This is what the Lord Jesus Christ said
about leadership: "You know that among the pagans their so-called
rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their
authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No, anyone
who wants to become great among you must be your servant,
and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave
to all. For the son of man did not come to be served but
to serve". These are crystal clear words, and they plainly
state that the kingdom He established 2000 ago has no room
for any kind of vertical relationships ( ie. hierarchies,
control, domination, coercion, direct or indirect threats,
etc ). In the new society of love that Jesus established
on the day of Pentecost, everyone is to be "submitting" to
everyone ( submit to one another ) out of love. The Church
of the living God is not divided in superiors and inferiors.
Everyone is truly equal: "But be not ye called Rabbi: for
one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your
Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters:
for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest
among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt
himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself
shall be exalted" ( Mt 23:8-12 KJV )
All members of the new society of Jesus are equal in every
sense of the word equal. There is no such thing like the
Orwellian "all are equal but some are more equal than others".
No, in the Church of Christ, every single member is equal
with every other member. Those in the Body of Christ who
desire to be "first" in any way, they must do so simply by
serving their fellow brothers and sisters without making
"their authority felt". Even the so-called leaders of the
Church, are merely servants with the express function of
leading by their example. That's it, nothing more. Paul the
Apostle well understood these words of his Master as he encouraged
his fellow Christians "to follow his example even as he followed
the example of Christ". Jesus knew what He was doing when
He warned His disciples to not call any man with any religious
titles ( father, teacher, etc ). The Lord understood that
there could be no true brotherhood with hierarchies. Even
though Jesus said that He alone is our Lord and our Master
"and rightly so", this does not mean that He is a dominating
master. He is a Servant-Lord, who is committed to serve all
mankind. He is committed to save all mankind, not by coercion
but by persuasion, or rather, by inspiration. He is destined
to rule over the Universe by His love until He abolishes
every kind of authority and power. The perfected Kingdom
of God will have no need for authority, power "or any such
thing" because all mankind will by then be perfected so that
God may be all in all ( 1 COR 15: 28 ). Christ is not thirsty
for power or control. He relates to every human being on
equal terms as a friend. He even called His betrayer "friend".
When all things ( including Judas! ) will be "reconciled
unto God" and freely "made subject unto Him", He will not
try to cling on to power like some glorified Communist Dictator,
but He will subject Himself to the Father. This is why every
other self proclaimed Messiah or leader is a wolf. Only Jesus
deserves our full trust, since He is not interested to dominate
us, but to serve us. He proved it on the Cross.
Since all these examples of what constitutes true spiritual
leadership ( and many more similar recorded sayings of Jesus
) make it plain that the only "leaders" we should accept
are those who serve us, why do many of us Christians from
every denomination accept the "authority" of men who try
"to lord it over us"?
Countless Christians who find themselves being victims of
spiritual abuse feel trapped in their abusive churches because
of some Scriptures that seem to validate the authority of
their abusive leaders. In the e-mails that we receive from
abused Christians I have noticed that in one way or another
they all ask us "what about all those Scriptures that tell
us to submit to our leaders?" ( The issue of Scripture being
used as a tool of control and abuse is a topic of its own
and will be dealt in another article ). Others tend to imply
that they cannot remain "saved" unless they are under some
authority or covered by some "head". The question often heard
is "who is your head" which basically means, "who is your
spiritual leader". This is true especially for female Christians
who have been brainwashed to think in such terms. We can
be sure that these victims of spiritual abuse are constantly
reminded by their leaders about such Scriptures. For this
reason alone it seems almost imperative that we look carefully
into the whole issue of religious leadership and authority.
W Krossa has this to say about the vast difference that exists
between the dominating nature of religious institutions and
the liberating message of Christ:
"Even though Jesus has been one of the most prominent persons
ever employed to control people through religion, he actually
opposed all forms of control. In a very contradictory manner,
many people have tried to validate their own control of others
by appealing to this person, who perhaps more than anyone
else in history, fought control and domination. Jesus was
a striking example of subversiveness to every form of control,
hierarchy, or authority and therefore his life has much to
say to us about control, even today. Jesus himself stated
very clearly that "he came not to rule or dominate but to
serve". In saying this, he revealed a God who is radically
different from the old dominating sovereign of religion.
