Before I go on, this is a picture of some of us who took last week's intensive course on Youth Discipleship, courtesy of David Paksoal. - First row from left to right: David Parks (our lecturer), Kooi Hoon, Yusuf, James, Kevin, Vivien, me, Elaine, David Paksoal. Second row from left to right: Wilson, Matthew, a pastor from New Zealand (I am still trying to remember his name - many apologies!), Mark Aaron Lin.
Been reading a new book recently, entitled, 'The Spirit of Disciplines : Understanding how God changes lives' authored by Dallas Willard. While it is part of one of my assignments, I am truly savouring the book, because it is so good! Something that caught my attention was... you know how we always say, "What would Jesus do" when suddenly in the face of critical situations? While it would no doubt do some good, this is simply not an adequate discipline of preparation to enable one to live as He lived. The idea conveyed in this practice is an 'absolutely fatal one' (according to this book) - to follow Him, according to the WWJD thingy simply means to try to behave as He did when He was 'on the spot', under pressure or persecuted. However, as the author mentioned in page 9, '...there is no realization that what He did in such cases was, in a large and essential measure, the natural outflow of the life He lived when not on the spot.'
Spiritual discipline. I can see how misguided some people are. Many I know do not want to bother with the tougher bits of following Jesus on your regular, care-free day. They think it's pointless to spend time with the Lord - studying His Word, praying, worshipping, etc - when they have so many other so-called 'more important' matters to attend to. Work, children and for some Christians I know - even ministry.
I'm not trying to be legalistic here - but what is ministry when it is not birthed from an individual's whole-hearted pursuit of God behind the scenes of valiantly 'doing'? An effective ministry isn't merely one with the most activities,or even the most elaborate plans. But it is one, in which its leader having established spiritual intimacy with the Lord is so sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading. Then he or she influences the rest of the team, gathers more like-minded, faithful people on board (and not just anyone with the required spiritual gifts and talents!), communicates clearly the kingdom vision of God and does only the things God leads him/her to do. I've shared many times what Laura used to tell me - about this, but I will share it again here. "Your work in ministry can only be birthed out of spiritual intimacy with God - or it would be all in vain." We need the infilling of God, before we can give. Laura used to tell me the story of the sponge. If you squeeze a old, dry sponge, you would get nothing but gush of air trapped within its 'pores', dirt and disgusting fibers! (I've tried, oh yeah! Yucky.) But squeeze a dripping wet sponge - and you get all the water you'll need.
Since I'm talking about ministry here, this leads me to another concern...
It is also rather scary when ministry leaders are doing stuff in the ministries not led by the Holy Spirit, but based on a heavy, compulsory reliance on the dictation of his/her superiors....and the fear of not meeting the expectations of the (sometimes over-enthusiastic) pastor. It's almost like working in any secular organization, whereby your performance and productivity determines the security of your position in the company. Instead of following God's ultimate timing, they rush to meet datelines and are under constant pressure to produce 'results' often measured by numbers. Being too busy to spend quality time in solitude, prayer and meditation on the Word, they end up preaching stale topics borrowed from other sermons they have read or listened to, instead of prayerfully preparing them from scratch, just so that they can please the senior pastor and meet the expected datelines. Impressive as they may look and sound, we can guess what kind of fruit these bear. After all, we reap what we sow!
Now don't get me wrong. I do believe in submission to the authorities God has placed in our lives - you can read Romans 13:1-2 for yourselves - however, within the biblical limits. It is a sad and unfortunate fact in many (though not all) churches and Christian organizations that pastors, and elders can attempt to exert a heavy-handed, authoritarian type of control over their members (including 'lay' ministry leaders), whereby such behaviour is often defended under the guise of love and shepherding. The Bible indeed gives a certain level of spiritual authority to church leadership, but often such authority is abused and misused, going beyond what the scriptures allow. I have seen some ministry leaders burn out under such authoritarian leadership, and many of these leave their post and church all together, while those they led flee, frustrated at their leader's lack of direction. After all, Jeremiah 10:21 reminds us that senseless shepherds who do not inquire of the Lord do NOT prosper and their flock is scattered! Such a ministry leader also sometimes exert the same abuse of power over his/her team members - and a vicious cycle is established.
A study of God's Word shows that the apostle Paul, the most prolific New Testament writer, never once claimed control over the personal lives of those he discipled and led. Instead of elevating himself to the 'authoritative', dictator position over the church, he knew he was to be a servant-leader. In 2 Corinthians 1:24, he wrote, "Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy." Who cannot but help earnestly desiring to submit willingly to such noble leadership? He considered himself part of the team, charged with helping others to mature in their faith... leading by example and not by militant rule. In the same letter, Paul addressed the Corinthians who foolishly tolerated their self-important leaders' enslaving the congregation with their authority in verses 11:19-20 - "For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise! For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face."
