Today in Christian circles, many people are teaching about divine order. The basic thought behind this instruction seems to be that there exists a kind of hierarchy, a sort of chain of command, within the church of God, and that when we recognize it, submit ourselves and "get in line" we will fulfil God's will and experience a blessing. In this "chain of command" the apostles are at the top, then come the prophets, evangelists, etc. Other groups perhaps put the "pastor" as the leader, the elders next below him and then the deacons, Sunday school teachers, and so on down the line. Although there are many variations on this theme, the fundamentals are generally the same: that is that there exists a kind of pyramid structure, similar to an earthly corporation or government, within the church. Furthermore they insist, it is through this structure that God leads His people.
With this in mind, let us read a scripture together. "But Jesus called them to Himself and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many'" (Mt 20:25-28). In Luke's account we discover that these kings who exercised lordship were called "benefactors." In other words they are ruling for the "benefit" of those under them, which is the view many ministers today see as their God-given role. Concerning this idea Jesus says, "on the contrary, he who is greatest among you let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves" (Lk 22:25-27).
Here we find the true divine order. Within the church it is to be exactly the opposite of the way it is in the world. While the world has a hierarchy and a chain of command, in the church of God we should find nothing like this. This activity has been strictly forbidden by God! It does not matter what others are doing. The popular practice or custom of our day has no bearing on the matter. We have been called to obey Jesus. Many of us commonly state that we believe the Bible and that the words recorded therein are of the greatest authority. How then can we allow popular opinion and methods to govern our work for the Lord?
This then is God's plan. Those who are being used by God to transmit His authority have a completely different attitude than those who have authority in the world. They have no intention of "exercising authority" over another brother or sister but are simply conveying the will of God according to His leading. These men and women are never arriving at a position of being higher than another or being "over" them but are in fact "below" others, coming as mere servants and using their gifts to build others up. Paul himself says concerning the authority manifested through him, "Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy" (II Cor 1:24). Although some English versions of the Bible translate I Thess 5:12 as if someone were "over" another in the Lord, the word in Greek here is PROISTEMI that means basically "to lead by example," not to rule over. As we have been seeing, the whole concept of Jesus and of the scriptures is to become a servant, not a ruler. Although some may be ahead of others in terms of spiritual maturity, this does not indicate that they should dominate the body of Christ.
Perhaps it would be useful here to investigate just exactly what the concept of leadership entails. To "lead" in the Biblical sense does not mean to command, to order or in any way to exercise authority "over." Instead, it means that someone goes in front as an example. The rest, seeing this example and the fruit in their lives and ministry, realize that it is from God and follow. This is exactly the way a real shepherd functioned in Jesus' day. He developed a close relationship with his animals. They knew him well and they trusted in him. So, when he left the fold, they followed him, not because He told them to go, but because they believed from experience that he was heading for greener pastures. These shepherds did not drive the sheep from behind. They did not send an order for the sheep to move to a certain place. The sheep had a free will to go wheresoever they chose and they chose to follow the shepherd. The shepherds were not leaders because they were appointed to lead, rather it was the choice of the sheep to follow the shepherds that made them leaders. This is New Testament authority. It is a service of love, showing by example and faithfulness the will of God.
It is interesting that God chose to use terms such as "elders" and "fathers" to describe those who were more mature in the Lord. These terms (as opposed to "general", "master" or "governor" for example) were carefully chosen to convey God's thought. If you think about it, you will realize that there is an important aspect of being a father or grandfather that is quite different from one who is in command. Simply put, a father has the welfare of his children in mind. It is no problem for a good father if his children become greater than he. In fact, it is his goal for them to do so. If they can be better educated, happier, richer, have a better home and life, it is only a joy to him. His goal is to serve them and help them to prosper in every area. Fathers are to be in a very real way the servants of their children.
