Daily Devotions
The Problem With "Big Men" in the Church
Reading for March 21st: Judges 8-9
Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian." Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you."
Judges 8:22-23
In Sierra Leone I was invited to speak at a church. I presented the gospel and at the end of the lesson I asked if anyone would like to be baptized.
Only one person raised their hand.
The pastor of the church (a very young man) got up after I sat down and explained that everyone actually wanted to be baptized, but no one had been baptized in that church (not even the pastor himself), because they had not received permission from Freetown to have any baptisms.
This is a common problem in Sierra Leone. The churches are bound to do whatever the "big men" tell them. These "big men" (usually headquartered in Freetown) tell them how to worship, when to be baptized, how to use their money, etc. And most of the people seem to be content with this arrangement. They don't read their Bibles for themselves (many of them can't read at all). They simply accept whatever their pastors tell them.
We must not be content with this kind of arrangement. We're not going to be standing before our "pastors" in judgment. They do not hold the keys to the kingdom. The church does not save you or serve as a conduit to the blessings we have in Jesus Christ.
We have no king but the Lord!
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)
Father, may we ever submit to your Son and not to men!