This statement, along with many others, turned the worldviews
and social orders of his time completely upside down. He
taught the complete reversal of hierarchical relating and
domination in stating that "the last would be first and the
first would be last". He revealed God to be a friend of and
a comfortable occupant of the very bottom strata of the social
order of his day- along with outcasts, prostitutes, insurgents
and thieves. Jesus was declaring God to be the very opposite
and the enemy of all control, domination, elite-ness, and
superiority of any kind. God, according to Jesus, was a bottom-up
God, not a top-down God"
"We might insert here that Jesus was killed for his blasphemous
levelling of God. He brought God down from on high to the
marketplace and even to the gutter. This radical horizontalizing
of God completely undermined the authority of the religious
hierarchy of Jesus' time. That entire system of pompous ceremony
and special privilege was condemned by Jesus as nothing but
inhuman abuse of others"
"The human God expressed in Jesus did not reveal himself
in power, glory, or domination but rather in weakness, ignominy,
and equality. This profound contradiction of common ideas
of God is still missed today by people seeking God at the
top of social orders and institutions instead of at the bottom.
Trying to place God above all else is an orientation to power
and glory that completely misses the essential meaning of
true humanity. Far too often this orientation of religious
respect and belief toward the top (ruling elites or leaders)
has led to an unhealthy and freedom-denying dependence on
such leadership"
Jesus basically revealed that He desired people to be His
friends and not His servants: "In saying this, he abolished
all subservience in vertical relating, all relationships
of inferior/superior orientation. He placed God in a radically
new horizontal relationship as an equal to humanity. He showed
that to be human is to live on a horizontal plane where there
are no superiors or inferiors… In one of his most radical
statements on human relating, Jesus said that if anyone wished
to become a leader, then they should become the servant of
all and lead by inspiring example or invitation, not by command
or coercion. He knew the human self should never be violated
by being coerced or commanded. This statement of his about
inspiring by example, condemns all coercion and outside control
of others. These radical teachings of Jesus have never been
taken seriously by institutional Christianity or by vertically
oriented humanity in general"
( Article 14: Rescuing God From Religion- Part 1, From the
series "Taking The Vertical Out Of God" by W. Krossa )
Why the Church is full of "Control freaks"
God gave us leaders "as gifts", to serve us and not to control
us. It is important to recognise the vast difference between
service and control. Service is from God, it is "from above",
it is from the Servant-Lord Jesus Christ. Control on the
other hand is from the abyss of man's animal nature, it is
therefore "from below". Control is inhuman and demonic: "The
power of Satan is the power of domination and oppression,
the power of God is the power of service and freedom... All
the kingdoms and nations of this present world are governed
by the power of domination and force. The structure of the
kingdom of God will be determined by the power of the spontaneous
loving service which people render to one another… There
is no mistaking the two quite different ways in which power
and authority are understood and exercised. It is the difference
between domination and service. The power of this new ( Christian
) society is not a power which has to be served, a power
before which a man must bow down and cringe. It is the power
which has an enormous influence in the lives of men by being
of service to them. It is the power which is so unselfish
that it will serve men even by dying for them" (Jesus Before
Christianity, by Albert Nolan, p.69, source: "Joshua Versus
Jesus", by W Krossa ).
True leadership has got to do with service, and service alone:
"In serving others, we influence by inspiring example. There
is no coercion, threat, or force of any kind in living as
an example". Christians who find themselves trapped in a
religious group where they are told what to do "or else",
may be sure that those who threaten them have no real spiritual
authority over them. Such Christians are victims of spiritual
abuse. There can simply not be any true Christian fellowship
in church groups that subject their members to hierarchical
control. W Krossa accurately describes the destructive nature
of human relationships based on control:
"Control is one of the most destructive features to have
continued on from animal existence into human societies and
human forms of relating. The negative effects of control
are wide ranging and include alienation, mental and emotional
disorders such as depression, debilitating dependency and
helplessness, physical illness, violence, and even early
death. Due to the immense damage that control effects on
human well-being, human relationships, and human development,
it is important that we understand control more and work
to eliminate it entirely from all human relationships. We
also need to deal radically and thoroughly with control because
it subverts our most prized ideals- freedom and equality"
"There will never be true freedom and empowerment in human
relationships until we deal thoroughly with the most cursed
reality of human existence, the control of some people by
others. And to deal thoroughly with control we need to understand
more clearly the root ideas that people use to validate their
control of other people.
Control is a perplexing and disturbing thing. It is difficult
to understand the perverse desire and drive in people to
want to control others. It is also difficult to understand
the continued existence of controlling relationships in so
many areas of life- in families, in schools, in the workplace,
in religion, in government, and other social institutions.
