Authority

Jesus taught a lot about authority, but his teachings differ significantly from our modern understanding of authority in the church. Basically there are two kinds of authority: authority that is taken, and authority that is given. The kind of authority that is taken by rulers who “lord it over” people is set in contrast to the authority that is given to the one who humbles himself as a servant. Jesus describes both of these types of authority in the following scripture.

When you come together

In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul is giving instructions on what the Church gatherings should look like. According to Paul, every member of the Church Body should participate in the worship and teaching aspects of the Church. Everyone has a hymn (song), a word of instruction (teaching), a revelation (what God is saying or doing in your life), a tongue or an interpretation (spiritual gifts functioning). Paul says that this is how a healthy Church should function. These things are done to so that the church will be stronger.

A Worker and his Wages

I have heard many preachers quote the scriptures that say “a worker deserves his wages” in reference to the pastor getting paid a salary from the church. It is interesting that the context of this verse has nothing to do with pastors, and it has nothing to do with money. The context is of a traveling evangelist, an apostle (sent one) who is traveling around from town to town preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God. When these traveling preachers enter a town, they find a home to stay in, and receive the food and shelter that is given to them as their payment. Hospitality, therefore, is the payment that is due to the gospel worker, not money. Jesus instructed them not to even take a purse along with them, so they have no way of collecting money even if it was offered to them. They were only able to collect their daily bread, eating what was placed before them.

In the Name of Jesus (Authority)

What does it mean to do something “in the name of Jesus”? It is a phrase that we hear and say often in our prayers, but do we really understand what it means? Are we truly speaking and acting in Jesus Name, or are we simply giving lip service?

Servant Leader vs Leader Man

Jesus taught us to be servants, and gave us a perfect example of what that looks like. He did not seek a platform or an audience, but as he spoke people listened because they recognized that he was authentic. Jesus came to serve and to save, can we do anything more than that?