Isa 14:12-15
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon
the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Lucifer was not content to function in the role he was created for, but lusted for recognition and glory. He did not want to dwell among or labor beside his brethren, but instead wanted to sit in a position above them and command respect without actually doing anything to deserve it. He was the original elitist, to important to get dirty himself, pontificating and delegating to everyone else. Driven by ego and envy, Satan sought to rule over that which God had created and steal glory by making himself the centerpiece of heaven. Everything about him; his thoughts, motives and actions became contrary to God’s nature as he fixated inwardly upon him-self.
In stark contrast, Jesus Christ, sitting there among the God-head and rightly deserving of all glory; Col 1:16 “ For all things were created by Him and for Him.” was meek and humble in heart. Having great compassion for humanity, Jesus left His position in glory to dwell among His brethren; functioning in Love, manifesting Truth and demonstrating God’s Zoë kind of Life. Christ selflessly served, being an example of functional authority by getting right into the thick of our mess, dying to Himself, that others might truly live. For love has an outward focus on others and invests itself for their betterment. You see, Satan sought positional authority in order to rule over the brethren, but Christ Jesus
left His position in glory to serve His brethren and by being an example, functioned to encourage, empower and unleash their potential. Phil 2:5-8
Man’s governments and religion tends to create layers of bureaucracy which lord over the people. Their dysfunctional hierarchic organizations establish positions of authority to rule over segments of a structured system. With weak to non-existent accountability, such positions of influence become coveted prizes for every ambitious ego to strive to attain. This creates an environment for all manner of deviant jockeying under the auspice of “fulfilling one's destiny” and “answering God’s call”. These positions of authority become glorified and honored seats which demand and delegate, rather than functions truly engaged in serving the needs of the people. Most attaining such desirable positions feel entitled to it because of the hoops they’ve jumped through, the time it took to get there and the fannies they’ve kissed. It becomes their livelihood. So, “Seeking to save their lives”, these appeal to systemic bylaws, contracts, tenure and other constructs of men to retain and ensure their stay in office, and are quick to demonize any who question their authority. We should not expect anything better to come from the governors of this world. However, the church of Jesus Christ ought not conform to this world and cannot continue to presume that positional authority equates with spiritual authority. Many deeply flawed people have degrees, diplomas and credentials from men, yet are not ruled by love. They have never encountered the Lord Jesus Christ, neither have they been ordained by Him. You see, God’s authority among men is strictly functional, not positional! Jesus Christ being our example; demonstrated more power and authority than any man who ever walked this planet, and did so, without a position among men or credentials from them. James, Peter, John and Paul all functioned as apostles and were among the shepherds God ordained. Yet, the Word of God gives us no evidence of any one having a position over the others. They functioned together as one, for God’s Kingdom and glory.
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