How did control progress along with developing humanity and
became so deeply embedded in human worldviews, human societies,
and human institutions?" ( See Article 1 : God And Control,
From the series "Creating A Horizontal God", by W. Krossa,
http://home.istar.ca/~wkrossa/articles.html )
The issue of control is indeed a complex one and has a lot
to do with the problems faced by humanity. Control is a curse
that plagues all human institutions, including the religious
institutions. Christians have developed over the centuries
various ecclesiastical institutions based on control. Christians
are enslaved to their own institutions! We are so much enslaved
that we even call our institutions "Church". The "Churches"
of today are not the Body of Christ, they are merely institutions
created by the Body of Christ. This is a very important point,
and will be treated elsewhere. For the purposes of this article
however we must further explore and analyse the issue of
control as it manifests in the ecclesiastical institutions.
As we examine the information in the New Testament Scriptures
we see clear evidence of the increased tendency for control
among the Christian communities. There is also clear evidence
of the first stages of development of institutional structures.
But as Robert D. Brinsmead points out in one of his speeches
"the total evidence" in the highly diverse data of the New
Testament shows for example that some of the things Paul
said and did were anti-institutional and anti-hierarchical:
"for example he refused to carry legal credentials from the
Jerusalem church, because his idea of authority was charismatic,
not organizational". He adds: "There is evidence of ( the
Church ) going down the road of institutionalization and
more rigid control, as the Christian movement grew... There
is evidence that some of the leaders of the church lose their
nerve, because they can't get rid of this cultic spirit,
even of Judaism. They want to impose their cultic spirit
upon gentile Christians. And as disorder and false teachers
confront the Christian church, they try to bring in more
law and order-and lose faith in the Spirit. And certainly
retreat from the radical freedom of Jesus" (The Spirit of
Jesus Versus the Cultic Spirit, by Robert D. Brinsmead, VERDICT,
http://www.quango.net/brinsmead/jesusandthelaw.htm )
Brismead compares the story of the early Christian Church
with that of the early nation of Israel and the apostasy
displayed when they camped at Mt. Sinai: "you remember, Moses
was up in the mountain and did not come back again when they
thought he should; ( so ) they take their model from Egypt
and make up schemes to get to Canaan by other means. Did
the Christian church do that? There's evidence; yes, they
did. But if what I say is true, we've gone on a long, long
detour in the Christian religion. It's not good enough to
just go back to the Reformers. We'll have to go right back
again. Jesus came, promising the electrifying message and
the freedom of the kingdom of God-and, lo, what takes place?
We have this dull Christian Church arise... And the best
we can expect now is reformers coming along, like Luther,
to overthrow one form oppression and replace it with another.
Why, he spoke about the clergy and the monks of his day-the
religious professionals. Luther says they're like fleas on
the Almighty's fur coat. But if that be true, then he brought
in some other kinds of fleas: Protestant ones. And that's
what we've had: People engaged in exodus from one form of
fundamentalism and they go back into another! (There's no
difference.) And today's liberators become tomorrow's oppressors!"
Religious oppressors make every effort to project images
and views of God that make God also appear like a "control
freak". They do this by taking various allegorical Scriptures
out of context and by literalising them. A classic example
is those Scriptures that describe God as "angry" or "wrathful".
Even though such Scriptures have always been recognised by
the learned Jewish Rabbis and Christian teachers as figures
of speech ( anthropomorphisms, etc ), many fundamentalist
churches today interpret them literally creating thus a monster-god,
full of hate for sinners ( ie those who do not submit to
the ecclesiastical authorities ).
The diabolical doctrine of "Eternal Hell" is the ultimate
version of an angry God. Krossa puts it this way: "But far
more traumatizing to the human psyche has been the religious
teaching on hell. Not only are we abandoned by God for being
'bad' people, but far worse, we are threatened with the worst
thing ever conceived by any human mind- eternal torture and
burning in raging fires, with frightening demons to add to
the torment. If earthly forms of punishment and torture are
traumatizing to the victims, even while holding forth some
hope of cessation and escape, then how much more traumatizing
are these horrific beliefs in a future place of eternal and
inescapable damnation? No wonder billions of frightened and
traumatized people will subject themselves to religious authorities
and do anything in order to find relief and some hope of
escape from such an enraged and vengeful God. Threat of punishment
is a powerful tool for dominating, manipulating, and controlling
people. Religious authorities understand this well" ( Joshua
Versus Jesus, From the series "Taking the Vertical Out of
God" by W. Krossa ).
