Exercise Lordship

Many of our church leaders lead as leaders do in the world. They lead more by authority than by sacrifice. "The ecclesiastical idea of a servant of God is not Jesus Christ's idea. His idea is that we serve Him by being the servants of other men. Jesus Christ out-socialists the socialists. He says that in His Kingdom he that is greatest shall be the servant of all. The real test of the saint is not preaching the gospel, but washing disciples' feet, that is, doing the things that do not count in the actual estimate of men but count everything in the estimate of God."⁵⁴ These church leaders are more concerned with their power and status than they are with serving the Lord (much like we discovered in the "The Principality of Idolatry" section). "But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:42-45). "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock" (1 Peter 5:2-3). They often remind or mandate the congregation to respect their authority, as did Haman in the book of Esther.

After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. (Esther 3:1-5)

"But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi" (Matthew 23:5-7). "For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:43). All Christians, however, are called to put God first in everything; as such, no man can usurp the authority of the head of the church, Jesus Christ—the Word of God. "And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem ... And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye" (Acts 4:5-6, 18-19). "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe" (Proverbs 29:25). Even kings, regardless of their position, are commanded to not operate in pride but to meditate and obey the Word of God all the days of his life. "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more" (Luke 12:48).

And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:18-20)

Blessings Flow

These lordship-minded church leaders further elevate themselves by assuming the role of another Christ through whom all blessings flow. They have been heard to say, "I am the vine" or "I am the way." As a "Christ" they often "speak blessings" upon their congregation, in imitation of the various leaders (fathers, prophets) in the Old Testament. They say something like: "As your spiritual father, I speak blessings upon you and your family ..." They, unless they are specifically sent by God to do so, do not have the authority by God to speak a blessing. "Neither do they which go by say, The blessing of the LORD be upon you: we bless you in the name of the LORD" (Psalm 129:8). Let us examine three examples of "blessings" in the Old Testament:

And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them. (Genesis 24:60)

And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. (Genesis 27:26-30)

And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. ... And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh. (Genesis 48:14, 20)

In the first example, Laban and Bethuel "bless" Rebekah; however, they do not have any authority to do so; thus, they are simply expressing a wish. The second and third examples demonstrate a special authority given by God to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to bless. "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff" (Hebrews 11:20-21). This authority was also held by the prophets in the Old Testament: "Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it (Numbers 23:20). Under the New Testament, this authority is only given for a specific time to a specific person: in short, the person must be sent by God to speak a blessing. The blessings in the Old Testament were prophetic in nature: they came to pass. God is the source of blessings not man: "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them" (Numbers 6:22-27).

If you are in Christ you are already blessed (Romans 4:7-8) and need not a person to attempt to bless you out of their own power and might: "blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it" (Luke 11:28).

I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions ... Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. (Proverbs 8:12, 32-35)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved" (Ephesians 1:3-6). Thus in Christ, not only do you have all spiritual blessings but you also control the option for the lesser, natural (temporal) blessings. "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah" (Psalm 68:19). "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:31-33).

Suppress Growth

Church leaders that embrace a lordship mentality tend to be closed to new ideas, especially ideas that may appear to take power away from them. "Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation" (John 11:47-48). Some fallout from this is that they will smother the growth of other men much like mustangs—alpha males—in the wild fight off other mustangs (see "The Principality of Entrepreneurship"). As a result, over time the congregation becomes predominately female and suffers a loss of spiritual power. "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths" (Isaiah 3:12). In addition, they suppress open dialogue about the Word, because they do not want to be perceived as ignorant nor have their "power," which is based on the ignorance of their congregation, challenged. "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Romans 10:3). "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart" (Ephesians 4:17-18).

Christians are commanded to validate what the preacher is saying; that is, to prove all things based on the truth of the Word. "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind" (Romans 14:5): "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). We see this in practice by those in Berea: "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few" (Acts 17:10-12). Thus, the Word of God is the final authority not the preacher.

BECOME BRUTISH

Parents know that their children imitate the parents' actions more than the parents' words. This is also true of followers and leaders. Followers imitate more their leaders' actions than their leaders' words. "Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). Our church leaders must be on continual guard to not let Satan have dominion over them. They must guard against being misdirected from the unadulterated Word of God to popular theology; especially, in the areas of financial prosperity, popularity and false doctrine.

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. (Ezekiel 34:1-10)

One evil that spreads like a cancer is bitterness. The spirit of bitterness within an organization defiles many; however, bitterness from the top of the organization defiles the entire organization. "If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked" (Proverbs 29:12). The spirit of bitterness is fueled by rejection, judgment and hate and, in turn, fuels being unmerciful. Our church leaders have to be diligent to cleanse themselves of all bitterness by releasing the associated seeds—rejection—and roots—judgments—of bitterness. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled" (Hebrews 12:14-15). Furthermore, "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:31-32).

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:7-10)

There are many church leaders that are still bitter about what they "lost" in the world, or about what they have not been "allowed to do" in Christ, or about some childhood rejection that they have not renounced (see "The Principality of Rejection" and "Strong Holds (Idols of the Heart)"). "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). They give evidence to this by the continual "testimonies" from their past life. These testimonies cover their life before Christ in business, in the military, on the streets, etc. These testimonies inadvertently give glory to their time in the world and not to Christ.

Beware if in personal testimony you have to hark back and say – "Once, so many years ago, I was saved." If you are walking in the light, there is no harking back, the past is transfused into the present wonder of communion with God. If you get out of the light you become a sentimental Christian and live on memories, your testimony has a hard, metallic note. Beware of trying to patch up a present refusal to walk in the light by recalling past experiences when you did walk in the light. Whenever the Spirit checks, call a halt and get the thing right, or you will go on grieving Him without knowing it.⁵⁵

As a result of these repeated and outdated testimonies, the congregation judges them as saying the same thing all the time and "tunes them out." Therefore, the Word of God invariably falls on deaf ears—hardened hearts.

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