The objection that apostolic leadership has the potential for abuse is valid. We are all familiar with tyrants and dictators who use their power and control to benefit themselves and not their people. Does that necessarily mean that the system itself is bad, or is that more of a commentary on the sinfulness of human nature? But if this is a God-ordained model for leadership, and I believe it is, how do we ensure that everyone is going to live up to expectations and do things well, particularly the apostles and prophets?
The root issue that spawns the above question is fear. Fear that other people do not have our best interests in mind and that they will use their power and authority to hurt or control us. As a preemptive strike, we want to control them first. The problem is that God has not given us a spirit of "other-control," rather He has given us a spirit of "self-control." We can only control and master ourselves and our own reactions to the events around us. When we allow this understanding to take root and grow in us, and realize that this spirit of self-control has been given to all believers, we begin to live differently and see how God's system of government is designed to work.
As the Holy Spirit becomes more manifest in our lives we begin to take on His characteristics. We be come more loving, more kind and joyful. We embrace gentleness, meekness and humility. We begin to love others and to go out of our way to serve them and care for them. Or, as Paul said to the Galatians, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control." Those are the things that every believer should be growing into. We have to realize that we are no longer slaves, but sons.
Slaves need to be controlled. They have no love for their masters and must therefore be kept on task by force. They receive nothing in return for giving all of their time and energy to their master. They are not free and have no choices. But Christ has set us free! We are no longer slaves but sons of God! We have been given a new identity, a new role in the story. We do not serve a harsh task- master, but a loving and generous Father. We have been redeemed and are being renewed into His glorious image. How unfitting it is for us to live in fear-based modes of living, eating scraps off of the floor when we are children of the King!
Apostolic leadership is not like being in the army, where the superiors have complete and dominant control over their "inferiors." Apostolic leadership is not about being the "man of God" and ruling the church with an iron fist, imposing one's own will over the rest of the body. Quite the opposite! Apostles are the servants of all! They, like Jesus, become as the least, guiding and leading the church with compassion, gentleness and love. Yes, they have been gifted by God with certain gifts and abilities that allow God's Kingdom to come more fully in the earth, but they cannot do it alone! Being an apostle does not mean that church becomes a one man show.
Apostolic leadership is the empowerment of the Body. It is calling forth the gifts and abilities in other people, reminding them of who they are because of who God is and what He has done for them. It is equipping the saints, as Saint Paul puts it in Ephesians 4.
So, is it scary to have one man on top? Yes... if that man isn't Jesus. But if it is, then a whole new world opens up to us - we begin living in the Kingdom of God and enjoying all of its benefits. Not only do we see people healed physically and emotionally, we get to see lives transformed by the good news of the Gospel. All of our lives take on a greater meaning because we are living for something greater and more noble than ourselves. The goal of apostolic leadership is to get the Church to fix their gaze on Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. And as we gaze upon Him, as we submit to Him and His work in our lives through the Holy Spirit, we become more like Him. And as we become more like Him we begin to do the things that He did and to say the things that He said, in essence we bring the will of God into reality in our lives and in our world. This is what Jesus taught us to pray, "May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
No comments:
Post a Comment