Since the doctrine of eternal Hell is a huge issue of its
own, we shall treat it elsewhere. One thing is certain however.
All these inhuman images of God, that are especially prevalent
in fundamentalist churches, serve as the best tool of control
for power hungry religious leaders.
Krossa believes that not only the Christian churches but
also every other religion must reject such cruel images of
God:
"People must be set free, utterly free, especially from religious
ideas that allow some to dominate others and cause so much
misery and suffering. This means that religious ideas of
punishing gods who reject, abandon and threaten people must
be cast out. Far too long such ideas have been used to dominate
and control the minds of others. These brutal ideas of God
have been used by religious
power holders to call oppressed
people to come and submit to their religious belief systems,
perform their rituals, give money to build their little religious
kingdoms, in short- sell their souls to the shameful manipulation
of these groups in the hope of finding forgiveness and relief.
And guilty, lonely, fearful people will join anything and
do anything to find relief. Especially if they are promised
forgiveness and a part in God's family with God's
favour and
all the special privileges of an elect group. These brutal
beliefs have far too long been used as tools to enslave,
control and conform human beings"
"Tragically, too often all that religion has done is to hide
the infinitely incomprehensible and liberating love of God.
With impossible requirements and standards, confusing and
contradictory systems of doctrines or beliefs, and inhuman
threats toward fallible people, too often all that religion
accomplishes is to bring misery and despair to people already
struggling with their imperfection. Religious authorities
try to bring love or mercy into their belief systems, but
it never works. Their emphasis on very harsh systems of justice,
punishment, and damnation, only confuses and clouds any true
sense of God's love and forgiveness. They are unsuccessfully
trying to reconcile or mix mutually exclusive realities"
( Joshua Versus Jesus )
Why "positions", "titles", etc., are false foundations of
authority
The fact that Christian Churches, even the so-called Protestant,
are still ruled by men who hold "positions of authority"
and leadership "titles" proves that we are all still very
carnal and very far from the maturity envisioned by St. Paul
regarding the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ was never
meant to function "after the pattern of this world", with
hierarchical systems etc. The Body of Christ is not a worldly
institution. It is a spiritual Community. The only leaders
recognized in the spiritual realm are those who are servants.
Christ Himself is the perfect example of a Servant-Leader
who never claimed any titles for Himself, but instead offered
Himself to the common good of all mankind. Religious titles
have no place in the Body of Christ. They are an insult to
our Servant-Lord.
Gary Amirault ( from www.tentmaker.org ) puts it rather eloquently:
"Most Christians would probably feel uncomfortable calling
someone by the title of "apostle," but have little difficulty
calling their pastor by the title "pastor." When studying
the Scriptures, we find that the "gifts of men" which some
call the "five-fold ministry" (others say four-fold) are
not called by these titles. The Bible never says "the Apostle
Paul." It says "Paul, an apostle." See Galatians 1:1, Tim.
1:1. Again, we never read of "Apostle Peter," but "Peter,
an apostle." See 1Peter 1:1 and 2Peter 1:1. Equally, we find
the terms "pastor or shepherd" and "evangelist," but we do
not find anyone using these terms as a title attached to
their common name. It would be rather foolish to call members
of the body of Christ who are not in leadership positions
titles such as "Layperson Jones," or "Sheep Brown." If this
sounds foolish, then it should equally be foolish to put
titles on these other offices. The world is full of foolishness
built upon the foundation of pride. Titles, ribbons, medals,
crests, outlandish uniforms and dress are things vain man
seeks to fill his desire for glory"
He adds: "Jesus Christ calls the entire body of Christ to
be servants to the world. Why do we not claim the title "Servant?"
A pastor is one who should serve spiritual food to his\her
congregation. Are there pastors who have taken on the title
"Cook" or "Waiter?" No! Why? They are not titles of honor.
The title "pastor" carries much weight in many communities.
Doors immediately open to people with that title without
necessarily having the quality of character which the title
points to. In my daily walk, I wear many hats. I am a husband,
father, son, writer, consultant, editor, publisher, researcher,
counselor, evangelist, janitor, computer operator, etc. These
are things that I do or am on a regular basis. But why should
I make any of them a title to my name? If I did, I am sure
I would select the title which would give me the most honor.
