Leading without Weapons

Text: 1 Peter 5:1-14

Holiness in leadership; leading in holiness. What can it possibly mean? In a day of equality and independent judgment of virtually all things, is it possible for one to perform the functions of leading a congregation in an honorable, biblically and spiritually consistent fashion?

In this era of equality of all opinions, what right have any of us to declare what another person should or should not do or think in regard to spiritual matters? Our culture, often with the full agreement of believers, has separated matters of faith from anything that may be left of truth. Truth might be an appropriate category for scientific, mathematical, or financial matters; but it has nothing to do, so the story goes, with matters of faith, where we are left to form our own opinions since these issues lie outside the canons of verification. And since each of of has the Bible and the Holy Spirit to guide, what need have we of another authority?

Peter appeals to a different source of authority. Rather than standing on expertise with the Scripture, he stands on his first hand experience with the Lord himself--not just in in living and ministering with him, but in his death and resurrection. And he wears this experience with a great deal of humility, undoubtedly remembering his own inglorious failure during Jesus' trial. Proving to be an example of the kind of holy living in an unholy world provides a credential which does not need to be trumpeted; it has been declared already, and accepted by those truly under the Spirit's guidance.

We have all kinds of seminars and leadership summits available to the church today. Frankly, few of them tell the paying faithful to clothe themselves with humility, not to worry about if, when, and by whom they will be recognized for their work. Anxieties about such things are out of place, quite unnecessary, and potentially detrimental, as they may open the ambitious ones to succumb to another way of doing things. We've seen more than enough of this in ministry. God's way just might make one unpopular for a time; suffering might be involved. But honor from God will come.