Continued from #2...
Everyone is either in the position of leader or follower in life.
Opportunities have been set up by God to lead or follow as in marriage,
family, church, in work, and in society. The very same principle elements
that Jesus displayed in the garden between a follower and a leader are the
very same principles that people should be striving to demonstrate and
hold accountable in their own life. Determining when to lead and when to
follow is not based upon an individual's history or abilities. Because
they were a leader in the last church doesn't mean they are a leader in
the current one. Because they were a supervisor in their last job, does
not mean they will automatically be supervisor in the new one. Likewise
just because an individual is the most able and the most qualified doesn't
make them the leader. That mustn't be confused, that does not determine
whether an individual will lead or whether they follow. Many people have
leadership ability without having the leadership position. Someone who is
a genuine leader, possesses leadership ability, and especially someone
with leadership history, must watch to ensure they are not found leading
when they are suppose to be following. This is especially true in a
marriage. Many times the woman is the more capable leader, and has a
proven leadership track record, but that does not give her the leadership
position. She needs to be very watchful that she is not caught leading
when she should be following, because the position of following is the
position that was given her in a marriage by God. The leadership
tendencies, abilities or history an individual possesses is irrelevant to
the position that God placed in a marriage. If you are male and you are
married, you're the leader, then you must lead. A leader is responsible
for leading. If you're a woman, you are a follower, then you must follow.
A follower is responsible for following. In a marriage Jesus said wives
obey your husbands in everything as unto the Lord. Again concerning
marriage, Jesus says wives submit to your own husbands in everything, even
if they are wrong. Peter said "Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own
husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word,
may be won by the conduct of their wives" 1 Peter 3:1 NKJV. This is
instruction for godly behavior. What is godly behavior for followers? To
follow their leaders. That is considered godly behavior. What then is
followers not following leaders, or concerning 1 Peter 3:1, the sometimes
unpopular topic of wives lacking submission to their husbands? That is
ungodly behavior.
If an individual has the ability and history of leading, without
submission, following will prove itself too difficult for them, because
one day they will come to a time when they believe they are right and
their leader is wrong, do not trust what their leader says, or just do not
want to do what their leader says to do, and the waters of their
relationship will be troubled. In order to follow Jesus' example, they
will need submission. The follower may find themselves exercising all the
avenues of counsel by bringing to the table all of the information,
ability, history and even evidence that they are right, and still face
their leader saying to do it anyway. Perhaps in their employment situation
they are smarter, more able to lead, have more history of leading and more
credibility, but that does not make them the leader. Certainly they ought
to bring their wisdom, their counsel their pleading, bring their
evidence of charts, their numbers, their friends, and everything they may
have to present their case, however, when their leader says to do it
anyway, then Jesus' example demands they abandon their position and take
up that of their leader's by submission. They have to believe in God's
law more than they believe in their right.
There is also illegitimate leadership. It makes a difference often times
in how followers treat those who have arrived at a level of power,
position or leadership authority. I am a pastor, a leader of a church, but
never did God give me the authority to say who could marry another. Nor
did he give instruction to anyone that they should ask me, although people
have and do. I have no authority there however. For me to assume that
authority is for me to embrace illegitimate power and leadership which
they presented to me in their life. The Bible has never shown an example
of any two people standing before a priest or man of God to be married, it
is honoring to God, we practice it, and it is wonderful, however, nowhere
in the Word of God does it give me as a pastor, the authority to decide
who that person could be. Or over their life in any other way. That is
between the individual and God. I can give them godly counsel, but I would
overstep my authority or be attempting to gain illegitimate authority to
involve myself in decisions of their life in what kind of car they bought,
what house they bought, where they moved or what they did. Nobody can be
their, or your Holy Ghost.
However, if someone wanted to teach Sunday school in my church, I have
both responsibility and authority to instruct him or her to teach what I
tell them, or they do not teach. It would be easy for them to obey when
they want to teach what I tell them, but when they do not want to teach
what I tell them, obedience becomes more challenging and they will need to
find submission. When they do find submission I hope they have also found
Loyalty. I hope they are loyal to not complain about it to others, because
that will work against it and the authority given me. the difference
between a dictator and a strong leader is a matter of perspective. For a
daddy to tell his son that yes he is going to be in by midnight, is
not dictatorial, it's the responsible voice of a strong leader, he has a
right to say that. No one likes to be told no, but everybody has been told
no, and when they are told no, they will find out if the leader has the
right and if they, as the follower, are submitted and loyal. If we want to
follow our example in Jesus as a godly follower, then we will embrace not
only obedience, but we will embrace submission and we will embrace
loyalty. We will work on all three of these qualities.
Continued on the final mail #4...
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