It is all foolishness and vanity"
"If anyone has a particular place in the body of Christ,
it should be manifested by the gift, office, or anointing
which was given by the Holy Spirit, not by a title. We should
judge whether a person is a prophet or an apostle by the
evidence and confirmation from God, not by the title. It
is one thing to go to an institution for a few years and
buy a certificate entitling one to put "Pastor" or "Reverend"
before their name. It is an entirely different thing to actually
do the work of a pastor… if one is ordained by God (not some
institution) to be a pastor or whatever, then they should
walk out their calling. The calling will bring forth the
fruit thereof. We have made it easy for counterfeits to enter
into these roles by emphasis on government approved offices
with proper licenses and titles and "orthodox" denominational
affiliations. It is easy to buy a piece of paper which certifies
one a "pastor." Is that what it's all about? I think not.
They will know us by our fruit. If the fruit is there, the
title is unnecessary, isn't it? "
What is the difference between a wolf and a leader?
The leadership established by Jesus had nothing to do with
hierarchy. It was to be a spiritual leadership, recognized
and not imposed: "Feed the flock of God which is among you,
taking the oversight thereof , not by constraint, but willingly;
not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. Neither as being
lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock"
( 1 Pet 5: 2, 3 KJV ).
The leaders that were to emerge within each Christian community
were to be recognized by their talents and their gifts, and
not by some "certificate" given by men. True Christian leaders
were to be given their "certificate" by God Himself, who
distributes His gifts in the Ecclesia as He sees fit. The
members of each Christian Community would then simply recognize
those endowed with leadership gifts. Such true leaders would
not demand recognition of their authority. Their fellow believers
would simply be inspired by their faith, their conduct, their
wisdom and their example.
When Jesus came to His people of Israel He did not select
any of the existing leaders to take part in the leadership
of His Ecclesia. Why didn't He?
Gary Amirault ( See His article "Of Shepherds and Wolves"
at www.tentmaker.org ) answers by asking the following questions:
"Isn't it strange that when Jesus came to the House of Israel,
that when He chose those who would be apostles and other
leaders such as the 70 ( mentioned in Luke 10:1-3 ), He didn't
make His primary choices from the religious leadership of
His day? Can you imagine Jesus Christ coming to the earth
today bypassing the Pope, Billy Graham, the head of the World
Council of Churches, Pat Robertson, …all the superintendents
of the various denominations, etc.? Can you picture Jesus
gathering 70 unto Himself to clean up New York city and not
a single pastor or T.V. evangelist among them?"
"God worked with Israel for 1500 years. When Jesus came to
the scene, …Synagogues were throughout the Roman Empire.
They even had Synagogues for Greek-speaking Jews and others
for Hebrew-speaking Jews. Jerusalem was full of thousands
of priests. With such a large selection of religious leadership,
isn't it rather strange that he chose fishermen and tax collectors,
unlearned men? Referring to the religious leadership of His
day, Jesus said in Matthew 23:13: "Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven
against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you
allow those who are entering to go in". Now if the kingdom
of heaven is what Christianity today calls "eternal life,"
then Jesus is saying the religious leadership of His day
was responsible for people going to "hell!". So Jesus selected
a different group, not versed in the Scriptures like the
scribes, priests, and Pharisees were, and sent them out to
preach the good news"
"Within that very same generation, Paul, near the end of
his life, gathered up the leaders who entered the "ecclesia"
at Ephesus and said the following: "For I have not shunned
to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take
heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church
of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know
this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in
among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves
men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away
the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember
that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night
and day with tears." Acts 20:27-31"
"From the above mentioned scriptures we learn that Jesus
could not select from the very Priesthood which was ordained
by the Mosaic Law because they were not entering into the
true kingdom and were preventing others from entering. He
raised up a new leadership, and within the same generation,
Paul warned the church wolves would enter it and even from
among the hand picked-elders, some would draw disciples unto
themselves. The Bible tells us that what happened to Israel
serves as an example for us. We should learn from their mistakes.
1500 years of building Israel into a favored nation under
Rome and the end result was that Jesus had to go to fishermen
to develop leadership. He couldn't go to the local seminaries
or denominational headquarters to find qualified personnel"
Having said all that Amirault asks: "If the wolves were entering
into the church 1900 years ago; if Paul warned that leaders
would draw disciples after themselves 1900 years ago, what
would make one think that the condition of the present day
church leadership is any different than it was in Jesus'
day? Considering wolves were entering almost 2000 years ago,
what condition should we expect the church to be in today?"
