Quote:
Originally Posted by Drake
Ohio,
I agree with most of what you said. Some of it spot on. Other stuff not so much. 
However, the elders and deacons are not a hierarchy but a function. Elders and deacons are not a title or a rank though we have elders and deacons in the churches. Hierarchy and rank brings in a struggle for power. If there is a hierarchy in the Body it is only two tiers: Christ and then everybody else. But even at that hierarchy is not really an accurate description because your head and body are not a hierarchy. And certainly strong members of your body do not have rank over smaller members. As you rightly said, the more gifted members are to help the members of the body to function and grow.
Hierarchy, rank, position, title, are all evil things the enemy of God uses to frustrate the building of the Body of Christ by all the members.
Those things are not just outside influences but in us ready to cooperate. That is the danger to the building of the Body.
Drake |
To paraphrase Lee, it goes something like this -
Consider the shoulder and the arm. The shoulder is higher than the arm, the function of the shoulder is to lead or "tell" the arm to move. The arm cannot move without the shoulder. The shoulder is higher (in function) but not more important than the arm. If the shoulder thinks it is more important than the arm, this is hierarchy.
In the church there is no problem with the "shoulder" members telling the "arm" members to move. The problem is if the "shoulders" think they are more important than the "arm" as evidenced by, for example:
special privileges, eg places of honor, etc (Luke 14:8)
ruling over and flaunting authority (Matt 20:25).
The shoulder may think it has the authority over the arm and can rule over it. Actually the shoulder can be considered the arm's servant and vice versa.