Similarly, the objective of any true servant of God is to build others up. His work is to manifest the reality of Jesus to them in a manner that will encourage them to become real disciples. Our task is to serve others, not ourselves. Our privilege is to encourage others to follow Jesus in such a way that, if possible, they could become "greater" than we are. If they become wiser, more powerful, more used by God or more recognized, this should be for us a source of the greatest blessing. Since we are their servants, it is only a joy for us when they are exalted. This is a fulfilment of our ministry: to have others become all that God wants them to be. Let us then contrast this with what happens in the world today. In politics, business, sports, theatre and every other activity, people are scrambling for the top. They want to be the biggest and the best, the richest or the most famous. Many times this competition to be great becomes an ugly manifestation of the fallen human nature. Power struggles, lies and deception become part of the process. Not admitting weakness or failure, not letting others know how you really are inside; these are absolute necessities for getting ahead. Appearances become much more important than reality because this is what influences others. Hypocrisy thus runs rampant. In short, many inhabitants of this earth are daily involved in a power struggle. They are trying to rise above others while at the same time trying to keep the rest from beating them to it and putting them down.
What Is Our Condition Today?
How then do we find the situation in the church today? With that of the above two examples could we compare the practices that we encounter in the house of God? Sadly, it is often the latter of the two that describes the situation in the church. The human desire to elevate oneself is found in many pulpits. The tendency to keep others down is also there. The desire to become more and more powerful, influential and famous motivates more than a few ministers today. The norm of our day is to discover "how many people" a leader has in "his" church. How many churches does he have affiliated with his ministry? What are the numbers? How much success? How great has this "servant" become?
This practice has gone so far that I understand some Bible schools even teach future leaders special techniques to maintain their authority. They realize all too well that if people see the human side of these leaders they will have trouble recognizing their authority. So they instruct them to keep aloof from the congregation. They admonish them not to become friends with "those in the pews" and not to let others know about their personal problems. If they do, then the people will not respect them or obey their authority. Not only does this result in the establishment of a false kind of authority in the church, it also dooms the leader who is so encumbered to an isolated, and therefore incomplete Christian experience. This earthly kind of authority is utterly foreign to the New Testament understanding of the church.
Also it is not uncommon to find Christian leaders fighting to keep their position in the church. When someone else begins to be raised up by God in the congregation and be recognized and respected by others as having a message from God, then the present leader may find a way to get rid of that person. Send them off to Bible school. Let them get their own church. Accuse them of being rebellious and throw them out. Any method is O.K. as long as it preserves the position of the one in front. Accusations, fears and competition all form the basis of a fleshly power struggle.
True spiritual authority, on the other hand, flows from God. No one really used by God ever needs to fight to gain a position or ministry. Jesus is the one who raises up leaders among His people. Genuine leaders never raise themselves up by their own abilities to preach, teach and in general influence others to think well of them. King David for example was a lowly shepherd, but the Lord chose him to lead his people. Many of the prophets were nobody and nothing until God touched their lives and began to flow through them. Ministry is not a product of ambition but a result of intimacy with God. Those who are really used by God are those serving others rather than their own egos. These are the works that will stand the test of judgment day.
Also, there is never a necessity to defend our "position" or ministry. A real servant has no position to defend as he is, after all, just a servant. He is at the disposition of God to be used or not as his Master sees fit and not another person. When Moses' leadership was challenged, his response was to fall upon his face before God, not the people. He knew that it was the Lord who was using him and it was His power that was keeping him. Human strength and reasoning would only pollute the testimony of what God was doing through him. God will defend that that is truly of Him.
Nothing will prevent His will from being done in the course of time. There is never a need for human effort to secure the work of God. Strife, contention, debates, power struggles, etc. are the works of the flesh. Lowliness, gentleness and meekness are an evidence of the Holy Spirit. If we are biting and devouring one another, it will certainly cause destruction in the family of God (Gal 5:15). If we have been touched deeply and humbled by God to be a servant to His people, our work will bring blessing and ministry to all those around. This is a great necessity of our day. Not to hear those who are using the things of God to elevate themselves and build their own ministries, but to receive from those lowly ones through whom God is manifesting Himself.
