The Sin of exercising power (or its misuse) to lord over another person
God gives each one of us a certain amount of power, demanding a mature understanding of that power and authority.
Today, Michele guided us into a certain understanding of the power and authority that has been given to servant leaders. That kind of leadership calls the servant leaders to do what God has called them/us to do. However, putting authority into the hands of immature believers is very dangerous, and can lead to serious damage of the body of Christ.
We were given power to advance God's kingdom, as Jesus did when He healed the sick, and blessed the broken and poor in spirit. His example is our leadership and servant manual. Yeshua also rebuked those in power who misused that power for their gain of self-righteousness and the building of their own kingdoms.
Matthew 23:23-28
“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!
“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.
“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. NLT
So how are we to use power?
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”NLT
Romans 15:18-21
Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them. They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.
My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says,
“Those who have never been told about him will see,
and those who have never heard of him will understand.” NLT
"Only when we think that our position is independent of God, do we seek to dominate others." MB
"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must intervene." Elie Wiesel
