Who's in Charge? (Part 4)

This is the most important "Who's in Charge?" post of all.  (Note: I'm going to make this into two posts.  It got too long for one!  Final - Part 5 - will be next.) The others are important, but without this one, nothing in your life and my life will run smoothly.  There will be chaos....lots of chaos.  This post has to do with our spiritual lives and the church.

Who is in charge of your life?  You or God?  Do you follow where you want to or do you follow Jesus? My prayer is that you follow Jesus.  Live according to the Word - God's Word - the Bible.  If you follow Jesus and use the Bible for your only standard of what is right and wrong, your life will be blessed.  Your life won't be problem-free always, but you will be better equipped to face those problems because you'll know that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are right there with you every step of the way.  That is the most important thing - to have God in charge of your life.

Secondly is that you know who is in charge of the church. There's not some man-made organization giving rules and creeds.  That wasn't God's plan. Search out the truth in God's Word. God's plan was for the church to be "built" - not with bricks and lumber, but by souls...followers of Jesus. Jesus said early in His ministry that He would build His church - and He did. He knew nothing could destroy the church - not even Satan with his evil ways.  The church will be here until Jesus comes back.  The church is never given a name in the Bible, but is described in many different ways. Some of them are priesthood, body of Christ, flock, kingdom, church of God, church of the firstborn, church of the saints, churches of Christ, God's household, the church at ______ (town), etc. (For scripture references, message me and I'll send them to you!)

So, who is the head of the church?  Who's in charge? God made Jesus the head of the church:

 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. 

Ephesians 1:22-23

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all,who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 4:4-6

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstbornfrom among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 

Colossians 1:15-20

Spiritually speaking, and given as one of the descriptions above, the church is the body of Christ. This symbolism is by no accident. In a body we see unity and harmony. If not, we see disease and death. In our bodies, it is our heads that govern and rule the rest of the body. Without our heads, the body could not function. Also, it is by our head on our body that others recognize us. The rest of my body might and often does change, but my head never changes. It identifies me as who I am. I can lose an arm or leg and still exist, but I cannot lose my head and live. This symbolism is very strong and we must recognize the power that God has given to the head of the church - Jesus Christ.  This relationship is described in the scriptures below.

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ³² This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 

Ephesians 5:22-32

⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Romans 12:4-5

 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

Part 5 of "Who's in Charge?" will talk about leadership within the local church.

Who's in Charge? (Part 3)

Since Tax Day just passed, I thought it would be a good time to look at "Who's in Charge?" in our lives - regarding the government and its control.

None of us 'like' paying taxes, or I doubt that we do, but it's our duty and obligation.  Even Jesus said that we must pay what is due to the government.

Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 

Matthew 22:17-21

So, we know we must pay taxes, but what about actually the notion of "Who's in Charge?"?  Do I have to be 'under' someone if I don't agree with them?  What about if I don't 'like' the President?  Do I have to respect him?

Let's look at the following passage:

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.  Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.  For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. 

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 

Romans 13:1-8

How would you answer the above questions after reading what those scriptures say?  How do you feel about the statement, "there is no authority except that which God has established".  Is it possible that the President who you don't like is put in place by God for His purpose?  Apparently so.  Whether you and I like it or not.

You see, God expects us, as His children, to have respect for others....regardless of whether we agree with them or not.  Jesus said to love one another....whether we agree with them or not. It's not an option.  It's a command.

Do we have to support what a leader supports if it goes against God's law?  Absolutely not!  But to ridicule, name-call, be sarcastic and rude is not being like Jesus.  It is not shining our light brightly, but very, very dimly.  We should honor the office of President, Governor, or Mayor - all of those - whether we support the person in office or not.

My brother-in-law recently said in a sermon that some have made politics their religion.  I have to say that I tend to agree with him, though I find it a sad thing to have to say.  To some, their political beliefs are, to them, commands from God.  Yes, there are things that are right and wrong according to scripture, but this philosophy is to the extreme in the world of politics.  It transfers from personal politics to social media politics, as well as internet and TV politics.  And it's treated as if it is "God-breathed" and inspired.  It's not.

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. ¹⁵ For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. ¹⁷ Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

1 Peter 2:13-17

Is it possible that by our political beliefs we could hinder the Good News?  Yes, it is!  Is it possible that in our quest to 'do good' that we actually do harm?  Yes, it is! We must be wise.  We must be honest.  We must be kind and loving.  We must be like Jesus.

2nd Annual Spring Cookout

(Note:  I will resume the "Who's in Charge?" posts tomorrow!)

What a great evening for our annual cook out!  Last night was beautiful - with no wind and great temperatures!  Perfect for our church family to gather together after evening worship.

We had lots of great smoked meats - prepared by a few of the men.  I'm sparing you the picture of the whole pig that was served - and laying out on the table.  Everyone loves the meat, but I can't even look at him!!  Later on my husband actually brought the pig head to me - to torture me.  That wasn't very nice, was it??!!  Ha ha!  My brother-in-law said I needed to face my fears.  I don't think so!!

We had a huge group for worship and the picnic afterwards.  Most of us had ordered matching shirts with the message "On the Move" printed across the front.  We should be a church that is "On the Move"! "On the Move" doing what God asked us to do!

You may remember all of the shower decorations I've posted in the past.  Here are the babies that the showers were honoring!  This picture is missing one or two babies, but what fun having them in our midst! 

Apparently there was a fierce ping pong competition going on between these two!  I hear that my nephew won.  He looks intense in this picture, for sure!!

