“Obey your leaders and
submit to their authority. They keep
watch over you as men who must give an account.
Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not as a burden, for that
would be of no advantage to you.”
-Hebrews 13:17
That’s not a real popular Bible verse for a lot of
people. We are a country that was born
out of a thirst for independence that led to rebellion against authority. Of course that act gave us our freedoms and
set us up to pursue happiness, but it has also made us a people that questions
authority more than almost any other.
If you live in a free agent nation and don’t like your current
boss, then find another. If you find
accountability to a certain set of standards too rigorous, then go somewhere
where life is easier.
Thus are authority structures weakened and relationships
rendered more temporary. In a portable
culture, you just pack up your RV and transfer your membership. The pain that attends submission is optional.
Please understand, I am not a control freak, nor am I
advocating for a top-down style of leadership.
In fact, I’ve chafed under the
authority of others as much as
anyone. But I
am saying this: We were made for one another; we are
covenantal beings who come alive most fully in the presence of others.
We need community to thrive. And any community needs
authority structures
to guide it. The early church may have
been communal, but it was set-up with elders and deacons.
Any promise made requires some sort of accountability if it
is to mean anything. And teams making
promises need to know how they will keep them.
Leaders wielding authority are part of God’s plan for holding
communities together and for building the Kingdom. They themselves must give an account. More of us probably need to learn the truth
of Hebrews 13:17.
Hey Seth,
The body of Christ not only suffers but is crippled from both the abuses and the resulting opposite swing away from submission to authority. And we’re so “sensitive” and touchy, which causes the sheep to take flight even when we attempt to bring correction to ungodly thinking, speech or actions. Pastors, ministry leaders, like public school teachers, must bear all responsibility with none of the authority. This has been a source of great frustration to me when I attempt to make pastors look at the body of Christ in a city through the lens of the church with the capital “C.” Believers change “membership” (what nonsense!) to another church because leadership has failed to see the big picture, teach the larger kingdom perspective of our inter-dependence, and leave in their wake unresolved offenses and broken fellowship, all in the name of me, my and mine. May God convict and heal us of such unhealthy attitudes and practices.
I find the Christian concept, or any global religion to be the crux of our present day world struggles. Karl Marx Quote has been spot on. It IS the opiate of the masses, but at a cost too great to tally. Russia, USA, and China are the biggest nuclear powers. Since that question of power is answered, are we just reduced to greed and power in our own country due to this world stalemate? The counter productive veil of hate and control is now a 24/7 business. Too much time on citizens AND “leaderships” hands.