One day when the twelve were walking with Jesus, they began having an argument. They were fighting about who would be the greatest when Jesus became king. The Lord used this opportunity to try to show them again something about how He intended His body to function. He took a little child and set it there beside Him and said something so profound: "He who is least among you all will be great" (Lk 9:48). Another time two of the men were making a special request for positions of authority. Jesus again made a pronouncement that is exactly the opposite of our normal, human way of thinking. We read, "Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave; just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve" (Mt 20:26,27). These things are not meant to be just nice religious philosophies. Jesus said these words so that we would seek to enter into the reality of them.
The Danger of Recognition
We have been speaking about the necessity of humility in the service of God and how a true leader is really a servant. However, it is inevitable that when God begins to use a human instrument, some people will begin to be impressed and, at least in their own minds, elevate him to some kind of position. When true spiritual authority is expressed, it often results in individuals gaining a kind of earthly authority in the eyes of men. In fact, people will often try very hard to give this kind of authority to their leaders. This puts the servant of God in a very dangerous position. Once men, even if only in their own minds, have placed such a person in this situation, it is a constant temptation to use this earthly authority. Instead of continuing to rely upon God, it becomes possible for the servant of God to resort to human tactics. When difficult situations arise, it becomes easy to make their own decisions and take matters into their own hands. Interestingly, the more the vessel is used by God, the greater this danger becomes.
Again Moses' story becomes an example for us. He was a man who became a conduit for God's authority in a very remarkable way. He proved to be almost completely obedient in this ministry. But once, just once, he lost his temper and chose to use his positional authority to meet the people's need. Instead of obediently speaking to the rock as Jehovah had instructed, Moses angrily struck the rock with his staff. God honoured him in this position and poured water out of the rock (Num 20:11). However, this action cost Moses dearly. Through this one use of natural, human authority, his entrance into the land of Canaan was denied him. This account demonstrates clearly how important God considers the distinction between these two kinds of authority.
All servants of God should take this to heart. When God uses them and they are elevated in the eyes of the people, they must be careful to only manifest the authority of the Spirit that flows through them. Any natural or positional authority is disqualified even if it seems to be achieving the needed result. God's will may be quite clear. His direction may be obvious to the leaders who He is using. Any use of natural authority, "office," or "ministry" will not produce spiritual results because it cannot. The scripture reads: "That which is crooked cannot be made straight" (Eccl. 1:15). Nothing that begins in the earthly realm can ever produce spiritual fruit.
This then is God's way. The man or woman who wishes to please God must become a servant. We are to humble ourselves before the Lord and our brothers in Christ, rather than taking the way of the world. Instead of seeking exaltation in the eyes of men so that we can control them and thereby "help" them to walk in God's ways, we are to choose to be lowly. In this way, only those who are truly willing to hear the voice of God will hear Him speaking through us and be obedient. This is exactly the way our Lord Jesus Christ lived while He was on the earth. Not only did He have the right and the authority to demand obedience, He had the power to force things to go His way. However, instead of using this power we read: "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Phil 2:5-8). This is the way. May we all enter into the full experience of His reality.
Man's Dominion
Many Christians enjoy reading the word of God to discover what it is that God has done and will do for them. Theirs is a search for the riches of God that are available to them through faith. This is a wonderful pursuit. Time spent in the presence of the Lord meditating on His word will feed us spiritually, causing us to grow. As we grow, there begins to form in us a realization that the universe is not man centred. As a Christian matures, he begins to understand that he was made for God and that God does not exist merely for his benefit.
Perhaps more profound than to learn what God can and will do for us is to contemplate why He created us in the first place. Possibly it would benefit us greatly to understand more about His divine intentions concerning mankind. For example, a deeper revelation of God's purposes for creating such a being as man may greatly help us to comprehend the work that He is doing within us and through us. Knowing why we were made will undoubtedly help us in understanding God's will for our lives. Similarly, armed with this knowledge we can more easily go through the tribulations and trials used by Him to accomplish His ends. With this in mind, let us examine a few passages of scripture together.
