Luke 22:21-30

Throughout the gospels this principle of self-sacrificial servant leadership comes up in many places, but it is so significant that through Luke, God ties it to the Passover and specifically links the battle for rank with betrayal. Just as, in a better way, is recorded in John 13, God ties humble sacrificial service with the foot washing. Here not doing it is tied with betrayal. But the point of this character flaw of carnal men jockeying for positions above others is tied to a limited perspective of the supreme authority of Christ, and even ties it to betrayal by those who were called by the Father to His Son. We must learn the principle of sacrificial servant leadership right now, no matter where God has placed us within the Body of Christ. If we do not make every effort to learn to do this, we will not be growing to the stature and the measure of our perfect example of sacrificial leadership that is the standard—the Word of God, who gave up all His rights and privileges as God to become the perfect standard and save us from ourselves.

Luke 22:24-27

There is a strong tendency in us to apply these verses to those in authority. But it applies to everybody regardless of status. The carnal-minded take advantage of every opportunity to promote themselves and their interest. The carnal will lie, scheme, steal, twist the truth, deceive, slander people, dishonor their parents, and even murder to get their own way, to come out on top, to win, to look good, to get acclaim, or to get rich.

We have clichés like: "Winning is the only thing." "If you've got it, flaunt it." Those are extremes, but that is the direction and attitude of the carnal mind. The unconverted use people and situations for one's own advantage.

A converted person, one who has been transformed by God, will not do that. He will put himself, humbly and willingly as Christ did, in the position of the servant. He will not use others. He will allow himself to be used, an evidence, you see, of transformation.