Ephesians 6 vs 5-9

The pattern of Ephesians is awesome as Paul has gone from who Jesus is, what He has done, who you are in Christ and therefore what is my personal response to God. Becoming a person of worship, praise, gratitude, intense freedom and joy as Paul writes in Ephesians 3, “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given…, for this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…, who has granted me, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man!”

He then, moving into Chapter 4, begins to work out his own salvation, encouraging us to do the same, in how we ought to operate in this world which is our ministry unto God and unto each other. Being a person of character, walking out and walking in that strength of might through the Holy Spirit within our heart of hearts, “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Admonishing, encouraging and even directing in Chapter 5 that the one that responds to God in worship, praise, gratitude, intense freedom and joy will be a person that walks in love which is the highest form of warfare and the greatest weaponry against everything that is evil and exalts itself against God…, and this is that agape love… 

A perfect transition for Paul into the home as he commands by the authority of God for wives to support their husbands and husbands to love their wives. For the home and the marriage relationship to be strong! For children to obey their parents and for fathers to bring up their children in the training and admonition of the Lord.

So, Paul has gone from first the personal work of salvation. That secret place of one on one between you and God through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then to the family of God, the outward expression of salvation in the public square. Then to the home, marriage, and parenting. And now he continues and concludes this powerfully and petterfully complete and yet very sort letter by addressing the workplace. All of it building upon itself and having us arrive this morning at how we Christians ought to function as professionals in order to glorify God. 

And super interesting. We talk a lot, a ton, about leadership here. Because truly to be salt in a flavorless world and a light in a dark and ever darkening place, you have to know leadership. To glorify Jesus, to walk in strength and might of character, to strive for peace, to walk in love, to care about unity, all of that are classic leadership principles. And leadership is super important in any professional setting. BUT, Paul gives us one verse on leadership and chooses rather to spend four verses on subordination. Why? 

Every good leader is a good follower. Aristotle said, “He who cannot be a good follower, cannot be a good leader.” A Harvard Business Review article published in August of 2018 said it this way, “A major flaw in the usual advice for aspiring leaders. Instead of seeking to stand out from their peers, they may be better served by ensuring that they are seen to be a good follower — as someone who is willing to work within the group and on its behalf. In short, leaders need to be seen as “one of us” (not “one of them”) and as “doing it for us” (not only for themselves or, worse, for “them”).”

That same article continued, “Aspiring leaders would be better served by ensuring that they are seen to be a good follower. A longitudinal study of 218 Royal Marines recruits completing an arduous 32-week training course suggests that may be the case: the Marines who saw themselves as followers, and were simply focused on getting the work done, were more likely to be recognized as leaders by both peers and commanders.”

There is complete wisdom and total guidance of the Holy Spirit in how Paul addresses the workplace in these verses… Let’s read them and then talk a bit about perhaps a different take on the importance of being a great follower, not to become a good leader, but to be a good leader…

Ephesians Chapter 6 Verses 5 – 9

Paul essentially gives three directives to those subordinate to others according to the flesh. I know that’s a weird way to say it and I essentially mean an employee, but Paul is very particular to point out to bondservants and masters, subordinates and supervisors, employees and bosses, that that arrangement is not (in a way it’s not even) real, it is particular only to the workplace.

Remove the workplace and we are equal. Every person no matter rank or role is equally important and equally resourced in the economy of God. And so, Paul gives essentially three directives. One, be obedient. Two, do the will of God, and three, do service. The rest of what he says are all descriptors, how to do that work, but nevertheless, there are only three things to do here. 

Be obedient, same word he used for children and parents. This is not wait for direction, wait to be told what to do. This is obey before that. This is character. An incredibly rare person, I might say. And this is perhaps why Paul started this concept at children in the home… Do the will of God. That is an inch wide and miles deep. As an employee, if I am not acting with the will of God then I’m in the wrong. It makes every difference who you are actually working for… Do service. It’s one word in the Greek, “duoleuo,” and its kin to the word we have for disciple. It’s essentially, make yourself second to them in all things. This is what a good leader, which is a good follower, these three things must be there…

And Paul gives us A TON of descriptors. Serve your bosses in fear and trembling. In sincerity of heart, as unto Christ. Not hypocritically, with eye service, as men-pleasers but serving him or her as you would serve Jesus Himself! Doing the will of God FROM THE HEART, with goodwill… 

This actually reveals a great deal about not being an employee but being a leader. Just because you have a rank, title, tenure or years of experience and success, none of those things make you a leader. What makes someone a leader is that people want to follow and people are following! Simple as that! 

Super interesting, powerful and critically important. Four verses for subordinates, one verse for leadership, why? Because they are actually all for leadership. IF, and this is what I am commanded to be, supposed to be, in sin and in the wrong and hurting myself and others and displeasing not-glorifying to God if I’m not, if I will do these three things with these three descriptors then I am one my leader LOVES to lead. And what’s amazing and lost and not known by the mass majority and I don’t know why, is that if that’s the case, then my leadership is going to not only invite me but LOOK TO ME in terms of leadership towards them, and so are others!

Figure this out, man. Followship is leadership. Being a bondservant is to be the best type of master and really in God’s economy, the only type of master. Think about the cross! Think about the Garden! Think about the last supper! It’s amazing, right in front of our eyes, right here, every day and I’m the special one in my ministry and workplace because I get this? That’s crazy to me. The better you are to lead, the better leader you are. Done. 

Isn’t that amazing! Well, I don’t worry about leading, I don’t want to be a leader. You are sorely mistaken. You were made for this. You were created to glorify God and to take what He has given to you and to return honor to Him for it… That’s your purpose. Leaders don’t have to be the center of attention or talkative or gregarious or at the top of the org charts. Where are those things in verses 5 – 9? The fact of it all is that when God sent His Holy Spirit upon those that would choose Him, leadership and the call to leadership in this world, arrived…

One more thing on this today… After 20+ years in a career and on my 13th year of being a senior leader in ministry, I have found that rarely does what we’ve discussed today grow from a person, a heart, a life that isn’t already like this. Be very careful, extremely careful, who you surround yourself with. I know leaders aren’t born, I get it, they grow into being a leader. I’m just saying that as Paul directs, as the Bible describes, I’ve seen it happen, but rarely. Just like you don’t marry someone thinking you’re going to change them, know that the same is true in the workplace and in ministry… Walk in wisdom. 

So, this one was a tough one and I KNOW, the way our culture programs us, the way our upbringings program us, the way our politics program us, and the way our economic strategies program us, tells us something perhaps entirely different, diametrically opposed, to what the Word of God lays before us… So be it. Jesus said in Matthew 20:25-26, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.”

Choose whom you will serve. Doesn’t change the fact that good, true leaders are the best people to lead. They are easy, supportive, respectful, loving, filled with goodwill, you want them to lead YOU! Yes men? Please! Terrible employees are yes men! But when they say no, you WANT to hear them out rather than edging them out! And ultimately in the end, they’re not really serving you, honoring you as their boss, they are serving Jesus and it’s OBVIOUS!