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Month 3 - Servanthood | Week 1 - The Servant King
Month 3 - Servanthood | Week 1 - The Servant King
Scriptural anchors for us through M3 - Week 1:
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:45 ESV
The Servant King
The crown He wore was not of gold, but of bloodied thorns.The throne He chose was a cross.And the hands that shaped the universe bent low to knowingly wash the feet of men who would soon butcher and betray Him.
This is our King.This is the way of the Kingdom.
The more you read the Gospels, the closer you draw to him, the clearer it becomes: Jesus did not come to display power as the secular world defines it. He came to redefine power altogether - by love, by humility, by sacrifice, by service.
When the disciples argued about who was greatest amongst them, Jesus didn’t rebuke their desire for greatness - He redirected, redefined it:
“But whoever would be great among you must be your servant.”- Matthew 20:26 ESV
In His Kingdom, leadership looks like servitude.Glory looks like grace.And authority looks like kneeling before others to wash the dust of the world covering their feet, in full humble recognition of the sinner you were saved from being, to bring Glory to the cross and King himself alone.
To serve is not a downgrade; it’s the truest reflection of the divine.
Every time we choose to love without being noticed, to give without being thanked, or to help without being asked - we draw nearer to the likeness of Christ Himself, and stumble in step with the stride and footprints of the King.
The World and the Way
The world tells us that greatness is found in power, status, Gold, and recognition.Jesus shattered that illusion.
This is radical stuff, and will take some recalibration of the indoctrination that the enemy has established among us.
Let’s start as we mean to end, focused and fixed on Christ.
He took up the towel instead of the throne, washed feet instead of commanding armies, and crowned His life with the jagged wooden spears of the crown of thorns.In doing so, He redefined leadership forever - revealing that true greatness is measured in humility and love, expressed through service.
The Servant King doesn’t just model servanthood; He invites us into it.To follow Him is to lower ourselves so that we may lift others.To bear the basin and towel.To see people, his children, not as interruptions, but as assignments. To begin to wear the position and view the flock through the eyes of a Father. And to pour out our lives in quiet, costly love - the kind that mirrors His own.
Stepping Forward
This week begins the new movement of servanthood in our journey.We’re learning not just what it means to serve, but how we are to serve, and who we are serving through it.
In the Gospels, every act of Christ’s ministry, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, comforting the broken, all flowed from the heart of a King who came to serve.Our foundation of identity and obedience now finds its truest form in service:
When our hands, words, and resources become extensions of His compassion.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant…”- Philippians 2:5–7 ESV
This is the pattern of our Savior - emptying to fill, bowing to lift, dying to give life.
Reflect
Ask yourself this week:
Where am I trying to be seen instead of serving?
What title or comfort might God be asking me to lay down so I can pick up a towel?
Who in my daily life could I love quietly this week, with no expectation of being noticed?
Remember: Jesus didn’t call us to lead through status but through sacrifice.
Scripture to Memorize
“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:26–28 ESV
Pastoral Encouragement for the Week
Servanthood isn’t glamorous, so don’t be surprised or afraid if things get messy; you are entering into worldly situations, and you are here to bring the light and salt into them.It rarely trends, and it shouldn’t flatter the ego, there may not be a pat on the back.But in the quiet places where no one’s watching - the moments of unseen obedience, the everyday sacrifices of love - heaven takes notice. Generations of your ancestors, and the choirs and armies of heaven are on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what you will choose to do next.
Give them a show worth cheering for!
The Servant King our God reigns through servants, who will say Yes.And the Kingdom still advances through those willing to lower their own ego.
So, as you move through your week, remember this:
Every act of hidden service echoes the humility of Jesus.
Every small kindness ripples eternity.
Every towel in your hand is a crown in His.
May He teach us to serve with joy, to love without recognition, and to live as those who know that the lowest place in His Kingdom is still higher than the highest throne of this world.
Watch / Listen / Read
Read
Lower: Igniting Spiritual Awakening Through Radical Humility – Zach Meerkreebs - Link to free preview
In Lower, pastor and Bible teacher Zach Meerkreebs reminds us that revival begins where pride ends. Drawing from Scripture and the recent move of God at Asbury, he calls us back to the only posture that invites God’s presence - humility.
