Who's the Greatest?

The phrase "There's an Elephant in the Living Room" is often used to describe some circumstance that people live with and do not question, even though it is a serious situation that should be addressed. It has been used in a children's story, in newspaper editorials, and magazine articles. Basically, the story goes like this: There's an elephant in the living room and nobody openly acknowledges his presence. Everyone makes allowances for his being there, and there is no attempt to get him to leave.

Well, there's an Elephant in the Church's Living Room: God promised that signs would follow those who believe in Jesus Christ and there are tens of millions of believers in this country. There should be tens of millions of signs following tens of millions of believers. There should be an overflowing abundance of miracles of healing and deliverance. Where are the signs? Where are the evidences of the power of the Almighty God?

Now, it is very important to note that the Bible divides power into two kinds: authority and ability. The Greek word used in the New Testament for ability is dunamis from which the English words dynamic and dynamite are derived. The scriptures teach that the dynamic power of God is subordinate to the authority of God. So, if we want the dynamic power of God working in our lives, we must be subject to the authority of God.

Jesus possesses all authority in heaven and in earth and during His earthly ministry, as part of establishing His Church, Jesus delegated authority to His disciples. It is quite interesting to notice that after He had done this, the disciples began fighting among themselves to see who would be the greatest. They tried to hide this from Jesus, but note the following scene:

Jesus asked the disciples, "What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest." (Mark 9:33,34)

So, because of mankind's strong natural tendencies to seek and to assert dominance over their fellow man, Jesus took great care to explain how His authority was to be used in the Church. On this particular occasion "he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all." (Mark 9:35)

Another time, after a similar squabble, "Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28)

Jesus commanded that His authority not be used in the Church the way people naturally use authority: God's authority is meant to be used for His people, not over His people, and not upon them. Any leader in the Church, as Jesus defines leader, is to be a servant.

On the night before He was crucified, Jesus gave the apostles a demonstration of the behavior He expects from the greatest of the Church:

"Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." John 13:3-5

"So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." (John 13:12-17) This is how God's authority is to be exercised by the leadership of the Church. The question to be answered now is who is a leader in the Church?

According to Paul's pastoral epistles to Timothy and Titus, the elders (a pastor is the same as an elder in the New Testament) and deacons are to be selected from the best husbands and fathers among the married men of the Church. The best husbands obey the following command from Ephesians 5:25: "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it."

The Greek word translated love in Ephesians 5:25 is agapao which is related to the Greek word agape. Charity is the Latin equivalent of agape. Charity, agape, and agapao all mean the kind of love that God has for us by giving His Son to die for us; The kind of love that Christ demonstrated by dying for us on the cross. It is the kind of love that motivates the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The kind of love the best husband has for his wife. The kind of love described in the Great Love chapter of the Bible:

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Thus, a husband, a deacon, an elder, or anyone who is motivated by charity is very patient, and is kind; does not envy; he is not condescending, is not proud; Does not behave himself unseemly, seeks not his own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. The one who is motivated by God's love never fails.

So, since God's love is essential for the proper exercise of God's authority, how easy is it to find a person who is motivated by God's love? When Paul the Apostle wanted to know how the believers at Philippi were doing, he sent them the following: "But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man like minded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's." Philippians 2:19-21)

Paul said he knew only one person he could send, because everyone else was more interested in themselves. He also said this is natural: It is the normal nature of humans to "seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's." Yet just a few verses earlier in the same letter he had written these instructions to the Philippians: "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." (Philippians 2:4) He's telling them to do for one another what he later acknowledges does not come naturally. So how were they to accomplish it? Paul wrapped the instruction telling them to look after one another with the secret of how it must be done: "In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant." (Philippians 2:3,5-7)

The secret then is in the mind: We must think the way Jesus thinks in order to walk in the love of God the way Jesus did. It is quite popular to ask "What would Jesus do?" But, before that, the question should be asked, "What would Jesus think?" More importantly, how are we to think what Jesus thinks in order that we will be able to do what Jesus would do? The answer is found in (1 Timothy 1:7), "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." The word translated power is our old friend, dunamis: The Dynamite of God. For us to walk in the power of God, we must have God's Spirit of power. The word for love is, of course, agape. To walk in God's love, we must have God's Spirit of love. For us to think like Christ, we must have God's Spirit of a sound mind.

Remember, if we want the dynamic power of God working in our lives, we must be subject to the authority of God. To be subject to God's authority, we need His Spirit. In the next part of this series, we will discuss how to receive God's Spirit and answer the question, "Who's the greatest?"

So, stay tuned for the great elephant hunt in "Purging Persistent Pachyderms!"


