Good post Camaro, but I will disagree one point, authority. Jesus did give us the authority to do his goodness by our fellowman. Jesus told his disciples (those keeping his sayings) to preach the Kingdom of God that is within each of us, heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out devils. We all have the authority in Jesus’ name to protect ourselves and others from natural destructive forces like tornadoes, lightning, wind, etc. These acts of goodness are not done by us, the spiritual world does the work. We can just tell it to work as long as it is based on Jesus’ goodness and does not interfere with a person’s free will.
Authority carried out through service leadership, I would say is different than the current day understanding of "authority". We almost need a new word to distinguish the two. The type of authority you describe is one that comes naturally. People start to respect you and trust you when they see you lead by example.
When I speak against authority, I mean the toxic totalitarian brand. The "I have Jesus and am therefore better than you and know what's best for everyone" brand I will always stand against. But I see where you're coming from. We could call what you describe as a "humble authority" or something along those lines. Humble authority is one that doesn't involve attempting to exert dominion on other people. I think I can get on board with that.
Good post Camaro, but I will disagree one point, authority. Jesus did give us the authority to do his goodness by our fellowman. Jesus told his disciples (those keeping his sayings) to preach the Kingdom of God that is within each of us, heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out devils. We all have the authority in Jesus’ name to protect ourselves and others from natural destructive forces like tornadoes, lightning, wind, etc. These acts of goodness are not done by us, the spiritual world does the work. We can just tell it to work as long as it is based on Jesus’ goodness and does not interfere with a person’s free will.
Authority carried out through service leadership, I would say is different than the current day understanding of "authority". We almost need a new word to distinguish the two. The type of authority you describe is one that comes naturally. People start to respect you and trust you when they see you lead by example.
When I speak against authority, I mean the toxic totalitarian brand. The "I have Jesus and am therefore better than you and know what's best for everyone" brand I will always stand against. But I see where you're coming from. We could call what you describe as a "humble authority" or something along those lines. Humble authority is one that doesn't involve attempting to exert dominion on other people. I think I can get on board with that.