Okay, so I read this in an email newsletter today and had to post about it. You read it and think about it first:
Christ’s Original Mandate to Church Leaders
In the beginning, after Jesus had overcome his temptations in the desert, right when He began His public ministry, the apostles Matthew and Mark faithfully recorded the first words of Jesus to the leaders of His Church. 19 And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mt 4.19 & Mk. 1.17 NASB) Jesus was not in the least confused about the Father’s strategic plan to advance His Church. His first words carry particular import. They were not just a cute turn of phrase to catch the attention of some professional fishermen. They speak to the very heart of the matter of church leadership.
Now, it’s your turn. I see so much to comment on… but why take all the fun myself. What do you agree with and why? Is there anything in this statement with which you take issue and why? I’ll comment on your comments along the way.
All I can do right now is get a good laugh out of it.
Was Jesus interested in setting up a leadership or a relationship? He wasn’t speaking to “leaders” of a organization, but members or an organism, a living being! I cannot find anywhere in Scripture God having a “strategic plan” to advance an organization, but rather his desire to redeem a bride (that living organism) for His son! Leaders in this organism are the ones who have been on the journey the longest, not someone placed on a pedestal because of their “book knowledge.”
Well, there are a few! (long distance discipleship made avilable to me and you via technology!)