Wednesday, April 10, 2013

There is ONE Leader

Matthew 23:10-12 (NASB) Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

I have heard this text taught and preached many, many times. Yet we continue to put our church leaders ahead of Christ. We are all about Jesus Christ in our conversation, but by our actions, Bishop Do-Right is the authority on all spiritual matters and whom we seek to please.

Respecting leadership is right and necessary. Obeying those that have rule over us is obedience to Christ. I am not speaking against decency and order. I am speaking against giving a man a place in your life that should be reserved for Jesus Christ and Him alone. If the Right Reverend Pimpalicious requires something of you that Jesus Christ Himself taught against, that “leader” has put himself in a place he has no business occupying in your life.

There is plenty of blame to go around about how we’ve gotten to this place in the church. Like politics in America, only the self-serving climb the ladders to find secular success. Behind all these so-called leaders are people supporting them, patronizing them, and lifting them up, trying to secure cabinet positions in their regimes. I also need to clarify that I am not speaking against mega-churches or mega-church pastors. This has nothing to do with church size, ministry offerings, number of campuses, number of books written, speaking engagements, being part of Oprah’s Life Class series, or any such thing. This is about the heart of man.

The pastor of a small church can be just as guilty of exalting himself as the pastor of a large church. The bishop of a huge jurisdiction with billions of dollars can be just as humble as the bishop of a small third-world nation with nothing. Evaluate your own heart, your own motivations. Do you want to serve the people of God, or do you want them to serve you? Are you interested in growing the Kingdom of God or your own personal kingdom? God already knows, so be honest with yourself.

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