3.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• A Christian leader should always be very careful of the danger of pride.

• Seven “seeds” of pride are:
  1. A love for fame
  2. A wrong understanding of the office
  3. Allowing people to praise you
  4. Worldly ideas of leadership
  5. Being new in leadership
  6. Being experienced in leadership
  7. A wrong understanding of your calling
   
• Some “warning-signs” of pride are: hating criticism; praying less and less; and doing all the talking.

3.2 Mark 10:35-45←⤒🔗

^10:35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, 'Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.'

^10:36 He said to them, 'What do you want me to do for you?'

^10:37 They said to him, 'Permit one of us to sit at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.'

^10:38 But Jesus said to them, 'You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I experience?'

^10:39 They said to him, 'We are able.' Then Jesus said to them, 'You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I experience,

^10:40 but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give. It is for those for whom it has been prepared.'

^10:41 Now when the other ten heard this, they became angry with James and John.

^10:42 Jesus called them and said to them, 'You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them.

^10:43 But it is not this way among you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant,

^10:44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of all.

^10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'

 © NET Bible

3.3 The danger of pride←⤒🔗

By this time you know that a Christian leader is a servant. This means that a Christian leader should be humble. Pride is one of the biggest dangers for any leader. James and John were proud when they asked Jesus if they could have the seats next to him in his kingdom. They wanted to be kings like him!

Every farmer knows how dangerous weeds can be. Weeds are not big at first. Their seeds can even be too small to see. But when the seeds land in the soil, they can grow until there are weeds everywhere! It is the same with pride. Pride is not easy to see at first. It can begin small. But with time, it can destroy our spiritual lives and our leadership.

That is why it is important to know what the “seeds” of pride are. When we talk about the “seeds” of pride, we are talking about the things that the devil can use to make pride grow in a Christian’s life.

3.4 Seven seeds of pride←⤒🔗

3.4.1 A love for fame←↰⤒🔗

A Christian leader is often known by many people. He may be respected by many people. It is not wrong to be known or to be respected. But a leader can easily begin to love this, because it makes him feel important. When this starts to happen, pride starts to grow.

3.4.2 A wrong understanding of the office←↰⤒🔗

Here we are not talking about an office in a building. We are talking about the positions of leadership in the church. In the church there are three offices: pastor (or preaching elder), elder, and deacon. These offices should be respected by everyone (1 Thess. 5:12-13). Sometimes a church leader can imagine that he is very important. He can forget that it is his office that is important!

3.4.3 Allowing people to praise you←↰⤒🔗

Many times, when God uses a leader, people praise the leader instead of praising God. If a leader allows this to happen, it will cause pride to grow in his heart. As leaders, we should remember that God alone deserves all the glory. We should not allow people to praise us for the good things that God is doing.

3.4.4 Worldly ideas of leadership←↰⤒🔗

In our passage, Jesus is warning his disciples against worldly ideas of leadership. The leaders of the world are proud. They use and abuse people, and they do whatever they want. But Jesus says: “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44).

3.4.5 Being new in leadership←↰⤒🔗

In most work places, the new person gets the lowest job. But in the church, it can happen that a young person becomes a pastor. This is not always a bad thing. But everyone who wants to lead, must first learn how to follow. That is why Paul says that a new Christian must first wait before he can become an elder. Otherwise he will get proud (1 Timothy 3:6). The Christian leader J.C. Ryle said: “The older you grow, and the more you see, the less reason you will find for being proud.”

3.4.6 Being experienced in leadership←↰⤒🔗

But an experienced leader can also become proud. Over the years, a leader learns many things. He can begin to think that he has all the wisdom, and that he does not need any help or advice! He can even become tired of the people that he is serving, and stop loving them. Or he can stop giving his best in all of his tasks.

3.4.7 A wrong understanding of your calling←↰⤒🔗

Why does God call a person to leadership? Is it because that person is very special? No. Paul said that his calling was a gift from God. It was a gift that he did not deserve (Ephesians 3:8). Every leader should think of his calling in the same way. God calls people out of his grace.

Can you see any of these seeds of pride in your own leadership? Then be very careful. Pray that God will protect you against Satan’s temptations. And use the truths of God’s Word to protect yourself. For example, you can remember these words of Jesus: “whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:44).

3.5 Warning signs of pride←⤒🔗

Every Christian must be careful of pride. But Christian leaders must be extra careful of pride. To test yourself, you can think about these questions:

• Do you compare yourself to other leaders? Are you jealous of leaders who are more “successful” than you? Do you think you are better than leaders who are less successful?
   
• Do you hate criticism? All of us have sins and mistakes. If you never allow other people to talk to you about your sins and mistakes, it is a big warning sign of pride.
   
• Do you pray less and less? If you think that you can live without prayer, or that you have too many other things to do, it is a warning sign.
   
• Do you read the Bible less and less? A proud Christian leader may feel that he knows the Bible well enough. He only reads it when he has to explain it to other people. He forgets about his own spiritual life.
   
• Do you do all the talking? If a Christian leader does not want to listen to other believers and their views, it is probably because he is proud.
   
• If you are a pastor, are the elders of the church important to you? Do you meet with them to discuss church matters? Or do you think that you are the one who should decide everything? When a pastor never asks for help or advice, he is probably proud.
   
• Do you visit church members? Do you share the gospel with unbelievers? Are you willing to carry chairs and to help clean the church building? A proud church leader thinks that he is too important for tasks such as these.

These questions can help you to see some warning signs of pride in your life. If you see some of these signs, ask for God’s forgiveness. Remember that Jesus Christ has died, so that your pride can be forgiven. He is your great Servant-Leader. And he calls you to follow him. He “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45).