Recognizing Authority

In the article "Spiritual Authority," we were left with the question, "Who then are those God has selected for positions of authority, and how do we identify them?"

Recognizing or identifying those God has selected for position of authority within the body of Christ, the Ekklesia is very important for our well-being and the viability and prosperity of the Body and its purpose.

By Their Fruit

I am not convinced that those we vote into positions of leadership are always the same as those Yeshua has selected and gifted. Herein lies the problem since the blessings we seek come through those of His choosing. As a corollary, we also face the negative consequences—His discipline—when we dishonour those he has selected simply because we fail to or refuse to recognize their position.

Apart from divine revelation, I suspect we'll know Yeshua's leaders by their fruit, but that requires an environment where everyone is encouraged to be fruitful.

Too often, our associations suffer from the tall poppy syndrome; that is, whenever someone seems to rise in effectiveness or fruitfulness, those jealous or those voted into leadership by popularity find ways to discredit them so as not to be outshined.

To begin to know Yeshua's leaders by their fruit requires an environment where we each can thrive.

©2013, Dr Steven Bydeley, a man.

All publishing rights reserved. Permission is herewith granted to reprint this article for personal use and to link or refer to it; however, no commercial re-publishing of the material in this article is permitted without prior written consent.

Steven is the author of Fathered by God and, with his wife Dianne, co-author of Dream Dreams and Dreams the Heal and Counsel. They have been guests on the Miracle Channel, Trinity Television, and Crossroads Communication, and has taught internationally on various topics.

Without Prejudice. © 2024, Steven., house of bij de Leij., of man.