What would Jesus do on a Saturday night?
Mark 9:35
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
I’ve heard a lot of arguments about who can lead in churches. Can this person be an elder? Can that person be a pastor? Just recently I’ve heard a lot of arguments specifically about women being pastors or elders.
Without delving into the arguments surrounding the statements of Paul, I’m going to point a gigantic spotlight on a quick little phrase that Jesus said.
It is not my intention to diminish anything that Paul says in his letters, but I think anything that we read in the New Testament should come secondary to the words straight from Jesus’ mouth.
Make oneself last, eh? Well that sounds easy enough.
It is. Kind of.
Only problem is that it has nothing to do with arguing the cultural relevance of a 1,900-year-old letter to Corinth. Establishing your own intellectual superiority doesn’t sound like much of a rush for the bottom. Talking about how God made us all equal, and therefore “I’m just as good as you…” doesn’t really sound like grabbing for the worst seat at the table. Much less sitting on the floor.
My intention is not to tear down and keep women from becoming leaders in the church. That is an entire argument that I cannot begin to tackle, because of the verse at the top of this page.
I am a person, and in that I am foolish in the Wisdom of God. I seek to be first not by making myself last, but by clawing my way up the food chain. At best I am a defeated ignoramus, and at worst I am an arrogant prick. Having written that, I suddenly realized that there might even be worse stages than that which I have not even made myself aware of.
Because of all that, I can’t dictate whether what Paul (and Peter) said about women and husbands and wives and all that is cultural or objective, but I feel comfortable saying this.
“Hey Jesus! Can I be a leader in the church?”
Feed the starving, clothe the poor, heal the sick, comfort the widows and orphans. Do these things and you will be a leader in the church, and I don’t care what you have written there on your name tag.
If you could have the title of pastor yet be unworthy of the name, or be worthy of the title without being granted it by others, which would you choose?
Keep it real, folks.
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As a pastor, I can relate to the this article. Getting wrapped up in pride, the numbers game is an easy thing to do. Leading with this mindset puts me in a terribly odd position. I try and stuggle not to go there. I have good numbers therefore I am successful. This isn’t how I want to be remembered. If this is my agenda, I fail. I want to be remembered, known as a disciple of Christ first and foremost and then as a person who invested, gave and clothed others.
Thanks for sharing bro.