Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you. Titus 2:15
Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock… 1Peter 5:2-3
The Lord has appointed and anointed authority in the church for His purposes. As much as we might attempt to excuse ourselves on the basis of leadership failure, there is simply no getting away from it: We either submit to His way for church governance or live in rebellion to it.
Graciously, God has given us reason, good reason, to commit our way to Him and trust Him to bring to pass His purposes (Psalm 37:5). And He has not left us to wonder about His purposes for delegated authority. We find the most substantial reason in Ephesians 4:11-16.
And He Himself [i.e., Jesus Christ] gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Jesus gifted the church with the five-fold ministries – all positions of authority – to build His church, a project which involves equipping, edifying, and unifying His followers to the measure of the stature of Christ, that we would not be deceived. His vision, and its necessary authority, is ultimately for our good – “for the edifying of itself in love.”
Every follower of Jesus Christ has a desire in their heart for the church He is building, and that desire is a strong heart-tie with our Lord and Savior. Ask Him now and regularly to stir that desire within your heart, and submit to His wisdom and love for authority in your life.
The Matter of Judgment
Objections to judgment, erroneously built on misinterpretations of Scripture, have been used for millennia as a smokescreen for rebellion against God’s ordered governance. Authority without judgment is hollow and weak, at best. In far too many cases, feigned authority is the deception of shepherds who have no concern for the sheep entrusted to their care. Just and loving authority requires judgment.
Anticipating our objections, the Holy Spirit carefully describes the process leaders are to follow in preparation for godly judgment.
And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me remove the speck from your eye”; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5.
Notice the intention to remove the speck from your brother’s eye has not been negated. Love requires leadership to identify and assist in the removal of sin from the fellowship.
Furthermore, the process for discipline has also been provided.
Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that “by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. Matthew 18:15-17
Even in the worst case, leadership separates someone from the fellowship in the hope they will become humble and repentant (1Corinthians 5:5), that they may be restored (2Corinthians 2:5-8; Galatians 6:1). It bears repeating, love does not lead one to ignore a sister’s or brother’s sin, but quite the opposite: Love sacrifices to save.
As we explained in Part 2, the grace of God flows down the channels of authority established by Him – grace that includes His favor, power, and love. Loving judgment benefits the one being disciplined, the one he may have harmed, and the fellowship (for when one suffers, the whole body suffers; 1Corinthians 12:26). Loving discipline directs our attention away from ourselves to God, drives us to prayer, and brings us into humble submission.
One final word on this matter of judgment: A mystery which certainly applies.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by [the faith of] the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20
Jesus’ contention that we can do nothing without Him (John 15:5) applies as much to the loving judgment by His appointed and anointed authorities as anything. This is authority and judgment in its purest form – our participation as instruments of God’s authority.
Biblical Roles of Authority
Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock… Matthew 7:24
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James 2:26
What we believe and know about God’s authority is worthless without an appropriate response. The only way we can hope to restore and enjoy the grace, love, and power God has infused into His authority is to exercise authority His way. Not man’s way, the world’s way, and certainly not the way we subjectively and conditionally prefer; but the objective and timeless way of God.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man [and woman] of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2Timothy 3:16-17
The Holy Spirit has established, in the Scriptures, a strong foundation for the governance of God’s kingdom. We ignore, bend, twist, and compromise God’s ways to the harm of persons and fellowships.
Warning: The following roles of authority have been debated in the church for centuries. Every reader may find something in the following they disagree with. Please understand, I am not interested in furthering the debate. However, I am duty bound to offer the discernment and convictions which I believe have come to me from the Holy Spirit.
Every child of God must discern for themselves, and every leadership team for their fellowship, what the Scriptures say and mean regarding authority. Please note, use of the word “discern”, instead of “choose”, is intentional. The only choice God offers is obedience or rebellion, and to not decide and act is a decision. Prayerful and sober consideration, followed by courageous response, is critical.
Much has been written on each role that cannot be covered in this short format. Our hope in providing the following brief comments is to foster attention, thought, and action for the health of the church.
