Layman's Fellowship

[aron]

Originally Posted by Matt Anderson

I felt led to start to search the scriptures and seek the Lord on the subjects of Leadership, Authority, Submission and Obedience. I wasn't anxious to do this because there is no way through these subjects successfully. So, I took the journey one step at a time with the Lord (as best as I know how).

I don't consider the material I have on Laymans Fellowship to be definitive or even fully correct. It is intended more to open dialogue on a complex subject.

I'm bringing this forward in light of the recent threads on "modern apostles" like NAR and the LC variant, that of Nee/Lee/Chu/Dong. In every case, it seems that some become convinced that there is a need for modern centralised church leadership, and they are "it", and they convince others that if you get under the "headship" then blessings will surely follow as growth follows the "latter rain".

Now, we can all look at how absurd this can get as played out on the ground. Witness Lee with his sons, David Yonggi Cho with his, the "One Publication" splits and the Todd Bentleys and Ted Haggards of the NAR and so forth.

But what does the Bible say of Leadership, of Obedience, and so forth? And how are we to interpret what it says, two and even three millennia after it was written? I don't think "Drunken Noah" supersedes the NT command to hold leadership accountable for failures, as the modern Deputy Gods tried to convince us.

But what does Jesus teach and show? And how does it percolate through the Acts and Epistles? How did they interpret OT pictures of Leadership and Submission?

I don't see any one "right answer" as the Deputy Gods try to boil it down. "Witness Lee - even when he's wrong he's right" is not only an oversimplification but it's a deviation. So I don't desire to introduce my own deviation.

But I'll just add my observation. I see the fall of humankind in Genesis 3 and the fall of the angels in Genesis 6 and nothing but a big mess afterward. Yes there is some order (the law) and some promises (the prophets) but basically it's not a good scene. Then this guy comes along, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and what does he do? He takes the last place! He lowers himself and washes the disciples feet! He's basically this homeless, penniless guy out on the streets. Yes he does miracles and yes he has a coterie with money (Judas held the purse) but essentially he lives the "last place" of all, and dies there - the death of a slave.

Philippians 2:7,8 "but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross."

That, my friends, is Leadership. And that is Obedience. Now who can follow that, and elevate themselves above the flock? That was his acts. And his teaching was apace: "If you get invited to the feast, take the least place" Luke 14:8. So his life and teaching was a continuous whole. In this light we can interpret Paul, and the book of Acts, and the epistles. Only in this light. If we take Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, "apostles, prophets and teachers" and use human organisational principles, we get the weird stuff that we see.

Just some observations from along the way.