Dealing With Authority

Matthew 20:25-26: "Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'" (emphasis mine)

When Jesus wanted to portray genuine leadership to His disciples, He put a towel around His waist and a bowl of water in His hands. This has always amazed me considering our ideas of authority. The world's model of authority and leadership always gives us a picture of someone in charge, someone with a title, and someone with the final say. However, in the Kingdom of God it looks very different.

The authority that God has granted me in the lives of others is not so I can control them. The authority that I have is to empower, equip, and encourage. Whenever I move outside of that understanding of authority then I'm moving into the world's definition. Think about in this way:
How much authority does God have in your life? ALL
How much does He control you? NONE
Instead, God offers you a relationship with Himself where He will empower you, equip you, and encourage you. And regardless of what some may say, God doesn't manipulate you to do His will.

The reality of our relationship with God should help us understand this point. His authority in my life doesn't mean that He controls me. I still have a choice. His authority in my life does mean that He gets to influence me. He gets to speak into me. He gets to guide me and direct me. Why would the authority He has granted us into the lives of others look any different? Could it be that we really don't understand God's view of authority and leadership?

Let's take the New Testament as an example. God's Word has much to say about leadership and authority. We have been taught that Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors/Teachers are the authority figures of God within the church. Since we tend to view this as a top to bottom listing then we assume that the Apostle is the "boss". Why is it that we have never considered that those "titles" are placed in chronological order rather than hierarchical order? In other words, they are listed in reference to how they work in the church based upon the history of the church. Apostles typically come first because they were the church planters. Prophets would come along and provide vision into their particular purpose. So forth and so on. The world's way of looking at things will never allow us to see this. And this view of leadership within the Body of Christ has crippled us in understanding authority.

This same approach has hurt us in understanding the "leadership" that God provides in the church as well. Most teaching on pastors, overseers, and elders will give you the idea that since they are in authority that they call the shots. A simple word study into the Greek text will show you that almost all leadership in the New Testament is leading by example, providing guidance, and persuading others. No hierarchy. No top to bottom listing. In fact, to try to impose this upon Scripture is to go against what Jesus taught His disciples. "NOT SO WITH YOU."

Approaching the idea of authority from a faulty mindset will always produce faulty results. In this way authority will actually keep people from becoming all that God has created them to become. Think about how many fathers and husbands have assumed the role of Spiritual Head/Authority of the home. Since most of them got their ideas of authority from the world they are a force to be reckoned with. Rather than living as a servant or a slave, they will seek to bring everyone else into submission. And most of us have seen how that plays out. What if the spiritual authority God has granted us in the home is not meant to control people but to help control the environment? What if the greatest thing we can provide for our families is a safe place to learn, to grow, and to mature? What if we lead by example rather than by our sheer power? What if...?

I'm not writing any of this to create anarchy. I'm simply pointing out a flawed understanding of authority. If Jesus had authority but was willing to lay down His life - how can I do any different? If Jesus had authority but was willing to wash His disciples feet - how can I not follow Him? This is what makes Kingdom life so amazing because we have all been given authority. That's why mutual submission is so important in the Body of Christ. We learn to recognize authority operating in someone's life. They don't have authority because they have a title. They don't have authority just because someone calls them "Pastor". They don't have authority because they claim to hold a particular anointing. No...we recognize authority on a person's life when they are speaking and ministering in the Lord. Now THAT is something to think about!!!