Ingredient #9: Serving
The WIGTake for Spiritual Generations
All 12 Ingredients for Spiritual Generations and Podcasts
By Pheaney (Peter) Lindell and Chuck & Deb Wood
We just explored the heart of a spiritual parent. But in the Kingdom, parenting and leadership don’t lead to a throne; they lead to a servant’s towel. In a world obsessed with ladder-climbing, Jesus taught us how to descend.
The Jesus Model
When James and John asked for positions of glory, Jesus did not just deny their request; He deconstructed their worldview. He told them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them... But it is not this way among you” (Mark 10:43-45).
This phrase—“it is not this way among you”—draws a line in the sand. In the Kingdom, leadership is not about how many people serve you, but how many people you serve. Jesus did not just teach this; He lived it as the ultimate reality of His mission: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” If the King of the Universe entered history to serve, then no task is too small for us.
The Scriptural Model
Paul echoes this radical posture in his letter to the Corinthians. He clarifies the content of his message and the nature of his position: “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5).
Note the duality: Jesus is Lord, and Paul is a servant. The word for servant here is doulos—a bond-servant or slave. Paul didn’t view his spiritual authority as a platform for prestige but as a mandate for service. He belonged to Jesus, and because of that, he made himself a servant to the people he was leading. He wasn’t serving them to please them; he was serving them “for Jesus’ sake.” This is the safeguard against burnout: we serve people, but we do it for the Lord in the context of our calling.
Stories
It was time to leave the nest. The Army had put me on orders for Korea, signaling the end of my season living in Cecil and Jeannie’s basement. They had treated me like a son, and I wanted to honor that relationship. Cecil was on full-time staff with The Navigators, relying on financial support for his ministry. I decided that as soon as I settled in overseas, I would write him a check every month. I wanted to serve him the way he had served me.
There was just one problem: the Army wasn’t paying me.
When I had re-enlisted, the Army was happy to retain my services, but a glitch in the finance system meant they forgot to pay me for them. For three months, I served my country for free. It sounds noble in retrospect, but at the time, it was a disaster. I was writing checks to Cecil, assuming the direct deposit would hit. It didn’t. The checks bounced.
After three months of bad paper, Cecil knew something was wrong. He didn’t get angry, and he didn’t write me off. Instead, he took action. Even as a civilian, he drove onto Fort Campbell, walked into the finance office, and advocated for me until they sorted out the error.
Then I received his letter—this was in the days before email. He didn’t lecture me about balancing my checkbook. He simply told me to stop sending checks until I was stable. Then came the part that blew me away: he had deposited $500 into my account to make sure I was okay.
Cecil was my spiritual leader, my mentor, and yet he served me. He lived out Mark 10:43-45 vividly:
“But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Another Story from a Friend
A good friend who is making disciples at his workplace was in a fix. He switched home insurance companies to save some money, but the new company required him to repair a fence.
So, I jumped in the car early one morning with one of my kids, drove 3 hours, and spent 4+ hours repairing his fence.
Fast forward three weeks, and the insurance company wasn’t happy with another part of the property, so they still dropped his coverage.
Seems like a lame story, except that this friend reaches out to me all the time with updates, prayer requests, and questions. Serving deepened the relationship, even if it didn’t do anything else at that moment.
Suggestions
The “Towel” Task: When you are together at a ministry event, be the first one to take out the trash or stack the chairs. Model that spiritual authority does not exempt you from menial labor.
Generosity: If you know they are struggling financially, look for ways to bless them without creating dependency. A surprise gift card or paying for a meal can demonstrate the Father’s provision.
Serve Together: Plan a service project where you serve the poor or help a neighbor. Train them to look outward and see the needs of others as a priority.
Application for Disciple Makers
For us, the WIGTake involves embracing the inconvenience of serving. We often desire the influence of leadership without the grit of service. But spiritual authority is accrued in the trenches. It is found in helping someone move apartments, staying late to clean up after an event, or listening to a broken story when you are exhausted.
Those you are discipling are watching. They need to see you use your influence to lift others up, not to prop yourself up. Serving destroys the entitlement that often creeps into ministry. It reminds us—and demonstrates to those watching—that we do not preach ourselves. We preach Jesus as Lord, and we offer our lives as servants to those we are raising up.
Next Week: We often assume that if we serve and lead well once, the lesson is learned. But human beings have spiritual amnesia. Next week, we look at the necessity of the “broken record”: Ingredient #10: Reminding (Constantly).