The Five-fold Ministries (Ephesians 4:11-16) – Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are roles given by Jesus Christ to the church He is building “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (v. 13).” Until this has been accomplished, we should expect the supernatural functions of each of these roles in every local church. We must not allow the corruption of bad men to slander and inhibit Jesus’ good intention in giving these gifts.
Elders (1Timothy 3:1-7) – As the highest level of governance in the local church (even above the five-fold ministries), elders are responsible for the spiritual health of the body and its individuals – a more exacting responsibility than many realize. Based on the referenced passage and 1Timothy 2:12, the role of elder should be limited to qualified men (see role of women/wives below).
Deacons (1Timothy 3:8-13) – As depicted in Acts 6:1-7, deacons are responsible for the physical well-being of the local church. The qualification passages of 1Timothy 3:3-13 and Titus 1:5-9 make it clear that the role of deacon should be limited to qualified men (see role of women/wives below).
Fathers and Mothers (Exodus 20:12) – As the highest level of governance in the family, fathers and mothers are to be honored by their children. It is note-worthy that parents are the only human authority encouraged in the Ten Commandments.
Men/Husbands (Ephesians 5:22-33; Titus 2:1-2,6-8) – As the highest level of governance in the local church, their families, and their marriages, men/husbands are commanded to be the most dedicated, diligent, and determined servants to the Body of Christ, children, and women/wives. Our failures are shameful and inexcusable (Philippians 4:13). The buck stops here, and here is where the restoration must begin. Perhaps the first and biggest mistake we have made is ignoring the eternal consequences of poor leadership. We need prayer, desperately.
Women/Wives (Genesis 2:18, Titus 2:3-5) – The shameful leadership practices of men in the church accompanied by the secularization of womanhood, has caused great damage to the church. Essentially, we (men) have lost our greatest ally by thrusting them into leadership roles and responsibilities God did not intend. There are four observations to make here.
First, the description of Eve in Genesis 2:18 is ezer kinegdo, in Hebrew. I strongly encourage every man and woman of God to search out the meaning of this phrase (here’s a good article). Just to give you a taste of it: Ezer is used elsewhere in Scripture to describe God as the ally of man when he is in the most desperate situations.
“For example, the word “ebenezer” in 1Samuel 7:12 is used to describe the power of God’s deliverance. Eve was Adam’s complete spiritual equal, endowed with an essential saving power that was opposite from his (Farrell, 2019).”
Second, Ephesians 5:22-33 strongly suggests that wives have the honorable responsibility of showing the church and the world how the church – the Bride of Christ – is to relate to her Husband. We will not get to the marriage supper of the Lamb without their example; and we dare not underestimate the importance of this role. Furthermore, Titus 2:3-5 speaks clearly to the role older women play in discipling the younger as ezer kinegdos to their families.
Third, God chose women as the primary instruments of creation (i.e., to carry and nurture little humans), and a woman to birth His Son. This is not trivial; the creative and nurturing aspects of the church are lost when women are distracted from that role.
Lastly, I must confess that while I have some definite opinions about Paul’s instructions regarding the silence of women in church gatherings and their appearance generally, it seems wise to trust and encourage godly women to prayerfully consider these matters in counsel with their husbands and the elders of their church fellowships.
The matters of judgment and authority in the church are challenging. We must resist the temptation to kick the can of our responsibility to future generations further down the road. God has allowed the chaos in our church fellowships and denominations to bring us to this point of consideration and determination. The future of the Western church literally depends on our acceptance of authority to restore the acceptance of authority to the church.
God bless you with the necessary wisdom and courage to fill the role(s) appointed to you by God, with integrity.
Humbly yours and forever His,
Rob
#iamjustthepen
Blamires, H. (1963). The Christian Mind. Regent College Publishing; Vancouver, BC.
Farrell, H. (2019). The Real Meaning of the Term “Help Meet”. Women in the Scriptures. https://www.womeninthescriptures.com/2010/11/real-meaning-of-term-help-meet.html