The Unshakable Church: The Attitude of a Bondservant
JOY: Welcome to the Unshakable Church, the podcast series that unpacks spiritual truths and lessons that Ron has learned from over 30 years of working alongside national church planters around the world.
RON: Today, friends, I’m going to speak on the topic of bond servants. This is a personal favourite of mine, as I’ve been studying it since I was a young man. I want to share some insights that apply to missions today, specifically from the bond servant perspective.
I’m approaching this a little differently. I’ll be reading from a teaching I wrote back when COVID was impacting the world — a while ago now, but it captured much of what we were learning about how the pandemic affected national churches and their growth. I don’t usually read directly, but I was very precise in my wording, and I want to share it accurately.
We Are in the Last Days
I truly believe we’re in the last days, experiencing birth pangs: wars, rumours of wars, instability — all signs pointing to the soon return of Christ. So, how does this apply to church planting, believers’ daily walks with God, and their witness?
As I spoke with leaders around the world, they consistently shared the same thought:
This period of increased prophetic birth pangs has become a golden opportunity for Christians to show what a true follower of Christ looks like.
As Scripture teaches, Christians are called to:
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Be a living example of the Gospel’s power to save and transform lives.
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Bring hope and an eternal future to the lost.
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Be transparent models of people cleansed from sin, empowered to live godly lives through the Holy Spirit.
Why Is There a Great Outpouring?
When I speak with national church leaders, they tell me that the leading reason for the great outpouring of the Spirit in their countries is this: believers are handling the pressures of these end-times developments — the suffering, uneasiness, wars, instability — not with fleshly attitudes (anger, bitterness, complaining), but by continually displaying the fruit of the Spirit.
They are taking on the attitude and position of bond servants. And unbelievers are noticing the stark difference between the character of the general population and the committed, mature disciples of Jesus.
This became more visible during COVID, but it’s always been true — it’s just now at a whole new level.
What Is a Bond Servant?
Let me define it:
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A bond servant is someone who is legally owned by another, and whose entire livelihood and purpose are determined by their master.
Here are four key aspects:
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They willingly relinquish personal rights, placing themselves under the care and control of the master for life.
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They assume the subservient position willingly, without expectation of payment or future reward.
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With a humble, broken spirit, they pledge unending allegiance, accepting any task without objection, argument, or complaint.
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They are totally satisfied with the lifestyle, benefits, conditions, and tasks the master provides, because their dedication and love for the master overwhelms everything else.
Historical Context
In ancient times — Jewish Old Testament, Roman Empire, Greek societies — there were various forms of slavery or servanthood. Some were temporary, like paying off debts. But a bond servant was different:
After completing an initial term (often seven years), the servant could choose to say to the master,
“I love you. I trust you. I want to serve you forever.”
They would voluntarily become a bond servant — for life, with no end date, accepting anything the master assigned, without complaint.
Today, we often avoid the word bond servant and use servant or slave in our Bible translations. But the original meaning is important.
