at each level in his relationship to God, but God was faithful to direct his steps and guide him through it.
It brings up the question for me if being Spirit-Led is a transformational growth process like our spiritual, physical and leadership development, or if it is more of a constant that looks different at different places in our ministry?
We see stages of leadership growth with David from the Bible. There was a time he was a carefree young man who just enjoyed the company of God as he cared for his sheep. God was developing a deeper bond with David and David was learning about the Kingdom of God. He developed many of his core habits and foundational principals during this time of faithfulness. David started growing in trust and, as he stepped out to protect the sheep, he saw that God met him in it. In all of this, God was working on David to prepare him for the future but not yet ministering to others through him.
Then David was called through Samuel and anointed for leadership. Someone identified him as a leader. Yet, at this point, he was not effective as a leader and even his family refused to acknowledge his future potential. He was being tested. In the midst of none of it manifesting, he stayed faithful and God honed his skills and character further. All of the character and skills he developed had groomed him secretly for his future without him even realizing it. Short of these hidden challenges through testing and moments of faithfulness, he would have not later become the leader that was needed.
David was then given confirmation on the vision, but it still did not manifest for some time. His faith was growing, and his skill was showing. When all was going in the opposite direction, he was challenged to trust deeper. He had to believe and step out to trust even when he didn’t see it. As all those who were disgruntled and discouraged were drawn to him, he started to learn to be a grace filled leader. Then as he was established as a leader, he had to learn to accept the advice of others and learn to work in partnership for the benefit of others. He was growing in servant leadership. Finally, in the last stage of his journey, he was led to establish his legacy through his son. His focus was on providing for the next generation and guiding the future through his son.
As we see with David, leadership outlooks, frameworks, and skills all shift over the years as one grows in experience and responsibility. Being Spirit-led while watching the sheep looked different than being Spirit-led in directing the nation. But interesting enough, at every stage of David’s ministry, he received prompting and leadings from the Spirit in a variety of forms.
What seems to be more prevalent to being Spirit-led than his level of transformation, is his humility, desire for obedience, and his choice of making the Lord central. His stages of transformation are also dependent upon his ability to respond to the Lord in humility and obedience. Failing to obey the Lord resulted in him not progressing, even falling back in stages of ministry growth, losing his kingship for a time to his son, and then losing his son Absolom. Because of David’s sin with Bathsheba and killing Uriah, 2 Samuel 12:10 says, ““The sword shall never depart from thine house,” the prophet Nathan told him, “because thou hast despised me [the Lord], and hast taken the wife of Uriah.”
Again, we see this with Saul. It was not a matter of Saul not hearing from the Lord or having an opportunity to be Spirit-led. Saul even had Samuel coming to guide him at key points in his ministry and clearly lay out the Lord’s will. The problem was that Saul chose not to listen and follow the leading of the Lord. He chose his own centrality in pride, insecurity, and spiritual immaturity. Near the end of his life, he could no longer hear from the Lord and had to summon Samuel from the dead to know the Lord’s will. Rather than growing spiritually and as a leader, he lost both his ministry as well as his life.
Lord, let us grow in humility and obedience dying to our need to be central. Help us to let go of our need to be right, to be seen and to be understood. Rather, let us be filled with awe and wonder as we are transformed more and more into your image, causing not only us to flourish, but all those around us.
Clinton, Dr. J. Robert. The Making of a Leader: Recognizing the lessons and Stages of Leadership Development. Navpress, Colorado Springs, CO. 1988.
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