This isn’t a call to think less of yourself, but to think rightly of God.Meerkreebs shows that the way up in the Kingdom is always down - the same path Jesus walked when He took the towel and washed His disciples’ feet.
A fitting companion to our Week 1 theme, Lower reawakens the truth that spiritual power flows through surrendered hearts.
“If we want revival, we must first go low.” Zach Meerkreebs
Listen along here:
Watch
Chapel Service that Launched the Asbury Revival – Zach Meerkreebs
This is the humble message that sparked a movement — a simple call to encounter the love of God without pretense or performance.Pastor Zach Meerkreebs reminds us that revival doesn’t start with noise, but with surrender.
It begins when hearts go low before the Lord.
📅 This Week’s 30-Min Rally Point
We’ll meet for our first 30-minute rally point this Thursday at 7:00 PM EST via Zoom.This is a space for reflection, encouragement, and activation, a rhythm of checking in, praying together, and pressing forward.
🕖 Zoom Time: Thursday @ 7:00 PM EST🔗 Click to join the Zoom call - Zoom URL
Format:
Welcome & Opening Prayer (2 min)
Scripture Reading (3 min)
Teaching Recap (5 min)
Discussion Questions (12 min)
Heart-Level Questions:
Head-Level Questions:
Hands-Level Questions:
Practice Together (5 min)
Closing Encouragement & Prayer (3 min)
Bring a Bible, a journal, and any wins or wrestles you want to share. This is a safe space to grow.
Next Week's Topic: M3 - Servanthood | W2 - Upside-Down Greatness
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” - Philippians 2:3-4 ESV
We’ll explore how God measures greatness not by how far we climb, but by whom we lift - and how the Kingdom turns ambition into adoration.
God is with us!
Lord Jesus, teach us to walk the low road. Make us humble in heart, quick to serve, and slow to seek praise. May every act of love point back to You - our King.
I’m glad you’re here.
Let’s run the race - Eyes Up, Chin Up!
Grace and peace,
Sam Johnston
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christfocused.substack.com
View all episodes
By Christ Focused NetworkMonth 3 - Servanthood | Week 1 - The Servant King
Scriptural anchors for us through M3 - Week 1:
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:45 ESV
The Servant King
The crown He wore was not of gold, but of bloodied thorns.The throne He chose was a cross.And the hands that shaped the universe bent low to knowingly wash the feet of men who would soon butcher and betray Him.
This is our King.This is the way of the Kingdom.
The more you read the Gospels, the closer you draw to him, the clearer it becomes: Jesus did not come to display power as the secular world defines it. He came to redefine power altogether - by love, by humility, by sacrifice, by service.
When the disciples argued about who was greatest amongst them, Jesus didn’t rebuke their desire for greatness - He redirected, redefined it:
“But whoever would be great among you must be your servant.”- Matthew 20:26 ESV
In His Kingdom, leadership looks like servitude.Glory looks like grace.And authority looks like kneeling before others to wash the dust of the world covering their feet, in full humble recognition of the sinner you were saved from being, to bring Glory to the cross and King himself alone.
To serve is not a downgrade; it’s the truest reflection of the divine.
Every time we choose to love without being noticed, to give without being thanked, or to help without being asked - we draw nearer to the likeness of Christ Himself, and stumble in step with the stride and footprints of the King.
The World and the Way
The world tells us that greatness is found in power, status, Gold, and recognition.Jesus shattered that illusion.
This is radical stuff, and will take some recalibration of the indoctrination that the enemy has established among us.
Let’s start as we mean to end, focused and fixed on Christ.
He took up the towel instead of the throne, washed feet instead of commanding armies, and crowned His life with the jagged wooden spears of the crown of thorns.In doing so, He redefined leadership forever - revealing that true greatness is measured in humility and love, expressed through service.
The Servant King doesn’t just model servanthood; He invites us into it.To follow Him is to lower ourselves so that we may lift others.To bear the basin and towel.To see people, his children, not as interruptions, but as assignments. To begin to wear the position and view the flock through the eyes of a Father. And to pour out our lives in quiet, costly love - the kind that mirrors His own.