When God made man in Genesis, He said: "Let them have dominion" (Gen 1:26). This reveals something. Our Creator made us in His image and likeness to be rulers; to reign over the earth (not each other). Part of His intention was that human beings would be more than servants. They were to be kingly rulers over the newly created world. In another passage, the psalmist David; no doubt meditating on this very truth; exclaims, "What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? You have made him a little lower than the angels, You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands" (Ps 8:4-6). When someone is crowned, this speaks of royalty and kingship. It speaks of authority and ruling. And who has done this to man? It is God Himself who has set man in this position, reigning over His creation! This is not a small consideration. The Almighty God has made man, crowned him with glory and honour and then set him to rule over the world. Not only is this plan revealed in the Old Testament, but also in the New we discover that this is the ultimate plan of God. We are to become, through the work of Christ, "kings and priests" unto God (Rev 1:6). We are to "reign on the earth" (Rev 5:10). We are to "reign in life" through Jesus Christ (Rom 5:17). These scriptures demonstrate beyond a doubt that God does have this wonderful intention for man.
When our Father created us, He had in mind this very thing, that we would rule over His creation. Now we all know that the Lord is the supreme ruler of the universe. He is still sitting on the throne of heaven. Furthermore, He is not giving up this position. So how are we to understand this fact that He formed another being similar to Himself (in His image and likeness) and set him up as a king? It is evident that this was not done because the Ancient of Days has gotten old and ready to retire and therefore created a substitute. No, our Lord has no intention of relinquishing control of the universe. He is not going to turn everything over to us.
God Is Not a Showman
Part of the understanding of this mystery must lie in the fact that our God is not an exhibitionist. Isaiah declares, "Truly, you are God, who hides yourself" (Is 45:15). This is part of the Divine nature. It is our Creator's character not to do things in a showy, conspicuous manner, but to remain hidden. (By the way, how does this truth reflect upon the work that you are doing in His name?) Even the present creation is an example of His secret work. Although the creation reveals Him, only those who are really open to Him can see it. Also, the present glorious work that He is doing in His sons is a hidden thing.
The invisible God, the creator of the universe, has chosen to remain in the background and reveal Himself through a being whom He created; man. This God revealed Himself in Christ Jesus two thousand years ago. Today, He desires to be expressed through His many sons. He is manifesting Himself to us so that He can be revealed though us to the world and even to the unseen universe. In the future, this will also be true. Those believers who are faithful to Him will be crowned with glory and honor and set to rule over God's creation. So we see that our God's purpose is (and always has been) to remain hidden, choosing to reign through this representative whom He created. Men, filled with God and under His control, are to be manifesting His authority over the earth. This is not their own authority. They are not choosing and acting according to their own will. Rather, they are acting by the Spirit of God to exercise His authority. He in them is ruling through them. They are to be a manifestation of both His nature and His authority.
This understanding that God intends to reign and rule through man harmonizes perfectly with what we have been seeing in the foregoing chapters. Man's role in the Divine plan is to be a vessel, a conduit through that the authority of God flows. A man never becomes the authority himself, but is simply a channel through that supernatural authority is transmitted. We are now in a time of preparation and training. Someday soon, the sons of God will be manifested (Rom 8:19). Praise God for His marvelous design!
Are We Really Submitted?
In the previous chapters we have been discussing how it is that God uses men to be vessels of His authority. His will is revealed through those who are intimate and open with Him. These men and women then are channels for Divine authority and serve as leaders among the flock. Through such leaders, God's people can be directed by the Most High and move in harmony with Him to fulfil His plans.
However, this marvellous plan can only work under one condition. In order to receive true spiritual authority from another, we all must be genuinely submitted to God ourselves. He must become our "head." When our knees have been bowed and our will bent so that we are really willing to obey God in whatever circumstance, we will be able to hear His voice speaking through others. If, on the other hand, we are secretly resistant to the Lord's direction (especially if it contradicts our own) or we are not sincerely wanting to know the will of God; all exercise of spiritual authority will be in vain. When people cannot or will not submit themselves to God and hear from Him individually, most certainly they will never submit themselves to another speaking to them with spiritual authority. This is equally true if we are one of those many brothers (or sisters) who cannot listen to anyone else. There are many Christian men today who fit into this category. They simply cannot be humble enough to receive anything through another man. It is an insult to their pride. They imagine that God will speak everything directly to them "through the Spirit" not needing to use anyone else. Therefore, the thought of teaching or direction from another rubs them the wrong way and they are constantly resisting any input that another brother might have for their life. These are rebellious brothers who, although they may have a superficial appearance of Christianity, are not very open to the leadership of God.
