Servant and Subversive Leadership - Hoi Wen

This was the way our Lord Jesus lived, He humbled Himself, taking the very nature of a servant (Phil 2:5-11). 

This week I had the privilege of listening to the leaders of Singapore and witnessing how authentically they shared their experience with us and seeing how humble they are. These are people who have led by example and by God’s wisdom, not their own. The common theme running through the different speakers was how they carry their values into the public square, shaped by our faith.

I wonder how often do we unconsciously position ourselves in the marketplace as self-righteous all in the name of upholding Godly values? 

I think it is important that we live out Biblical values and principles in the public square and voice them. But why and how we communicate them is important to think about. Communicating our stand in love and showing compassion is critical. A key word mentioned was quiet diplomacy.

Quiet diplomacy is a great way to test our motives. Do we shout from the mountain tops so that we can gain credit for the cause that we are fighting for? Or do we be subversive, transforming the system as how Christ transforms us in a slow but steady way under the obedience of Christ. Are we humble and patient enough to journey with God and people?

We learnt about spiritual leadership “in the 21st century” from Bishop Emeritus Robert Solomon. I really appreciate that he didn’t talk about 7 steps to being a good spiritual leader or 7 Bible verses on spiritual leadership. Rather, he grounded it in the ten commandments, focusing on our posture towards God and thus our neighbours. That is what true spiritual leadership is, which is not about certain personality traits that qualify or leading in a way that dominate others, but it is about serving God and His people, respecting each voice, washing other people’s feet.

I realise more and more how God works through the generations. From Genesis we see how God worked through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob … in keeping His covenantal promise. As we explored the history of Presbyterianism and how it came to Singapore, I see how God is faithful through the generations. OMF is another good example where the legacy of Hudson Taylor has been passed down through the different generations in his family in one way or another and now through Jamie Hudson Taylor IV.

When we take steps in obedience to Christ, He honours our obedience and is faithful. But it is not about us, it is about what God is doing. If we want to be a part of what He is already doing, His mission, let us offer our five loaves and two small fish and let God do the multiplication and all glory be unto Him forever! [John 6:9, Matthew 13:23]

Hoi Wen