This raises further questions like "How can we recognise
a true Christian leader today?". Again I quote from Amirault's
article:
"Christian, if you are looking for a pastor, look for one
who will lay down his life for the sheep. Look for one who
practices serving others. Look for one who spends many hours
finding all the ways he can to bring you to Jesus, the true
water and nourishment. Look for one who, perhaps, was not
afraid to spend some years in the wilderness, away from the
"organized" thing. Someone who like Moses spent 40 years
being broken alone. Like David who spent many years living
in caves. Like Paul, who left the organized church in Jerusalem
and spent several years alone to be taught by God Himself".
Men and women like these often hear, "Why aren't you in fellowship?"
"Who is your covering?" "You have a rebellious non-submissive
spirit." Look for one who, like Paul, can preach the "whole
counsel of God" and never preach "hell." (If you don't believe
me, go to Strong's concordance, find the word "hell;" then
go to Paul's writings and try to find the word "hell." It
isn't there.) Spend a few weeks combing the New Testament
to see what believers did when they came together. Study
how they met, where they met. Look at the leadership that
Paul describes, not the group at Jerusalem, which never could
separate themselves from Moses. Paul's gospel must be read
very carefully. Paul not only knew how to walk after the
Spirit, Paul also studied"
"If God calls you into separation unto Himself in the wilderness,
don't be afraid to go. Yes, church leadership will probably
come against you for that, but sometimes this separation
is necessary. Just remember, if He called you out, he will
also call you back to some kind of fellowship. He is a many
membered body. The separation is for preparation, it is not
permanent. We need each other. We are not complete without
each other"
"We also need leadership. Don't look at all the denominations
and compare them to see which one suits your fancy. Look
to Paul's writings. Study them thoroughly and don't compromise.
Ask God to put true leadership in your life. I truly believe
He would bring someone from 10,000 miles away to teach us
if our hearts really wants to be taught the truth. Don't
compromise on this point. Don't "go to church" like all the
good Christians do just because our tradition says to. Come
together in Spirit and Truth with like-spirited believers
with leadership that lines up with the qualifications in
the New Testament. Don't be surprised if you don't end up
doing the 2 hour thing in Sunday in a building that is vacant
most of the week except for those two hours. Don't be surprised
if your whole concept of "fellowship" and "assembling" might
be as different as when Jesus told His disciples that the
brand new Temple which cost big bucks was coming down. He
was building His temple with a different kind of building
material… The synagogues (churches) of today are in the same
condition they were 1900 years ago when Jesus had to by-pass
most of them to find leadership He could trust… Few Christian
leaders would categorize themselves with the scribes and
Pharisees of Jesus' day, but many of them (I did not say
all) are just that.". Most church leadership is not purposely
corrupt. They have just been brought into a system that has
been corrupt for hundreds of years; this is the way it has
always been and they cannot see how far off it is. Many were
never called into leadership by Jesus"
Amirault concludes: "wolves of the past and wolves of the
present use the sheep to build little kingdoms for themselves.
Shepherds serve to the sheep true drink and true meat. They
bring the sheep into the kingdom made up of righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. They encourage the sheep
to mature, that they, the sheep, may become what they were
meant to be in the earth- its salt, and its light; its New
Heavens"
Jesus had a very good reason why He undermined the institutional
authority of all religious leaders. In the new Society that
He came to establish there was to be no hierarchy. The only
"Head" for Christians is Jesus Christ. The only authority
for Christians is Jesus Christ. The only voice to be obeyed
by Christians is the voice of Jesus Christ. The only sure
guide is the Holy Spirit who lives within all believers.
"Or don't you know that you are the temples of the living
God?"
A true leader should never have to impose his authority.
A true leader should never have to appeal to some external
source of authority in order to validate his ( it is always
male leaders… ) own authority. Instead, Christians are to
recognize the spiritual maturity of those brothers and sisters
of theirs that like Paul the Apostle "have followed the footsteps
of Christ". Regardless of whether such mature Christians
have an official ecclesiastical qualification or not, they
are always good to have around for spiritual advice and for
godly counselling. Even they may at times get it wrong, since
no one is infallible but God. We can be sure however that
the Holy Spirit will eventually lead us into all truth. We
should not be anxious because even if we get it wrong, Jesus
has already made it right 2000 years ago. No one can change
or alter that, not even ourselves. At the end of the day
we can trust in the goodness of God the Father who is the
Saviour of all men. It cannot get any simpler than that.