This, my dear brothers and sisters, is not a small consideration. In fact, it is of the utmost importance. Why did God institute governmental authority on the earth? He did it because mankind was unwilling to obey Him directly. Why did He allow Israel to have a king? It was because the people did not wish to follow Him (I Sam 8:7). And why do we have so much human, earthly authority in the church of God today? It is a result of stubborn, rebellious believers who refuse to respond to true spiritual authority.
When we refuse the inward speaking of God, the only option that presents itself is an outward kind of control. If we are not responsive to His Spirit, then we must be subdued by His law. This is an all-important truth. Unless all of us can arrive at a place where our entire being is completely submitted to God, we are not yet ready to walk with the Lord and be sensitive to spiritual authority. Lacking this we will only be led about by superficial ordinances, "New Testament principles," "spiritual guidelines," and earthly leaders. In this way we may produce something that appears to be an orderly, disciplined group or church but it will lack an essential ingredient; true, from the heart, submission to the Lord.
The Lord of All
When bringing people to the Lord, or coming to Christ ourselves, we must affirm a truth that is often neglected. When we receive Jesus Christ, we must receive Him for who He is. And who is He? He is the LORD. He is the "head of the body." He is not only the Savior but the Master. In short, He is the absolute authority in the universe. Therefore, if we are in any measure whatsoever unwilling to submit every aspect of our being to His control, we are just playing games with God. We are hypocrites. We honor Him with our words, but our heart is not really His.
In talking about submission to Jesus, we mean this: He must be permitted to control our actions, our words, our thoughts, our feelings, our opinions, our desires and every other aspect of our lives. This does not mean that we occasionally do a few things that the Bible says or that we don't do a few things that are against the rules. No such superficial submission is in view. Every Christian must, sooner or later, come to the place where they make a decision to open every corner of their heart to Jesus and give Him complete control over it. This is not an option. It is an essential part of real Christianity. Unless and until we do this we are not really moving anywhere spiritually. God will never do anything inside of us against our will. Consequently, any resistance in us to His authority will keep us from spiritual progress.
Spiritual growth cannot take place in a resistant believer. I personally knew someone who became born again but never really opened their heart to God's control and inspection. For twenty years the battle raged. For twenty long years God called and this person rejected the idea of complete openness to His Spirit. Then, miraculously the day came when Jesus began to conquer this, His child. The resistance began to crumble and a new openness to the Lord appeared. The gates opened up and the walls came down to welcome in completely the Lord Jesus Christ. What a change took place! What a marvelous new spiritual growth appeared! This full, total yielding to God brought a whole new chapter into the life of this individual. A new infusion of Divine life took place. Real spiritual progress began. Hallelujah! It is never too late to really open your life to Jesus and let Him take complete control. This is the beginning of real Christianity.
By the way, if you are not growing spiritually, or you are beset year after year by the same old problems, sins and weaknesses, this is the reason. You have not yet opened your being completely to God. You are secretly resisting and refusing to allow Him access to every part of your heart and life. You are unwilling for certain aspects of your nature or past to be exposed and treated. The answer of course is to do it, honestly, sincerely by faith. Make your whole being a living sacrifice. He is able to save completely those who come to Him (Heb 7:25).
Jesus must be our head. The scriptures teach that "we have the mind of Christ" (I Cor 2:16). This is a wonderful doctrine. Unfortunately, for many it is no more than that. In their day-to-day existence their mind is full of their own thoughts, with perhaps an occasional insertion of God's will into the process. However, this marvelous teaching is meant to be our experience. Believers can actually experience the Spirit of God taking control of their thinking processes. Their thoughts and opinions can become those of Jesus through yielding control of their mind to Him.
Real Christianity is when Jesus Himself is in complete control of our lives. Anything else is just an imitation. God's desire to rule and reign through us can only be realized when we are submitted to His authority. His plan will only come to fruition in us as we yield every area of our life to Him.