Goal and Vision of the Leader's Role

10. Principle of Authority in the Group

Authority is a right to exercise power. All authority is delegated or given by somebody (a policemen has a right to exercise some power over the suspects because the chief of police delegated it to him).

God has the ultimate authority. He created the earth and gave authority over it to Adam and Eve (Gen. 1: 28). By disobeying God they surrendered it to Satan, who became god of this world (2 Cor. 4: 4). Jesus Christ took the authority back from Satan and delegated it to those who would believe and obey Him (Matt.28: 18-20). Jesus is the king over all kings. We have His authority to do God's will on earth in the name of Jesus.

Kingdom of God is not a democratic state; it is the kingdom of authority. But our king is not a tyrant. He is gentle and humble in heart; he wants to take heavy yokes off of our necks and to give us rest (Matt. 11: 28-30).

Believers have authority over the evil spirits in the name of Jesus. But our authority over people is very limited. God, who created authority, gave a free will to individuals. We are free to obey or disobey. God offers people to choose between life and death, blessings and curses (Deut.30:15-20). We can only teach people, give biblical counsel and pray for them. It is up to them to take our advice or not. God doesn't violate the rights of individuals to choose. To give an advice and then try to make sure the person followed it - is control, that is not of God.

The leader of the group should promote freedom for people to express themselves. Even if their opinions are not biblical, don't correct them on the spot. Yet you have authority and responsibility to deal with those who disrupt your meetings or dominate in discussion. You must be loving and self- controlled all the time.

In old times builders used a rope with a weight on the end (plumb line) to check if the wall is straight. We have our "plumb line" in the Word of God. It tells us that we must exercise authority, but do it in love, always remembering that we are dealing with people for whom Christ died. There are 2 extremes in using authority, both are the work of the flesh and are wrong. The work of the flesh is when a leader uses his/her own "plumb line". The result of it is on one side - fear, on the other - havoc.

As a leader of a Bible discussion group you shouldn't neglect your God-given authority. Maintain order in your meetings. Use your authority in love, acting in the best interests of people in the group. You should speak the truth in love. Don't be bossy but be humble and kind to everyone.

You have authority over people's behavior in the place of meeting, not over their lives.

1. Who created authority? (Col. 1: 16)

2. What is the difference between godly and ungodly authority? (Pr. 29:2)

3. How did the Apostle Paul want Titus, the young pastor, to use authority? (Titus 2:15)

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