CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST

Return to CypresswoodJuly-August2007

September 16, 2007

25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, TX. 77373

www.geocities.com/adon77373/cypresswoodbulletin.htm

PRAYERS AND PETITIONS:

Our congregation     Various relatives, friends, and co-workers

Our nation, military and leaders   The persecuted church

LORDS AND AUTHORITY

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been give to me" (Matthew 28:18).

A friend of ours was telling us what had happened in a congregation he use to preached for for a number of years. Upset by some marriage situations, an elder stood up and said that there would be some house cleaning. When approached and asked to discuss the situation, the elder refused to listen or discuss anything stating that he was "the" elder.

Unfortunately this is not an isolated situation both in the church and society. Somehow over the years, our teachings have developed an idea that while Jesus had all authority in heaven and on earth, He has delegated that authority to various humans, mostly elders, and that they can delegate authority to others, sort of. Actually, a number of elders would not delegate any authority to anyone for fear of losing control. For instance, I keep reading those ads looking for preachers. Most congregations want a preacher who would evangelize, encourage, and manage the affairs of a congregation. In essence, they want the preacher to do the work of elders and deacons without any authority while everyone from elders to members of the congregation get to judge how well or not the preacher is doing. Needless to say, this is an unhealthy and unscriptural idea.

Our words betray us. We speak in terms of authority. We have those who "lead" prayers and song "leaders" assuming that there is some type of authority in these tasks. We have those who "head" or "lead" at the Table with the same assumption. A violation of some traditional role is considered a usurpation of authority. In one assembly, a sister took the bread, stood up and walked along a long pew and handed it to another sister. An elder who saw this was furious and saw it, not as service, but as one usurping some type of authority, though that was not defined.

There are some things that we need to consider. Jesus is Lord and we are not, and He has all authority and we have none. Until we grasped this, we will continue to have problems. 

Jesus is Lord and no one else is. That was a challenge for first century Christians as the good news spread throughout the Roman Empire. The words were familiar to the listeners: salvation, redemption, rescue and Caesar as lord. Caesar came to bring salvation by his armies, rescuing people from enemies and redeeming them for himself. Paul came using the same words but for a different Lord. Jesus came to save people from their sins. When the Romans of Philippi heard those words, they faced a major challenge; reject Caesar for Christ. Eventually Rome would see this as a political threat though it wasn't the intention of the early Christians to overthrow Rome. Rather, they lived as humble servants bringing glory to God by their lives (1).

No matter what was said by apostles, preachers and citizens of the kingdom of heaven, the powers that be saw them as a threat. Today, in many parts of the world that continues. People who have control over others go on power trips thinking that they know best. Politicians refuse to be questioned about decisions they make. Elders refuse to see that they are servants. Too many are on power trips thinking that they are in control by some type of authority given to them by God. Is it any wonder that Peter warned fellow shepherds not to lord it over the church (see 1 Peter 5:1-4)!

Why do Christians think that we have been given some type of authority by God that resembles the authority claimed by politicians, dictators, home owner associations, and yes, even elders. "'You observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,' he said, 'and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It's not going to be that way with you'" (The Message, Mark 10:42-43). Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). What kind of authority is it? In John 13, Jesus told the twelve they call Him Lord and that was right, but then they were to do what He did; wash one another's feet. The authority of the Lord is seen in service. When will we get this thought in our minds? When will we stopping looking at worldly models of authority and adopt Jesus' model of authority as service?

Even when we read the texts that talk about authority, we need to realize that it is not like the authority those of the world claim, but rather it is the authority of service. When we read the texts that express some type of authority, we must keep service in mind (2). In a much abused text, Hebrews 13:17, "submit to their authority" does not mean that they have total control. First, the word "authority" is not in the Greek, so building a theology around such an idea is very dangerous. Second, if we read it with the idea of service in mind, then we will have a better view of what the Hebrew writer was trying to get across, and will be more like Jesus. Earlier in verse seven, the writer tells them to remember who spoke the word of God to you. The King James Version uses the word "rule" which would imply one who is in control. Again, we must be careful with such ideas or we might find ourselves contradicting other texts. 

Maybe we need to get away from words and ideas of authority. While we try to be brief and clear, we can also be misleading. Nothing in an assembly is based on authority of someone. A song leader has no authority, delegated or otherwise. Neither does one who offers a prayer, which, in my mind, is more appropriate. Those who serve at the Table are doing just that, serving. Someone said rather jokingly that women serve everywhere except at the Table; and there is almost an expectation of that. 

We all need to rethink authority in view of service. We need shepherds who are out among the sheep serving them through teaching, encouraging and admonishing them. As Christians, we need to seek out those who have the heart of a servant, not the attitude of a ruler. We should praise people who lead in service such as the sister mentioned above passing the Lord's Supper. When the church becomes a body of servants, then we will be radically different from the world around us.

Leonard Allen writes that churches of Christ have been influenced by its past; the attitudes of the Enlightenment and Baconian philosophy of common sense that saw the Bible as a set of propositions (3). One of the ideas was that there needed to be those who would make decisions and control the affairs of the church, hence the idea that elders would "rule" over the church. Why? Why do we need to have a "board of directors" making decisions that the congregation is perfectly capable of making? One complaint that I here over and over from elders is that people are not involved in church affairs. No wonder. They are not given any role to play and when they make a decision or choice outside the processes of the elders, they are criticized. After a while, few want to be involved preferring to judge like the elders, complaining to them so that something would be done. Sadly, we have created a church that is inactive not only within the body but in influencing those outside.

We have also been influenced by postmodernism and the changes that are occurring, something Allen sees as being more like the first century than the nineteenth. This is a challenge to all of us, especially as we have to reexamine various ideas that have been considered "settled" for decades. This conflict isn't going away. The younger generations are hearing sermons on loving one another and being a good Samaritan but are seeing the older generation abuse members and preachers, and ruling almost with a iron fist in order to get or keep their way of doing things. Power grabs and control of others just will not cut it anymore. 

The challenge will be that of really getting serious about scripture, not just knowing the facts but about living the radically life in Christ. The younger generation is watching and so our outsiders. They see the abuse of power in various places and are looking for peace. When we read that elders can be rebuked, when will we get serious about doing that (1 Timothy 5:17-21)? If elders understood that, and were humble enough to accept it, we will be headed in the right direction. I fear however, as a brother keeps telling me, it will take a generation or two for this to change.

Pray for that congregation in Ohio and for others who struggle with this. Pray that we will become servants who humbly bow before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Pray that we will not seek to get our way or control others, but bring glory to God.

                                                George B. Mearns

(1) see Philippians 2:1-11.

(2) see 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13.

(3) Leonard Allen, The Cruciform Church, revised edition, ACU Press, 2006.