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LIVING IN AUTHENTICITY
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PHILIPPIANS
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it? Instead, Paul seems to acknowledge that the bishops and deacons
are leading alongside.
God invented leadership, and He knew the best way forward for
the growing church as it spread the gospel: not leadership that placed
people under but leaders who worked alongside.
This was a big deal. God turned the tables on the way things used
to be. You see, before Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the coming
of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, the only person who had direct access
to God was the high priest. A few leaders and prophets were given
the gift of personal relationship with God (Moses and Joshua, for
example), and in those cases, it was because God Himself had given
them a specific task. The normal person—like you and me—didn’t
have access to God.
But when Jesus died for our sins, the veil that separated the Holy
of Holies from the everyday people tore (Matthew 27:51), and God
changed everything. He now places us in the company of high priests
(1 Peter 2:9) and gives us every privilege and gift of that position.
The leaders of the church in Philippi and the leaders of our
churches are on the same playing field as each of us. They are not
leading from above, but alongside. No person is higher or more valuable in the eyes of God than anyone else. We can lead people to
Christ from wherever we work, live, and stand.
Because of this, leaders of the church need to consider themselves
first as a member of the body or community and second as someone
who guides. The leaders and the led all make mistakes and sin, we
are all saved by grace, and all are wholly and completely dependent
on God’s mercy and goodness.
Pray for the local church, your community and city, and our
nation as a whole to open their hearts to God. Ask the Lord
to help us Jesus followers get out of our own way and live in
a way that represents Him fully as we pursue the greatest two
commandments, which are given by Jesus Himself:
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