Thoughts and happenings around the Belgian Free Christadelphian Ecclesia Brussels-Leuven – Gedachten en gebeurtenissen rond de Ecclesia Brussel-Leuven van de Broeders in Christus
Leading with Fear: Gathering or Scattering?
It looks like we are going backwards and the use of making people afraid to gain power and control is again used by several Christian as well as Islamic groups.
In the previous week we look at our abilities. One of the abilities of life is the ability to see which we can use to see the Work of God in forests,
where tall trees, who block the sun from reaching smaller sprouts eventually fall pray to sickness, die, and then become fire hazards, whose ashes eventually nourish those small sprouts again. {Blessing}
In nature we also have the ability to see the blessings of God.
We see it in the fields who fall pray to swarms of locusts, who must then move on to the next field or starve because of their own insatiable hunger. We see it millions of examples of organisms living together and helping one another find food and safety… and it is the very foundation of agriculture, where we, human beings, protect, preserve, and nurture the land and animals around us so that we too might have food. Whatever blessing any creature possesses, it is made to serve in the natural order of life to bless those around it. {Blessing}
Pastor Franklyn served in about ten different churches and had the opportunity for leading several para-church ministries (ministries outside an “official” church congregation), the two churches he now serves have, according to him, some of the best attitudes towards the ministry of the laity in the church.
He writes
When my people see a need, they do something about it. If a meeting is required, they have a meeting, but they do not let those meetings come to wasted words. They pray, visit, and minister to those outside of their own congregations. They love people as they are and encourage them to grow in Christ. They do not pretend to be any more than they are – people loved by God, sent into His world to share that love. {Life with God: Week 5 – Faith to Serve}
Priests or those responsible for the calling of people to come to God should proclaim the excellencies of the One Who has called them out of darkness into His marvelous light.
9 [a]But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. {1 Peter 2:9New American Bible Revised Edition}
Christ Blessing the Children (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The apostle Peter referring to the prerogatives of ancient Israel here now more fully and fittingly applied to the Christian people: “a chosen race” (cf. Is 43:20–21) indicating their divine election (Eph 1:4–6); “a royalpriesthood” (cf. Ex 19:6) to serve and worship God in the fellowship under Christ, thus continuing the priestly functions of his life, passion, and resurrection; “a holy nation” (Ex 19:6) reserved for God, a people He claims for his own (cf. Mal 3:17) in virtue of their baptism into Jesus his death and resurrection. This should transcend all natural and national divisions and should unite the people into one community, not creating division, to glorify the one who led them from the darkness of paganism to the light of faith in Christ. From being “no people” deprived of all mercy, those who decided to become a lover of God and came under Christ, being baptised in the body of Christ, have become the very people of God, the chosen recipients of his mercy (cf. Hos 1:9; 2:25).
Those preachers and leaders as well as their flock should be an example for others and should not destroy and scatter the sheep of the pasture of the Most High. And not only god and His chosen prophet Jeremiah warns us to be very careful how we handle our faith and use it to convince others to come to God.
We remember what God says
23 Woe be unto the ro’im that destroy and scatter the tzon of My pasture! saith Hashem.
2 Therefore thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel against the ro’im that shepherd My people; Ye have scattered My tzon, and driven them away, and have not attended to them; hineni, I will attend to you for the rah of your doings, saith Hashem.
3 And I will gather the she’erit (remnant) of My tzon out of all countries where I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
4 And I will set up ro’im (shepherds) over them which shall shepherd them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith Hashem.
5 Hinei, the days come, saith Hashem, that I will raise up unto Dovid a Tzemach Tzaddik [i.e., Moshiach Ben Dovid Yehoshua, see 30:9; 33:15; Zech 3:8Ezra 3:8; Zech 6:11-12; Mt 2:23; Isa 4:2; 9:2-7; 11:1-12; 53:2,11; Moshiach the new “Joshua” Isa 49:8], and a Melech shall reign and act wisely, and shall execute mishpat and tzedakah in ha’aretz.
6 In his days Yehudah shall be saved, and Yisroel shall dwell safely; and this is Shmo whereby he shall be called Adonoi Tzidkeinu.
7 Therefore, hinei, the days are coming, saith Hashem, that they shall no more say, Hashem liveth, which brought up the Bnei Yisroel out of Eretz Mitzrayim;
8 But, Hashem liveth, which brought up and which led the zera Bais Yisroel out of the eretz tzafonah, and from all countries to where I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
{Yirmeyah 23:1-8 Orthodox Jewish Bible}
To which pastor Franklyn likes to add that fear is a dangerous thing for leaders to employ and finds it questionable whether we, as God His human agents in leadership should employ fear.
Fear = powerful tool in shaping the behaviour of those around us = used to both scatter and gather > Usually to scatter
leaders > when using fear to chase away flock from a circumstantial place of danger, or to exert the effort to pour it on and keep them continually afraid and continually following you => brainwashing = not Godly leadership > abuse of leadership by using fear tactics => price to pay
greatest danger of employing fear = working with poison or explosives = weapon which often ones back to harm those who employ it > eliminating ability to choose wisely + freely => crippling own ability to lead.
The Lord is my Good Shepherd (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.
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