January 11, 2007
Just Another Toe
In my mind I often elevate people in the church who are in leadership roles. I suppose it stems from some of those scriptures that call us to honor and double honor those in authority. Paul, in referring to Christ says, “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” (Col 1:18 NIV) I know that Christ is the head of ‘the’ church, but my tendency is to think of the Chairman of the elders or the Senior Pastor as being the head of ‘my’ local church. Obviously there is only one Head. I’m going to have to make a concerted effort, even if it does feel awkward, to visualize those in authority as being an elbow, a liver, or just another toe.
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Gail;
----I remember that plastic podium a previous preacher at your church liked to use. It was supposed to represent the transperancy of the church leaders, or so I heard. I couldn't figure it out at the time, because, if you looked through the podium, you saw the preacher. If the preacher really were transparent, what were you supposed to see when you looked through him?
----The events of the intervening years and the Bible study they caused me to do have well answered that question. Of course, the cliche is, "When you see through me you are supposed to see Jesus!" Well and good. Now describe Jesus. That is a lifetime task. Anyone who is sincere and pro-active about "Jesus showing through the person" will understand the concept of humility, subjection, and sincerity. Those were basic attitudes of Jesus. He did not subject Himself to His own ideas. He was always about His Father's will, and He was always carrying His Father's messages.
----So also, the leader can not be about his own ideas and his own word. That would be out of character with Jesus. Like Jesus, his attitude of humble subjection should show nothing through his transparency other than the simple, uncontorted, unappended Bible.
----We all know none of us are perfect. So all of us, including the leaders, will show some of their own viewpoint in addition to the Bible. But the command by Paul to not insist on those personal viewpoints is very simple, and very do-able. The man who disobeys Paul on these points is truly showing insincerity through his transperancy.
----Now, there are two kinds of leaders in the church. There is the kind who tries hard to understand the Bible, and tries harder to allow those around him to live their spiritual lives in accordance to the relationship they themselves have with the Lord. This is a very supportive and comforting kind of leader who builds the church up by fostering an environment conducive to spiritual growth. He doesn't command (in obedience to Peter). He doesn't insist on his own ways (in obedience to Paul). Yet, where he understands the clarity of the Word, he is willing to call the disobedient into compliance with it (in obedience to Hebrews). When you look through his transparency, you see what looks more like the Word than you see him.
----But the other leader is evidently enamored by his relationship with the Lord. He sees church through his own ideas, not through the people who are the church. Therefore he expects the people who are the church to "get on board" with his own ideas, as if somehow God Himself told him to do the things he dreams up to be called visions. He is more about "special knowledge" and "authorization from God" than he is about throwing himself upon the Word to break himself into its ideas. This kind of leader thinks that building up the church is to change the way it does things, as well as to change the very meaning that its people have in the concept of gathering together. If he were doing this by throwing the accepted concepts of church upon the Word, he would be a leader. But by throwing them upon his own visions for the church, demanding response from the people according to his God given authority, he is not a leader. He is a conqueror of the people. In as much as he might be a forgiven part of the body, he would most likely be the heel.
----Both of these are indeed leaders of the church. And they each do lead the church, one into peace and the other into strife, even though Christ is the head. The diference between the leaders and the Head is that leaders lead the church to where it must go, while the Head determines where it must go. So there is an honorable place for the leader who does not make himself to be the Father by making like his ideas are the church's direction. And the church's direction determined by the Head is simple. It is into the world with the godly behaviors and characteristics of Jesus toward everyone placed in action. Those are found in the roadmap - the Word of God - not in the guessings of men, however much they call them "visions".
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