Lots of people enjoyed playing the 9-square game.  It's always very popular between young and old.

The best part of the evening was the fellowship with one another - getting to know each other better.  It is great to be part of a growing Christian family.  That's not always common in a small community, but it sure is here!  We're excited about being "On the Move" for God in 2013!

Who's In Charge? (Part 2)

Yesterday we looked at "Who's in Charge?" in the family.  Today we'll look at "Who's in Charge?" in the school/workplace.  I may save coaching for its own post. (maybe)

So, who is in charge?  Well, in the classroom it should be the teacher.  However, changes have come into the classroom where students feel they have the 'right' to have more input into things and that they have the choice whether to adhere to the rules or not.  Over the teachers would be the principal of the school, but some parents - instead of sticking up for a teacher or the principal/school's rules, have decided that everyone is 'out to get them'.  Yes, there are cases where parents should and must step in, but for most disciplinary actions in the classroom, the child deserves punishment.

Here's an example:  Yesterday our youngest son came home and said he had to write 200 sentences - the whole class does.  I asked why, and he said that his class wasn't quiet when they were asked to be quiet.  I questioned him whether he was talking or not when told to stop. He couldn't remember.  Well, I could get upset and call the teacher and demand to know whether he was actually doing the talking or not, but in a class of 24 - with most talking out loud - the teacher probably can't tell exactly who is talking, just that it's loud.  So the whole class got punished and our son began the process of sentence-writing soon afterwards.  Obviously some students were punished that we're "committing" the crime.  Our son has had to be punished for the crimes of others before, as well.  Do I like it?  No, not really.  But do I understand it and accept it?  Absolutely.  That's the problem in America today.  Too many people won't accept it.  They're too much into their "rights" instead of just doing what is right.  Pick your battles.  It's not going to hurt our son to write some sentences or stay in from recess sometimes.  Maybe it will keep him from being in trouble another time.

In a job, who is in charge?  In my husband's job, he is the assistant director, so his boss is over him.  The board is over the boss and the work there.  My husband has several areas of his job and other titles, so he has other people under him who report to him or ask him for guidelines in their own job.  Under them are other workers.  Most companies are set up that very same way.  There is a chain of command. When problems arise, workers go (or should go) to whomever is above them, although in some cases there may be times when the co-workers must go above them to the next level.  Hopefully, though, it's not that way.  Hopefully everyone works together well enough that the chain of command can be followed as it should be.

So, where can a problem arise in the work place?  When someone is doing something unethical and wrong.  Maybe a boss or supervisor is asking someone to lie, or an employee is cheating.  Maybe those principles are overlooked and even condoned.  There's a big problem.  When God's laws are being violated in the workplace, that's especially when something must be done.

Other problems come from selfishness and pride....either on the part of the employer or the employee.  The Bible has much to say about the relationship between the two.  Substitute employee for the word slave in some of the following scriptures.

Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. 

Colossians 3:22-25

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. 

Ephesians 6:5-9

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.

Colossians 3:23

Take the time to read Matthew 21:33-41 and Matthew 20:1-15.  Both of these passages deal with workers.  

In every aspect of the school or workplace, things will run smoother and we'll have more peace if we submit to those above us....obey their rules and do our part.  Pride and selfishness will ruin the relationships in all areas if we don't have self-control.  When we look at the last verse written above, we will realize that all we do should be done for the Lord.  Thinking that we are working for Him - in every area - and not for humans, will keep our minds and hearts where they need to be.

More on "Who's in Charge?" next week.  Have a great weekend!

Who's in Charge?

In practically every stage of life there is someone who is over us - a parent, a boss, a coach, a co-worker, and many others.  In a Christian's life, there is a higher authority that should supersede all of the other authorities.  God's Word should come before any man-made laws if they are in conflict with one another.  Our decisions should come from that Word, as well.

Let's look at "Who's in Charge?" today, and see what we can learn about each area.  Actually, as I finished point #1, I could see this post would be much too long to be one.  So, I'll be making this a "series" of posts.  Not sure how long, but several days.  (No posts on Saturday or Sunday.)

1.  Who's in charge in the family?  The parent(s)!
In a family unit, the parents are in charge of the family. In a Christian home, we know that the Bible says that the father is the head of the house.  The mother still plays a huge part of the family, but the husband is the head.  This isn't - or shouldn't be - a cause for women to become upset.  Sadly it has been that way in many cases.

God designed the family in this way for a good reason.  It wasn't because he thought less of women.  In fact, if you read the Bible you'll find Jesus was especially kind to women.  Some would say that he was even kinder to them than to men!  But God knew that in every situation, there must be someone who is ultimately in charge - the authority.  He gave that position to the man - the husband.

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church....Ephesians 5:22-23a

God established the covenant of marriage - only possible between a male and a female - and used the example of the marriage of the relationship Christ has with the church.  There is no debating the subject, and no human-made law will ever be made that will nullify God's law.  God still loves those who disobey this command and those who sin in regards to this covenant, but He will not condone or overlook the sin that goes along with it in any way.

 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. Ephesians 5:25-28

Because parents are in charge of the family and the husband is the head of the family, we have a great responsibility to our children to raise them in a way that honors God.  It is our God-given duty and obligation.  As long as our children are living in our homes - and to some extent even a little longer - we must teach them and train them in many ways.  We must teach them to be honest, working citizens, but also to be faithful servants of God.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— ³ “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Fathers, do no exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:2-4

More about "Who's in Charge?" tomorrow