Stepping Forward
This week begins the new movement of servanthood in our journey.We’re learning not just what it means to serve, but how we are to serve, and who we are serving through it.
In the Gospels, every act of Christ’s ministry, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, comforting the broken, all flowed from the heart of a King who came to serve.Our foundation of identity and obedience now finds its truest form in service:
When our hands, words, and resources become extensions of His compassion.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant…”- Philippians 2:5–7 ESV
This is the pattern of our Savior - emptying to fill, bowing to lift, dying to give life.
Reflect
Ask yourself this week:
Where am I trying to be seen instead of serving?
What title or comfort might God be asking me to lay down so I can pick up a towel?
Who in my daily life could I love quietly this week, with no expectation of being noticed?
Remember: Jesus didn’t call us to lead through status but through sacrifice.
Scripture to Memorize
“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:26–28 ESV
Pastoral Encouragement for the Week
Servanthood isn’t glamorous, so don’t be surprised or afraid if things get messy; you are entering into worldly situations, and you are here to bring the light and salt into them.It rarely trends, and it shouldn’t flatter the ego, there may not be a pat on the back.But in the quiet places where no one’s watching - the moments of unseen obedience, the everyday sacrifices of love - heaven takes notice. Generations of your ancestors, and the choirs and armies of heaven are on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what you will choose to do next.
Give them a show worth cheering for!
The Servant King our God reigns through servants, who will say Yes.And the Kingdom still advances through those willing to lower their own ego.
So, as you move through your week, remember this:
Every act of hidden service echoes the humility of Jesus.
Every small kindness ripples eternity.
Every towel in your hand is a crown in His.
May He teach us to serve with joy, to love without recognition, and to live as those who know that the lowest place in His Kingdom is still higher than the highest throne of this world.
Watch / Listen / Read
Read
Lower: Igniting Spiritual Awakening Through Radical Humility – Zach Meerkreebs - Link to free preview
In Lower, pastor and Bible teacher Zach Meerkreebs reminds us that revival begins where pride ends. Drawing from Scripture and the recent move of God at Asbury, he calls us back to the only posture that invites God’s presence - humility.
This isn’t a call to think less of yourself, but to think rightly of God.Meerkreebs shows that the way up in the Kingdom is always down - the same path Jesus walked when He took the towel and washed His disciples’ feet.
A fitting companion to our Week 1 theme, Lower reawakens the truth that spiritual power flows through surrendered hearts.
“If we want revival, we must first go low.” Zach Meerkreebs
Listen along here:
Watch
Chapel Service that Launched the Asbury Revival – Zach Meerkreebs
This is the humble message that sparked a movement — a simple call to encounter the love of God without pretense or performance.Pastor Zach Meerkreebs reminds us that revival doesn’t start with noise, but with surrender.
It begins when hearts go low before the Lord.
📅 This Week’s 30-Min Rally Point
We’ll meet for our first 30-minute rally point this Thursday at 7:00 PM EST via Zoom.This is a space for reflection, encouragement, and activation, a rhythm of checking in, praying together, and pressing forward.
🕖 Zoom Time: Thursday @ 7:00 PM EST🔗 Click to join the Zoom call - Zoom URL
Format:
Welcome & Opening Prayer (2 min)
Scripture Reading (3 min)
Teaching Recap (5 min)
Discussion Questions (12 min)
Heart-Level Questions:
Head-Level Questions:
Hands-Level Questions:
Practice Together (5 min)
Closing Encouragement & Prayer (3 min)
Bring a Bible, a journal, and any wins or wrestles you want to share. This is a safe space to grow.
Next Week's Topic: M3 - Servanthood | W2 - Upside-Down Greatness
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” - Philippians 2:3-4 ESV
We’ll explore how God measures greatness not by how far we climb, but by whom we lift - and how the Kingdom turns ambition into adoration.
God is with us!
Lord Jesus, teach us to walk the low road. Make us humble in heart, quick to serve, and slow to seek praise. May every act of love point back to You - our King.
I’m glad you’re here.
Let’s run the race - Eyes Up, Chin Up!
Grace and peace,
Sam Johnston
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christfocused.substack.com