We have finally received the opportunity to deal with the ins and outs of submission. I want you, first of all, to remember a profound truth that GOD IS YOUR FATHER. If you have the Holy Spirit, God is literally your Father, and He relates to you as His dear child. This is something that you must perceive in all areas of your life. There is never a time in the life of a son of God where God is no longer their Father. Therefore, a son can have the assurance that they will be fathered at all times.
A child should not be caught up in providing for themselves, instead, it is the parent’s concern to provide, protect, and care for the child. On the other hand, it is the child’s responsibility to obey the instructions of the parent. Once again, God is our Father.
Being a father, He will lead and guide us into the situations, circumstances, relationships, and institutions that will be for the wellbeing of our souls.
Jeremiah 3:15
And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Take note of the voice of your Father. He says that He will give you pastors according to His heart. There are leaders that have the heart of God. He trusts these leaders with the fold. He has impacted them with what they need to effectively care for the flock. They will be dedicated to feeding you with the knowledge and understanding necessary to progress in your spiritual walk.
This is the heart of God. He gives us pastors that will protect us. Therefore, God will never lead you to a pastor that is not of Him. God only leads us to leaders who have His heart, because only His heart should raise the people. Many of us have been self-willed (2 Pet 2:10) and have led ourselves. This caused us to end up in situations that we regretted. However, when God is in the picture, He always leads you into the preservation of your soul.
This serves as a foundation for us to understand the principles of submission. A question you must ask yourself is, would God lead you to a pastor or a church and not expect you to submit to its government? It is obvious that if God leads you to something, He led you to it being aware of its structure. Seeing then that He led you to it anyway, it is because He knows that your submission to the said structure will be beneficial to your spiritual growth.
It is important to mention here that spiritual growth can be achieved in a variety of ways. You can grow in seemingly sound conditions as well as in systems that need amendments, nevertheless, what is best for your spiritual growth is at the root of the Lord’s leading.
It is refreshing to know that our Father will lead us to a place that will bring spiritual rest to our souls. To accompany His leading, He also reveals in His word ministries that He has not called us to.
1. Ministries that do not teach sound doctrine. (1 Timothy 6:1-5, 2 John 1:9-11)
2. Ministries/People walk contrary to the apostle’s doctrine (the mystery of Christ) and despise order. (2 Thessalonians 3:5-6)
3. False Teachers (people who teach false doctrines) and False Christs (people who appear righteous on the outside but do not live holy). (1 John 4:1-3, Matt 24:23-24)
Instead, God has led us to leaders that would be found in the following scripture.
1 John 4:2
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
You can know if a leader is of God if they always teach and counsel that Jesus is in you and that you can live holy because of this. Moreover, their life will teach the same message. These are the only leaders God leads His children to because He is a good father.
With this said, I asked earlier, would God lead you to a pastor or a church and not expect you to submit to its government? It is clear that God is calling for our submission to His instituted structure and authority that is found in the ministry. We are required to submit to it, which is to obey it, believe that God is working with it and in its potency to grow you spiritually, and lastly, agree with their methodology of raising you. This is the whole reason God led you to it.
It is your submission to the leadership that will cause you to grow. Seeing that you know that God has led you to the place of worship, He is requiring your humility as you operate in it. Your humility will cause the grace of God to abound in your life as you submit. You will grow in wisdom, understanding, strength, and the anointing of God to work ministry.
A WORD OF WISDOM
It is important to mention a truth that we do not often consider, and it is that leaders are growing too. This statement is not giving an excuse for sin, in fact, it does not necessarily have anything to do with sin, but it is more focused on the progression of the wisdom of God in their lives.
Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
You may have a leader that is after God’s heart, that is committed to serving the flock and walk in a holy life. However, this does not mean that they have stopped growing. God will continue to influence them with grace, which will cause them to grow in knowledge on how to be a more effective leader. Hence, as grace grows in them, so does their skill in leadership. Therefore, if you are connected to them before they are graced in certain areas, you may be affected because of that missing wisdom that they are soon to learn. However, consider the wisdom of God.
GOD KNEW THE SPIRITUAL LOCATION AND KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR LEADERS BEFORE HE CALLED YOU TO THEM. HE KNEW WHAT THEY NEEDED TO KNOW AND HOW THEIR DISPOSITION WOULD AFFECT YOU. HOWEVER, HE STILL LED YOU TO THE MINISTRY BECAUSE THE LEADER HAS A HEART THAT IS AFTER HIM AND IS THEREFORE ABLE TO HEAR GOD AND PROGRESS SPIRITUALLY.
IN ADDITION, HE HAS IMPACTED THE MINISTRY WITH WHAT IT TAKES TO RAISE YOU.
LASTLY, HE HAS AND WILL EQUIP YOU WITH THE SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE NECESSARY TO BEAR THE ABSENCE OF THAT “MISSING WISDOM” UNTIL IT COMES. THIS TOO IS A PART OF YOUR RAISING.
It would be unfair of me not to mention that God impacts our leaders with the wherewithal to impact us. They will be able to take us to a place in God that we could not take ourselves. Therefore, God has (typically) already impacted our leaders with more knowledge than we have. It is this knowledge that they use to guide us. If they lack knowledge, they will have a heart that is able to quickly learn because it is pure before God. This is important for us to understand because sometimes we do not need to learn biblical knowledge per se, but rather we need an example of a pure heart.
WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT FROM US?
