Here are four connected thoughts to pray into and consider as we press on as the people of God seeking his kingdom in the world

 

i)                     The church was never intended to be an alternative society separate to the world, but like Jesus, people living an alternative way within the world [cf. Jn 17:15]. When John records Jesus’ words “God so loved the world that he gave” [Jn 3:16], and then teaches us to “love not the world” [1 Jn 2:15] it is important to distinguish between humanity in the creation which Christ loved and died for and the world system that is destroying us. This is how to understand Paul’s advice to “come out from among them and be separate” [2 Cor 6:17; Isa 52:11]. Our separation is not from the world’s society but from the demonic structure where the power of the few over the many is wielded to the prosperity, empowerment and status of the few, In other words we are called to reject the essentially Nicolaitan (people-dominating) manner in which the empire based societies of this world operate.

 

ii)                   We are getting these views from an incarnational hermeneutic. As we have tried to clarify many times, this is a way of understanding and interpreting scripture and creation from the way of life of the person of Christ as found in the gospel accounts in which Jesus is portrayed as both God and human. In his flesh the fullness of God dwells [Jn 1:14-18]. In him the Hebrew worldview is taken beyond the Old Testament scriptures to its fullness in him, and the OT can only be understood in its fullness through him. Similarly the rest of the New Testament and the subsequent story of humanity and the rest of creation and our future can only be understood and interpreted in his light.

 

iii)                  This has very serious implications for leadership. In her response to last month’s Daywatch material Janet Locke offered an interesting discussion of the word translated “obey” in the statement “obey your leaders” in Hebrews. She pointed out that the word used in the Greek is not the general word for obey but a word which means persuade.

 

“The word ‘obey’ in Hebrews 13:17 is actually peitho, and it is in the passive voice, so it means ‘Let yourself be persuaded by your leaders.’ …. Leaders in the Kingdom of God are not people who want power, nor do they want people to obey them without question, but they are like good fathers.  They should try to convince others of everything they feel passionately about not so these people bow to their superior wisdom and learning, but so that they will be able to say ‘Yes, I agree because I now know for myself this is true.’” (For the full text see the blog).

 

However it is also important to take note of the word used for leaders in the same verse, which is hēgeomai, a word generally understood to refer to hierarchical leadership and which is the word used by Jesus to refer to leadership in Luke 22:26. By now be getting used to the way in which Jesus stood this word on its head by stating, "the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader (hēgeomai) like the servant.” This reverses the order of Hebrew culture where the eldest is first, [see Helene’s comment in last month’s blog] and the Greek or Roman view where the servant is the last in the hierarchy.

 

iv)                  To be true to a Jesus hermeneutic we must now read leader (hēgeomai) in terms of the upside down power of the kingdom of God and seek to constantly model this emptying out, giving away, and kenotic style of leadership as the people of God in the world. To maintain either an OT Hebrew or a Greco-Roman view of hierarchical leadership is to substitute the world for the kingdom of God and constitutes a failure to come apart from the world while living in it. The big problem with the way we have often shaped the church is that we have made the double whammy of separating from the world instead of remaining in it, and yet following the world’s domination system of hierarchical authority. The result is that the church has seemed to be of the world but not in it! This is the time to discover how to give a counter cultural lead in the world, and the Holy Spirit is ahead of us and with us and behind us to achieve this through us. We can do this!

     

More anon!

In the meantime let’s have your interaction. Once again can we remind you that if you are getting this via email, you can comment directly via the blog at www.daywatch.eu, or email us at admin@passion.org.uk, and we will post your responses on the blog unless you tell us otherwise. If you need help with using the blog please let us know and one of the team will be in touch with you.

 

With love

ROGER AND TEAM