Spiritual LEADERSHIP vs Religious MANAGEMENT

 

Let’s read Matthew 23:1-7(MSG) & Luke 6: 39, 40(NIV) in tandem

Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behaviour. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer. “Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend.’

…. “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher”.

A “Manager” is one who controls and administers a group of people. A “Leader” is one who leads a group of people to a common target/destination. A Manager does not expect his sub-ordinates to follow his footsteps. He is happy as long as the job gets done within the given time frame/resources. A “Leader” on the other hand, expects his followers to “be-like-him” in his talk and walk alike because their goal is common.

In the above scripture portion (Matthew 23:1-7) Jesus is highlighting a few distinctive characteristics of the “religious managers” (Pharisees & Scholars) of His time on earth. Unlike Jesus, who is the superlative “Spiritual Leader”, these Pharisees & Scholars were competent ONLY in the teaching of the Law and not in the doing/living of the same. They would burden others to walk righteously, but never seek to walk in the righteous WAY themselves. They would talk about truth, but never seek the TRUTH themselves. They would preach about a life acceptable in the sight of God, but never seek the LIFE eternal. JESUS (the WAY, the TRUTH & the LIFE) was right in the midst of them, yet they did not recognise Him or seek the Heavenly pathway through Him (John 14:6).

Even today, there are many “religious managers”, who don’t WALK their TALK. They are blind themselves but fervent always to lead others. They will one day fall into the pit of hell along with the ones who follow them “blindly”. There are however, a few (very few) true “Spiritual Leaders” even today, who can confidently say just as Paul the Apostle did through God’s all-sufficient grace - “Follow me, as I follow CHRIST” (1 Corinthians 11:1).  

Spiritually speaking - Are you being “managed” or are you being “led”??

Never succumb to the dreadful “religious management”. Always seek the Kingdom of God (Romans 14:17) looking ONLY unto Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).

The Simplicity of CHRIST vs The Complexity of Everything & Everyone else…!!

Let’s read Matthew 13:10-13, 16&17

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. ‘But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Rabindranath Tagore once said this – “It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.” You may not understand it the first time you read it. Hence, read it again and again till it makes sense.

In Spiritual terms, the above statement could be restated as follows: “It is very simple to be Joyful, but it is very difficult to be simple”; “It is very simple to be God’s very Son/Daughter, but it is very difficult to be simple”; “It is very simple to live Christ, but it is very difficult to be simple”…!

Jesus was a very simple man. He was in fact the simplest of all men. He was thus, because He was born of a Spirit who is the simplest of all beings.  

But, what does it mean to be SIMPLE? The opposite of SIMPLE is COMPLEX. So, being SIMPLE simply means to be “uncomplicated”. God’s instruction to Adam was a very simple one - “You can eat from any tree in the garden, except from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil. Don’t eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you’re dead.”(Genesis 2:16, 17 MSG). God’s expectation of Adam & Eve was also a very simple one. But Adam & Eve chose the easy, complicated & truth less way of having their eyes opened, and be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5b NIV). It is indeed difficult to be (present continuous) SIMPLE…!

All of Jesus’ preaching & ministry was very simple, yet very difficult to comprehend and practice. This is because we are more inclined to the easy, complicated & truth less way of this world than we are to the difficult yet Simple & Truthful way of God.

The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven is exclusive ONLY to those who diligently seek God through Christ (read Hebrews 11:6). If you are Spiritually driven, you will yearn to be SIMPLE (even though it is difficult) but if you are fleshly/religiously/worldly driven then you will yearn to be COMPLEX (just because it is easy..!)

Have your spiritual eyes open to see the “God’s-eye-view” and have your spiritual ears open to hear the very “voice of God”.

Is your life SIMPLE or COMPLEX right now??