Notes on Leadership and Community

After the church epistles, the Bible makes room for what I call the 'people epistles', that
is, letters addressed to several people Paul knew and worked with, namely Timothy, Titus and
Philemon.

Timothy

I don't know if it's because of an overdose of d'NA-ic aspirations, but the thought that was
left ringing in me at the end of both letters to Timothy was this: Paul's theme was on
Servant Leadership.

It's authority without coercion, leading by example and carrying oneself responsibly, in
accordance with the grace given by God. Paul lays out numerous examples of this kind of
leadership, and it is especially encouraging to note that Timothy was young at the time. Of
course, 'young' could've been anything below 40, but it's too good to ignore the idea that
if anything, these are the letters that would speak most directly to a 17-year-old eager to
live his life for God.

The leader is one who has been proven trustworthy in his/her own affairs, who prays in every
way for everyone. He is patient and tactful, living in the light and encouraging others to
do so. "God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who
keeps cool."

"People caught up in a lot of talk can miss the whole point of faith"; it was while reading
this that I began to really think about Soo Tian's idea for a day of silence at d'NA. Last
year, we had a 'Malay' day, during which we were to speak absolutely in Malay for 24 hours.
A day of silence (with the exception of lecture sessions) really wouldn't be a bad idea, and
I'm sure we'll have lots to talk about the next day!

1 Timothy 4:12 has always been a great source of encouragement, and it hangs on my room's
doorknob: "...don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your
life."

Paul, knowing that Timothy has an immense future ahead of him, exhorts him in this way:
"So... throw yourself into this work for Christ", later ending "This is the only race worth
running."

If there's any reason to be involved as a servant of God and a leader of his people, those
two verses speak volumes.

Titus

In this letter, Paul follows up the message of Timothy with more on leading by example,
again also setting out guidelines for godly behaviour in the Christian community.
"...show them all this by doing it yourself... then anyone who is dead set against us, when
he finds nothing weird or misguided, might eventually come around."

He goes a step further by reminding us of who we are and where we stand, throwing things
back into perspective:

"We're being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a
God-filled, God-honouring life."

"Stay away from mindless, pointless quarrelling over genealogies and fine print in the law
code..."

It is especially tempting for leaders who have much experience (and Titus was one such
person, referred to again and again in Paul's other epistles), to fall to the trap of the
'lesser things', being caught up in petty disputes or earth-bound problems while the
heavenly matters await.

But then the leader who leads by example is the pace-setter who, having received the beat
from God, sets it out for others that they may all be attuned to the rhythm of the Kingdom
of the Heavens.

Philemon

Here, in the briefest of Paul's letters, he delves into the matter of Christian
relationships, and how an upheaval in one's beliefs changes everything else, indeed as
Peterson put it, "a ripple effect."

But the Philemon-Onesimus relationship is only an example; it is a face of the subject with
which Paul reveals the greater truth behind it all, in the least likely of verses:

"You owe your very life to me..."

In the body of believers, all our lives are interconnected, none separate from the other.
Nowhere are the words of John Donne more apt than in the Christian community; 'No man is an
island.'

We really do owe our lives to each other. The plainest way to see it, is that others shield
us from physical death by literally suffering for our sake. On another level, the life we
owe is the spiritually redeemed life, in that we are indebted to those who have shown us the
way of the Saviour and the Cross.

But I think there's more to that. Our lives refer not only to our physical existence here
nor our 'saved' souls in heaven someday, but also (and maybe even more so) to the very
quality of life we experience. Because of other believers, we are given meaning in what we
do, a purpose for looking forward to tomorrow. If not for other Christians, I daresay I'd
literally 'have no life.'

So here's where the 'Thank Yous' come in: Soo Tian, Sivin, Brian McLaren, all DNA-ers (young
and old!), family, the Christian Union, U2; without you I don't know where I'd be right now.
Certainly not here.

And so because we're caught up in this dynamic multi-faceted relationship with other
believers, in which we are called to serve and lead in different capacities, let us do so in
love, grace, humility and perseverance. And maybe then the Master can pick some fruit and
smile.