Peter also was extremely clear on the Lord's expectations for leaders. In 1 Peter 5:1-3, he writes this, "The elders who are among you I exhort...Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion... nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock."
Jesus Himself taught with regard to the role of leaders, speaking against those who 'lord over' others. He said in Mark 10:42-45 - "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you... For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve...." God stresses on the importance of not submitting to just any spiritual leader - but one who is godly, who is a servant leader, God-fearing, and Spirit-led - just like Christ.
I suddenly remember what my former pastor, Rev. Jeyakumar, said in one of our Experiencing God classes, about submission. Particularly between a husband and wife. Yes, God wants wives to submit to their husbands. But a husband cannot make his wife submit to him - rather, it is something she joyfully decides to do between God and herself, if her husband is a servant leader as Christ is to His bride, the Church. A misunderstanding of such, has led to some husbands abusing their authorities over their wives. And many women, not knowing how to apply this in their lives, have resorted to the torment of wife-beating, sexual abuse, etc. Many don't leave their homes to look for shelter outside until it is too late. Similarly, submitting to leaders at church who misuse their power can breed alot of damage. We are all in great need of discernment here.
Here, I can guess what some would bring up to question what I've just written. "What about Hebrews 13:17 that instructs believers to '...obey those who rule over you?' "
We must remember that the English version of the Bible is yet a translation from the old Greek text! The Greek word for "obey" was Peiqo - which originally means 'to be persuaded by'. It does NOT mean to obey in the context of Peiqarceo - which means, 'to obey a ruler or superior' or Upakouo. It does not give church leadership unrestrained control and dictation over the lives of their members. Instead, it teaches the believers to consider the example of truly God-fearing servant-leaders who have taken up the mantle of leadership God has given them over a 'flock' of people.
Having said all that, (I think some would beg to differ), I don't agree with a system or an organization dictating what a ministry leader should do for the ministry God has called him/her to and imposing policies which must be decided on the individual's exercise before God. While all guidelines and counsel are great, and God so often directs us through the instructions of our leaders, having an organization dictate the will of God makes the leader merely a blind follower of a bunch of must-do's and mustn't-do's - and he/she loses the ability to strategize and be led by the Spirit himself/herself. While we are to be persuaded by good leaders (peiqo), it is even more important and vital to carefully submit to the will of God Himself.
Been reading a new book recently, entitled, 'The Spirit of Disciplines : Understanding how God changes lives' authored by Dallas Willard. While it is part of one of my assignments, I am truly savouring the book, because it is so good! Something that caught my attention was... you know how we always say, "What would Jesus do" when suddenly in the face of critical situations? While it would no doubt do some good, this is simply not an adequate discipline of preparation to enable one to live as He lived. The idea conveyed in this practice is an 'absolutely fatal one' (according to this book) - to follow Him, according to the WWJD thingy simply means to try to behave as He did when He was 'on the spot', under pressure or persecuted. However, as the author mentioned in page 9, '...there is no realization that what He did in such cases was, in a large and essential measure, the natural outflow of the life He lived when not on the spot.'
Spiritual discipline. I can see how misguided some people are. Many I know do not want to bother with the tougher bits of following Jesus on your regular, care-free day. They think it's pointless to spend time with the Lord - studying His Word, praying, worshipping, etc - when they have so many other so-called 'more important' matters to attend to. Work, children and for some Christians I know - even ministry.
I'm not trying to be legalistic here - but what is ministry when it is not birthed from an individual's whole-hearted pursuit of God behind the scenes of valiantly 'doing'? An effective ministry isn't merely one with the most activities,or even the most elaborate plans. But it is one, in which its leader having established spiritual intimacy with the Lord is so sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading. Then he or she influences the rest of the team, gathers more like-minded, faithful people on board (and not just anyone with the required spiritual gifts and talents!), communicates clearly the kingdom vision of God and does only the things God leads him/her to do. I've shared many times what Laura used to tell me - about this, but I will share it again here. "Your work in ministry can only be birthed out of spiritual intimacy with God - or it would be all in vain." We need the infilling of God, before we can give. Laura used to tell me the story of the sponge. If you squeeze a old, dry sponge, you would get nothing but gush of air trapped within its 'pores', dirt and disgusting fibers! (I've tried, oh yeah! Yucky.) But squeeze a dripping wet sponge - and you get all the water you'll need.
Since I'm talking about ministry here, this leads me to another concern...