	Who's the Greatest? The phrase "There's an Elephant in the Living Room" is often used to describe some circumstance that people live with and do not question, even though it is a serious situation that should be addressed. It has been used in a children's story, in newspaper editorials, and magazine articles. Basically, the story goes like this: There's an elephant in the living room and nobody openly acknowledges his presence. Everyone makes allowances for his being there, and there is no attempt to get him to leave. Well, there's an Elephant in the Church's Living Room: God promised that signs would follow those who believe in Jesus Christ and there are tens of millions of believers in this country. There should be tens of millions of signs following tens of millions of believers. There should be an overflowing abundance of miracles of healing and deliverance. Where are the signs? Where are the evidences of the power of the Almighty God? Now, it is very important to note that the Bible divides power into two kinds: authority and ability. The Greek word used in the New Testament for ability is dunamis from which the English words dynamic and dynamite are derived. The scriptures teach that the dynamic power of God is subordinate to the authority of God. So, if we want the dynamic power of God working in our lives, we must be subject to the authority of God. Jesus possesses all authority in heaven and in earth and during His earthly ministry, as part of establishing His Church, Jesus delegated authority to His disciples. It is quite interesting to notice that after He had done this, the disciples began fighting among themselves to see who would be the greatest. They tried to hide this from Jesus, but note the following scene: Jesus asked the disciples, "What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest." (Mark 9:33,34) So, because of mankind's strong natural tendencies to seek and to assert dominance over their fellow man, Jesus took great care to explain how His authority was to be used in the Church. On this particular occasion "he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all." (Mark 9:35) Another time, after a similar squabble, "Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28) Jesus commanded that His authority not be used in the Church the way people naturally use authority: God's authority is meant to be used for His people, not over His people, and not upon them. Any leader in the Church, as Jesus defines leader, is to be a servant. On the night before He was crucified, Jesus gave the apostles a demonstration of the behavior He expects from the greatest of the Church: "Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." John 13:3-5 "So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." (John 13:12-17) This is how God's authority is to be exercised by the leadership of the Church. The question to be answered now is who is a leader in the Church? According to Paul's pastoral epistles to Timothy and Titus, the elders (a pastor is the same as an elder in the New Testament) and deacons are to be selected from the best husbands and fathers among the married men of the Church. The best husbands obey the following command from Ephesians 5:25: "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." The Greek word translated love in Ephesians 5:25 is agapao which is related to the Greek word agape. Charity is the Latin equivalent of agape. Charity, agape, and agapao all mean the kind of love that God has for us by giving His Son to die for us; The kind of love that Christ demonstrated by dying for us on the cross. It is the kind of love that motivates the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The kind of love the best husband has for his wife. The kind of love described in the Great Love chapter of the Bible: "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) Thus, a husband, a deacon, an elder, or anyone who is motivated by charity is very patient, and is kind; does not envy; he is not condescending, is not proud; Does not behave himself unseemly, seeks not his own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. The one who is motivated by God's love never fails. So, since God's love is essential for the proper exercise of God's authority, how easy is it to find a person who is motivated by God's love? When Paul the Apostle wanted to know how the believers at Philippi were doing, he sent them the following: "But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man like minded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's." Philippians 2:19-21) Paul said he knew only one person he could send, because everyone else was more interested in themselves. He also said this is natural: It is the normal nature of humans to "seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's." Yet just a few verses earlier in the same letter he had written these instructions to the Philippians: "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." (Philippians 2:4) He's telling them to do for one another what he later acknowledges does not come naturally. So how were they to accomplish it? Paul wrapped the instruction telling them to look after one another with the secret of how it must be done: "In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant." (Philippians 2:3,5-7) The secret then is in the mind: We must think the way Jesus thinks in order to walk in the love of God the way Jesus did. It is quite popular to ask "What would Jesus do?" But, before that, the question should be asked, "What would Jesus think?" More importantly, how are we to think what Jesus thinks in order that we will be able to do what Jesus would do? The answer is found in (1 Timothy 1:7), "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." The word translated power is our old friend, dunamis: The Dynamite of God. For us to walk in the power of God, we must have God's Spirit of power. The word for love is, of course, agape. To walk in God's love, we must have God's Spirit of love. For us to think like Christ, we must have God's Spirit of a sound mind. Remember, if we want the dynamic power of God working in our lives, we must be subject to the authority of God. To be subject to God's authority, we need His Spirit. In the next part of this series, we will discuss how to receive God's Spirit and answer the question, "Who's the greatest?" So, stay tuned for the great elephant hunt in "Purging Persistent Pachyderms!"
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