Authority

Paul sure faced crazy opposition in his ministry. He knew the grace that was there for him. He knew the forgiveness and power of the gospel. God had placed him in authority - made him a leader. I was thinking about this as I was reading 2 Corinthians this morning.

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?" Wow - failing this test - yikes. He continues - "I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test...we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong...but that you will do what is right." This is so important that we also test our own faith. That we evaluate our relationship with Jesus. Where do you stand? We have a Jesus who loves us so much, more than we can even begin to imagine. He loves us through our crap and is calling out to each of us to come to him. Do you trust him with all of your life? Do you trust him that he really does have your whole life in his hand. Even when it seems so hard you can hardly stand it - allow him to shape you through it. Wow, the results are awesome.

As Paul goes on he says "This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority - the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down." You see, Paul knew that God had placed him in authority in the church. Pastors are placed in authority and in today's society that role of authority has not been respected. As Paul writes he knows that he has the authority to call the people on issues. He doesn't want to be harsh but will if he has to. There are times when we may not like what the pastor has said in his sermon, or directly to us, because it shows our own sin. Yet the word of God is clear when it talks about authority in the church. If you are a doctor or in banking you would not want your pastor to come to you and tell you how to do your job. You would think it out of order if he came and told you that you are wrong by not giving a person a bank loan, or that you did not give good care by prescribing a certain antibiotic to someone. They would know that you did not know what you were talking about and you should allow them to do their job as they have been trained. This is the same for a pastor. They have gone through much training and schooling. Some more than others, yet they have been trained and equipped for their leadership.

People, respect your pastor and if you have a concern speak directly to them. DO NOT SPEAK TO OTHERS ABOUT IT. Most of the time it is a misunderstanding and you just need him to clear something up in your mind. If you do not agree, respect him as one placed in authority and do not speak poorly about him to anyone. This is an area that Satan is having a field day with in the church today. Do not allow that in - protect your pastor from this kind of attack as it will tear him down and discourage him in his minsitry. Remember how Jesus was attacked for speaking truth and love. Some just don't want to be convicted of their sin so instead they will retaliate. The word of God is "sharper than a two edged sword".

Allow the grace and love of Jesus to flow through you.........you will be amazed at the results!