How should we view church authority? Should we submit to our church leaders? What is our responsibility? And how does God use these truths “to watch out for our souls”?
We’ll also look at the danger of pride in our own achievements and how we should view helping the poor, including when we should not help.
Today’s Readings:
Ezekiel 29 & 30
Psalm 129.5-8
Proverbs 28.27
Hebrews 13.1-25
Should We Submit to Church Authority?
Hebrews 13.1-25:
Church Authority
Verse 7:
Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.
And verse 17:
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”
In a day and age when we value our independence and “rights” so much, this can be hard for us to accept. But God is a God of order and He puts a great emphasis on authority. This passage says, “Obey those who rule over you”—our pastors and elders—“… for they watch out for your souls …” Just as He does in marriage and the family, God works through imperfect people to lead and guide His children for their good and protection.
Our Responsibility
Our responsibility is to become part of a biblical New Testament church, one that is teaching the Word of God and encouraging the growth of its members. We should become active members by making ourselves accountable to others within the church community, using our gifts to serve one another, praying for each other and our leaders, and submitting to the authority of church leadership (unless we are asked to violate a clear command of Scripture).
Instead, too many of us, change churches every time someone says something we don’t like or makes a decision with which we disagree. Unless God makes it clear that our church is not a biblical church (notice I didn’t say a perfect church) or He is leading us to another church for a biblical reason, we should submit to the authority God has placed us under. When we do leave a church, we should go to our leaders and explain our reasons clearly and lovingly.
Today’s Other Readings:
Ezekiel 29 & 30:
The Pride of Self-Achievement
Chapter 29.3-5:
3 Speak, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.
“ Behold, I am against you,
O Pharaoh king of Egypt,
O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers,
Who has said, ‘My River is my own;
I have made it for myself.’
4 But I will put hooks in your jaws,
And cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales;
I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers,
And all the fish in your rivers will stick to your scales.
5 I will leave you in the wilderness,
You and all the fish of your rivers;
You shall fall on the open field;
You shall not be picked up or gathered.
I have given you as food
To the beasts of the field
And to the birds of the heavens.
Pharaoh Hophrah is called “O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers”—probably meaning a crocodile. Pharaoh saw himself as some great monster crocodile who owned and ruled the Nile. Military and political success often leads men to believe they have achieved it all by their own cunning and strength.
Success in some area of life can do the same to us. But if we fail to acknowledge the sovereignty of God and His part in our achievements, we may find that He allows us to lose the thing for which we are so proud. Psalm 75.7 says, “But God is the Judge. He puts down one, and exalts another,” lest we think anything we have or have accomplished is because of us apart from Him.
Psalm 129.5-8:
The End of the Wicked
The first two verses of this passage say:
5 Let all those who hate Zion
Be put to shame and turned back.
6 Let them be as the grass on the housetops,
Which withers before it grows up,
Though God may allow wicked nations and individuals to prosper for a season unless they turn to God in humility and repentance, it will eventually all come to an end—either in this life or the next.
Proverbs 28.27:
Responding to Those in Need
He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses.
God is a God of mercy and compassion and He has called His people to show His love to the world around them. Galatians 6 reminds us that we will reap what we sow. When we sow generosity, we will reap the same in our time of need.
And Proverbs 19.17 says:
He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given.
But are there times when we should not jump in and rescue someone?
Those Who Won’t Work
While we need to have a tender heart for those who are in genuine need around us, we need to be wise about our giving. And we need to view all Scripture in light of other Scripture.
The same Bible that says we’re to have pity on the poor also says:
10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread (2 Thess. 3.10-12).
One of the saddest things about the way our government administers “help” is its inability or unwillingness to differentiate between those who cannot work and those who don’t want to work. This not only hurts us all as taxpayers but does even more harm to those who abuse the system.
Remember all of God’s commands including the passage above from Thessalonians are given for our good. And while we can’t single-handedly change the system, we can vote wisely and better understand and obey the commands ourselves. This is true not only with strangers but with those closest to us like our own adult children. There are times when we need to lovingly say “no” to requests for help. You can read more on this subject in this post, “When to Help & When to Get Out of the Way.”
Coming Up:
In the next few days, we’ll discuss the questions, “Is believing ‘in’ God enough?” and “Are your words blessing or cursing?” We’ll also talk about how Satan is a fisherman who studies us to know the right bait so he can reel us in and how the Bible’s admonition about bad company applies to politics.
I hope you’ll join us.
Getting ready for 2025:
The holidays are just around the corner and the new year will be on us before we know it. What will you do to make Bible reading an ongoing habit in the coming year? I’d like to encourage you to set a goal to read through the Bible again or for the first time. If you join me, I’ll take you through a plan that covers both the Old and New Testaments in about 15 minutes a day. You can read each day’s post or watch as I read through the passages on YouTube. Sign up here for my daily email. It has links to the written post and the YouTube video. And it can serve as a gentle reminder to stay on track and I believe you’ll benefit from the additional information I share and grow as you learn to apply God’s Word to your own life.
You can check out our YouTube channel here.
If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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