It is also rather scary when ministry leaders are doing stuff in the ministries not led by the Holy Spirit, but based on a heavy, compulsory reliance on the dictation of his/her superiors....and the fear of not meeting the expectations of the (sometimes over-enthusiastic) pastor. It's almost like working in any secular organization, whereby your performance and productivity determines the security of your position in the company. Instead of following God's ultimate timing, they rush to meet datelines and are under constant pressure to produce 'results' often measured by numbers. Being too busy to spend quality time in solitude, prayer and meditation on the Word, they end up preaching stale topics borrowed from other sermons they have read or listened to, instead of prayerfully preparing them from scratch, just so that they can please the senior pastor and meet the expected datelines. Impressive as they may look and sound, we can guess what kind of fruit these bear. After all, we reap what we sow!
Now don't get me wrong. I do believe in submission to the authorities God has placed in our lives - you can read Romans 13:1-2 for yourselves - however, within the biblical limits. It is a sad and unfortunate fact in many (though not all) churches and Christian organizations that pastors, and elders can attempt to exert a heavy-handed, authoritarian type of control over their members (including 'lay' ministry leaders), whereby such behaviour is often defended under the guise of love and shepherding. The Bible indeed gives a certain level of spiritual authority to church leadership, but often such authority is abused and misused, going beyond what the scriptures allow. I have seen some ministry leaders burn out under such authoritarian leadership, and many of these leave their post and church all together, while those they led flee, frustrated at their leader's lack of direction. After all, Jeremiah 10:21 reminds us that senseless shepherds who do not inquire of the Lord do NOT prosper and their flock is scattered! Such a ministry leader also sometimes exert the same abuse of power over his/her team members - and a vicious cycle is established.
A study of God's Word shows that the apostle Paul, the most prolific New Testament writer, never once claimed control over the personal lives of those he discipled and led. Instead of elevating himself to the 'authoritative', dictator position over the church, he knew he was to be a servant-leader. In 2 Corinthians 1:24, he wrote, "Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy." Who cannot but help earnestly desiring to submit willingly to such noble leadership? He considered himself part of the team, charged with helping others to mature in their faith... leading by example and not by militant rule. In the same letter, Paul addressed the Corinthians who foolishly tolerated their self-important leaders' enslaving the congregation with their authority in verses 11:19-20 - "For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise! For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face."
Peter also was extremely clear on the Lord's expectations for leaders. In 1 Peter 5:1-3, he writes this, "The elders who are among you I exhort...Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion... nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock."
Jesus Himself taught with regard to the role of leaders, speaking against those who 'lord over' others. He said in Mark 10:42-45 - "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you... For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve...." God stresses on the importance of not submitting to just any spiritual leader - but one who is godly, who is a servant leader, God-fearing, and Spirit-led - just like Christ.
I suddenly remember what my former pastor, Rev. Jeyakumar, said in one of our Experiencing God classes, about submission. Particularly between a husband and wife. Yes, God wants wives to submit to their husbands. But a husband cannot make his wife submit to him - rather, it is something she joyfully decides to do between God and herself, if her husband is a servant leader as Christ is to His bride, the Church. A misunderstanding of such, has led to some husbands abusing their authorities over their wives. And many women, not knowing how to apply this in their lives, have resorted to the torment of wife-beating, sexual abuse, etc. Many don't leave their homes to look for shelter outside until it is too late. Similarly, submitting to leaders at church who misuse their power can breed alot of damage. We are all in great need of discernment here.
Here, I can guess what some would bring up to question what I've just written. "What about Hebrews 13:17 that instructs believers to '...obey those who rule over you?' "
We must remember that the English version of the Bible is yet a translation from the old Greek text! The Greek word for "obey" was Peiqo - which originally means 'to be persuaded by'. It does NOT mean to obey in the context of Peiqarceo - which means, 'to obey a ruler or superior' or Upakouo. It does not give church leadership unrestrained control and dictation over the lives of their members. Instead, it teaches the believers to consider the example of truly God-fearing servant-leaders who have taken up the mantle of leadership God has given them over a 'flock' of people.
Having said all that, (I think some would beg to differ), I don't agree with a system or an organization dictating what a ministry leader should do for the ministry God has called him/her to and imposing policies which must be decided on the individual's exercise before God. While all guidelines and counsel are great, and God so often directs us through the instructions of our leaders, having an organization dictate the will of God makes the leader merely a blind follower of a bunch of must-do's and mustn't-do's - and he/she loses the ability to strategize and be led by the Spirit himself/herself. While we are to be persuaded by good leaders (peiqo), it is even more important and vital to carefully submit to the will of God Himself.
2 comments:
my goodness! such an awesome post!!!truly love it !
Thanks, bro!!!:) You are very encouraging.
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