Hebrews 13:17
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
There is a reason the scriptures tell us to submit ourselves. The instruction implies that there will be a temptation at times not to, however, when that temptation occurs, choose to submit. When we do this, we make the way of our leaders easy. Remember it is God who led you to them. They did not choose to be your leader, rather God determined it. Therefore, it should be your heart to submit to them as unto the Lord. If you do not, you are in direct disobedience to the Lord because He led you to them.
God wants us to be mindful of how our leaders feel concerning us. Are we considered easy to lead? The Lord began to teach me wisdom relative to this matter.
“In the case of a member of a church, that member has one pastor, but that pastor has 100 members. My interaction with the pastor is more towards the 100 members than it is concerning their own comfort. They bear the load and responsibility of ensuring that all the sheep make it into the Kingdom and are effectively progressing in their calling. They watch, pray and intercede on the behalf of them. They protect the sheep from my wrath, by standing in the gap. They are my ministers who have devoted themselves to raising the members of the sheepfold.
This was the issue I had with Miriam and Aaron (Numbers 12:1-10). They spoke presumptuously against the prophet that had been standing in protection of their souls. The man who laid his life on the line for their preservation. They spoke idly against him, saying that they were prophets themselves. Though they were, I rebuked them for murmuring against not only my instituted authority but against the one that I had ordained to serve them. The one who was willing to be blotted out of my book for their sakes.
It should be the heart of My people to make the path of their leaders easy. It should be a joy for leaders to lead. However, if they experience grief in leading members of My congregation, that grief is felt because they are labouring in My stead, and now their mediation for those individuals is being burdened with their dispositions towards the leader. Therefore, I will protect my leaders by resisting the opposition. However, even this is a burden for the leader, nevertheless, my peace will console them.
Ultimately, it is best for the sheep to make it easy for their leaders because I will bless them with the power of My grace. However, if they chide with My instituted authority, I will abase them in the earth and in the judgment.”
Last Tuesday, I mentioned that the Lord said to me that many lack trust for people as opposed to the teaching of the gifts. He mentioned that people fear being controlled and or being led by personal agendas. However, He also said that the scriptures answer this issue.
1 Peter 2:18
Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
FROWARD - warped, i.e. winding; figuratively, perverse: — crooked, untoward.
curved, wicked, unfair, unreasonable, surly,
“Is there a situation that you find unfair or unreasonable? I have called you to submit anyhow. How do you know if what you perceive is correct? How do you know if what you have perceived as frowardness is actually the truth? How do you know if there is not a beam in your eye? As a follower, you do not have the right to make decisions for the leader. It is the leader who has the authority to make the final decision. Therefore, obey, and agree with it. There may be cases where you see a better alternative if the relationship allows you to give the suggestion. However, that is the limit of your power. You do not have the power to decide.
Therefore, there should be absolutely no agitation in your spirit because you are not the leader anyway. If you find agitation in your spirit, it is because you have exalted yourself to the leader’s position and have become an opposition. That pride I will abase.
This is why many of you are frustrated despite the many things I have shown and given to you. You fail to discern the test. You fail to realize that the influence of my Grace to give you ideas and perspectives, ought not to cause you to overstep submission. I foresaw that the things I gave you would not be received when you sought to render them. However, it was a test to see whether you would obey my commandment or not.
The Commandment - Obey your masters in all things but sin.
Ephesians 6:5-8
5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Colossians 3:22-25
22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God;
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
If My leader has become truly froward they are opposing Me and run the risk of being discarded. Even as I have spoken to the servants I have spoken to the leader.
Ephesians 6:9
And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
If there is frowardness I will deal with the leader as I always do, because the leader is my follower. I will abase them if they do not repent. Nevertheless, I judge the heart. Therefore, submit to them even in these times. Do not chide with them, instead prove your righteousness through patient servitude. Shine a righteous mirror. My grace will shine in your life and your gift will make room for itself. There is no person on earth that can stop me from doing what I desire to do with you because I am your Father. If they pose a threat to My work through you, I will remove them or remove you that My grace may impact others.
Therefore, walk a pure walk, that is blameless before men, and I will do the rest. Let me fight your battles because when I do a thing, I glorify myself in it. However, the work of flesh is destruction and division. If I fight for you, the grace in your life will shine and shut the mouths of the opposition. This will humble you and not exalt you, knowing that the same God that has fought against the opposition, can fight against you. However, if you despise government, I will despise you, and resist you though you be gifted.
Moreover, there are also some of you who are in darkness and think you see with My eyes yet you are blind and see through your pride and lusts. These do not know Me and resist government. Their end is destruction.
Are you perceiving My wisdom? It is in your submission that I am glorified, the details of the situations do not matter. SUBMISSION IS AN ATTITUDE OF THE HEART, and it is the heart that I judge. Therefore, I look into your heart to see if it is your true desire to obey your master in all things. I know that there will be times that this is not possible, however, your heart of respect will seek to appease the heart of your leader, so that they will know that you seek to honor them.
I cover all bases.
As I mentioned, your development has very little to do with the details of the situations you are involved in; instead, it has everything to do with your submission to me.”
There you have it if it is not sin, purpose in your heart to do it, because God has called you to that ministry for a reason. It is your submission that God will bless and cause you to grow exponentially. If you have an alternative suggestion or a concern, state it in reverence, knowing that the final decision belongs to the leader. If you have a word from the Lord, expose it to the leader that the prophecy may be judged by the word of God.
Above all, pray for your leaders, that God will give them the grace necessary to keep their souls and the souls of others. Submit to them and build them up because it will be well with your soul.
EXTRA READS
Examine the relationship between
Saul and David (bad leader, good follower)
Elijah and Elisha (good leader, good follower),
David and Joab (good leader, bad follower)