O |
NE of the telltale signs of a Satanic influence in a person's life is an evident hatred for authority (1st Samuel 15:23). The Spirit of Christ in us brings an opposite reaction into our disposition. Jesus Himself was willingly humble, meek, submissive & obedient. His presence produces these good characteristics in His children as well. Peter speaks of this in 1st Peter 5.
He begins with the actions & attitudes of spiritual elders in the church (vs. 2-3). Notice what Peter forbad: self-indulgence, bitterness, greed, stubbornness & authoritarianism. These are all taboo in the heart & life of a pastor, deacon, elder, apostle, evangelist or teacher. Any Christian who has been given spiritual gifts, influence & responsibility in the church has a duty to carry out their calling with generosity, thoroughness, eagerness, preparedness & authenticity. And, agreeing to do "leadership" this way (that is, God's way) obviously requires a submissive spirit. Good human leadership begins with a recognition & appreciation of God's ultimate authority over us. If that gets messed up, everything else down the line will also be out of whack.
Not only should Christian leaders be submissive to God, all Christians should be submissive to each other in general. Elders should be respected, of course. But no matter where a person stands in the hierarchy of the church, we are all made in the image of God & are saved by the same grace. Every believer owes every other believer a constant debt of humility (vs. 5). Whatever our title or position, we are all required to have a servant's attitude toward every other member of the congregation.
No comments:
Post a Comment