For so long, there has been a misunderstanding, misguided, misinterpretation, and misleading of the role and the assignment of Church leaders and how their role and assignment are taught and preached about in this society. It is the most blatant form of role reversal ever. This misunderstanding of assignments has led to false teaching and teachers. Or maybe not if we look at it from the narrative that Church leaders are hired to perform a job for which they are paid and not chosen to perform an unpaid assignment. A church leader's roles and assignments are that of a shepherd and the congregation or those who follow them as sheep. If that indeed is an accurate assessment, then we must also connect identity with behavior__ shepherds take care of sheep, not the other way around. The psalmist said, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."; and then he goes into everything the shepherd does for the sheep, that right the sheep for if the psalmist describes the Lord as a shepherd, he sees himself as a sheep. Every verse in Psalm 23 talks about what the Lord (the Sheperd) does for the psalmist (the sheep), and because of what the Lord (the Sheperd) does, the psalmist says it is for this reason that I will abide in Him, where I am safe, protect, and provide for. In John 10, Jesus expounds further on the shepherd-sheep relationship by first talking about and describing the bad/false shepherds/leaders who are more concerned about protecting their power, authority, and selfish ambition than about giving to the needs of the people and their protection. Jesus said these shepherds came to their position in some other ways and not by divine calling_they climb in by way of nepotism. They hand God's gift down as if it was part of a will. Instead of seeking God for the next church leader, they keep it all in the family. They climb in through education (degrees) and ambition (thinking this is something they built and have achieved through hard work. They climb in by way of personal, social, and political connections, manipulation, and corruption (John 10:1). In John 10:1, Jesus calls them thieves, the same word used in verse 10, the same exact word used in Matthew 21:12. This word theif/theaves indicates those who does things for selfish gain, are self-indulgent, are selfish instead of being selfless. God is going to reveal through the sea of "spiritual leaders" through this wave of "shepherds" who are the true shepherds; those who are not will run when the wolf comes to protect their own interests, bank accounts, to maintain their lavish lifestyle they will run leaving the sheep to be devoured. Jesus said, "...I lay down my life for the sheep." Paul, Peter, John, Timothy, Epaphroditus, Barnabas, and other Apostles took the example of Christ as they gave their life for the Gospel and for the protection of the sheep, calling out the overt and covert wolves. These gave echo to the words of Jesus when he said, "many are called, but few are chosen," and to what he said in Matthew 7:22-23 "On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." And in Matthew 24:11, where Jesus said, "many false prophets will arise and lead many astray." This is also why Jesus warned those he was grooming for future leadership of his Church to be aware of the leaven of the Pharisees. True shepherds are chosen by divine calling; they have love, care, and sacrificial service for the sheep. They die for the sheep, not the sheep for them. They provide for the sheep, not the sheep for them. They lay down their life for the sheep, not suck the life out of the sheep. Are these harsh words? They are only harsh words to those leaders whom the shoe fits. Or to those leaders who call themselves protecting the integrity of the clergy when they were called to protect sheep and to earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. That means to stand against any and all who undermine, take advantage of, or misuse the faith; also, any who undermine, take advantage of or misuse the sheep (followers). But my word isn't as harsh as the words of Jesus or the Apostles. Jesus called these leaders vipers and oppressors (Matthew 23:4), he called them brazen and ostentatious (Matthew 23:5), he called them hypocrites (Matthew 23:5), he called them blind fools. He told them (leaders) outwardly they look clean, but inside are full of greed and self-indulgence. He said they were sons of the devil and, like their father, are murderers (committing genocide) and liars (spreading propaganda). Peter called them unreasoning animals (2 Peter 2:12). Jude said they are like the fallen angels who did not keep their positions in heaven, and just as darkness was reserved for those angels, it is for these leaders. he called them blemishes at your love feasts, clouds without rain, killers of their brother, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead, they are wild waves of the sea, wandering stars, are grumblers and faultfinders, follow their own evil desires, boast about themselves, and they flatter others for their own advantage. They mock, make fun of, and or downplay others; usually, leaders with poor self-esteem or, at worst, think they are superior to others engage in such actions. They are called leaders who divide not only leaders who cause schisms between brothers and sisters in the Church, but this speaks to a broader destructive schism which high-minded/argumentive leaders have developed and continue to that is the division known as denominations.
We read this very thing in Paul's letter to the Church in Philippi and what he told the Church about Timothy in that Timothy would not take advantage of their kindness; in it, Paul makes a stark contrast in the character and intent of Timothy from that of the character and intent of other leaders; Paul said this, "I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all (other shepherds) seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. Paul uses the phrase "...seek their own interest...": They're concerned for their own personal wealth, to pay off school loans, to have big homes and expensive cars, for fame, for social, political, and religious influence.
In Philippians 2, when the Church was attentive to the need of Paul, they did not give to support some lavish lifestyle; so that Paul could buy expensive vehicles, become wealthy, or even build grand edifices. Paul was in prison, essentially on death roll. What believers were essentially giving to or doing was what we call today "putting something on an incarcerated person's book." They gave to his physical, emotional, and spiritual needs providing Paul with whatever he needed to make his inevitable death sentence as comfortable as possible, as he, even from prison as a good shepherd, sought to meet the needs of the sheep.
My pray is that well-meaning leaders will relook at these positions called leaders, shepherds, and pastors and begin to see those roles as Jesus did when he said:
"Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." _Matthew 20:26-28
So as the Church is cited for reconstruction, this is one area that must be demolished before God, through His Spirit, can rebuild, revive, and reconstruct the Church. To this end, my question to everyone who desires the position of a leader is: what's the position of your position?
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