The Tested Leadership Model – Should Everything Leadership Teaches Be Accepted as God’s Words without Examining the Scriptures?

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The Tested Leadership Model – Should Everything Leadership Teaches Be Accepted as God’s Words without Examining the Scriptures?

To remind us again. What is the tested leadership model? In this model, input is encouraged from the attendees relating to church theology, church functions, church participation, etc. The assembly is expected to examine (study on their own) whatever is taught from the pulpit. This model will interpret Scriptures about a biblical subject for the New Testament saint from a dispensational view, i.e., from the Church Age. So, let’s get started.

The characteristic of this model that addresses the question at hand will be found in the book of Galatians, 1 John, and the book of Acts. Are you ready to find out the answer to this question?



Suggested Reading: Galatians 2:1-14

11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.

Certain Jewish believers, who commentators believe were in the Jerusalem church headed by the Apostle James, came to Antioch and saw the Apostle Peter eating food with Gentile believers. Not surprisingly, they had an issue with that, so they decided to direct Peter and the Jewish membership to stop eating food with the Gentiles unless they adhered to the tenets of the Mosaic Law. Whatever the specifics of the demands were, Peter consented, the result being that he endorsed the complete and final separation of the combined fellowship, including the common meal eaten at church, the [love feast], and meals eaten at the homes of the Gentiles.8 Subsequently, the Apostle Paul rebuked (blamed) him regarding this when he publicly confronted him before the Jewish brethren.

Peter had accepted a wrong perspective or false teaching, and a fellow leader of the early church approached him about it. Before we develop a characteristic of this model, let’s proceed further by answering the following question.

How does the assembly know if what those in leadership are teaching is true ?

Let’s go to the book of 1 John and find out.



1 John 2:27

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

The Holy Spirit, whom the believers in Christ have received, abideth (has taken up permanent residency) in them. While it’s true that God has given some in the church a leadership office gift of teaching, the same anointing (the person of the Holy Spirit) will teacheth (endue us with judgment and discernment; the corrector and approver of doctrine; to convince our hearts that what our ears receive has come from him9) each believer so that they’ll be able to recognize error.

Another way to test what a leader or fellow believers have to say is to follow the example of a group of believers called the Bereans.

The book of Acts is where we’ll go next.



Suggested Reading: Acts 17:1-14

11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

The Apostle Paul and Silas had left Thessalonica and arrived in Berea. They entered the synagogue and preached the gospel, finding that the Bereans were willing to listen and examine whether or not the Old Testament promises, and types corresponded with the alleged fulfillment in the person, work, and sufferings of Jesus Christ. They made careful and exact research against the [Scriptures in order to] see if what Paul had said agreed with what the Scriptures said.10

Before we formulate this quality, let’s look at one more Scripture. Please turn to the book of 1 Thessalonians.



1 Thessalonians 5:21

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

The Apostle Paul was instructing the Thessalonians’ believers to prove all things. This carries the idea of not condemning anything without first examining [it,] and, on the other hand, he admonishes them to exercise [judgment before receiving what may be brought forward] as undoubted truth.11 And if what was found is good (in harmony with what has been given by the Holy Spirit in the Word12), they were to keep it.

The characteristic of this model can now be declared as such.



The Tested Leadership Model Characteristic

This particular aspect has to do with not accepting whatever teaching is brought forth from the pulpit as being from God and regarding it as absolute truth. No longer does a leader receive direct revelation from the Lord, i.e., Thus saith the Lord, but rather illumination (discernment; spiritual insight – Ephesians 1:18) from the Holy Spirit.

In this dispensation, each believer has two avenues when testing truth, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Each of us is permitted by God to engage in a careful and exact analysis of the Scriptures concerning the teachings of those in leadership. Such research should be examined exegetically (hermeneutically), which refers to scriptural interpretation based on an investigation of the grammatical features and historical background. (Galatians 2:1-14; 1 John 2:27; Acts 17:1-14)



The Mandated Leadership Model Response – The Rebuttal

Church leaders receive direct revelation from the Holy Spirit as Moses did from Yahweh.

Therefore, everything that’s said from the pulpit should be received as words from God. Examples of this from Scripture, whether of the New or Old Testament, are as follows.

Exodus 3:16, 18 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

These are verses that we looked at earlier under this model. Remember, a non-dispensationalist can use any Old or New Testament verses to support their belief system.

Exodus 12:28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

As the Israelites were commanded to receive all that Moses conveyed to them from God, so should New Testament believers accept whatever leadership says.

2 Thessalonians 3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

The Apostle Paul instructed the believers at Thessalonica to absolutely obey the words of this epistle that he wrote to them.

Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

On the day of Pentecost, three thousand souls responded to the gospel proclaimed by the Apostle Peter. Subsequently, they continued steadfastly (attended constantly) to the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

The Apostle Paul said that the words the Thessalonians’ believers heard weren’t to be received as words from men but from God.

Here’s one more Scripture that could be used by the non-dispensationalist in this regard.



1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

A church leader is here in Christ’s stead and therefore is the mediator between God and men. Their teachings and decisions should be unquestionably accepted.

Are you ready to see how another question would be answered by each of these leadership models? However, before you turn to the next chapter, I’d like to leave an article with you having to do with believing everything leadership says. Enjoy!



WHAT IF I DISAGREE WITH THE PASTOR?

Have you ever silently argued with the pastor’s sermon while sitting among the smiling congregation? Have you gritted your teeth or rolled your eyes? Have you looked up the verse you believe contradicts the pastor’s point and silently showed it to your spouse?

I’m guessing, if you’ve been in church for very long, you know the feeling of disagreeing with a pastor’s sermon—sometimes strongly. I know I do.

That’s normal—good, actually. Uniqueness is part of our nature. We don’t all see with the same lens; we don’t all think in the same ways. Our variety is part of what makes us beautiful. When done right, disagreement can become the pathway to growth. Our viewpoint is expanded, our understanding [is] enlarged.

Unfortunately, disagreement-done-right is a learned skill, one that is sometimes rare in church settings. I’ve been on both sides of this equation. I’ve spent my whole life attending church meetings, reading teaching books, [and] listening to sermons. I’ve attended a variety of churches from a variety of denominations. I also grew up as a pastor’s kid, and my husband and I served as senior pastors for five [years.] So, I know what it is to disagree and to be the one who is disagreed with. I’ve seen it done well, and I’ve seen it play out like a dumpster fire.

The question is, [what] do we do when we find ourselves disgruntled and disagreeing?

For many of us, our gut response is to react emotionally. Maybe we get grumpy. Maybe we fume about it during the car ride home. Maybe we feel the need to voice our dissent in strong terms. However, the emotional response usually won’t get us to a helpful ending. For this reason, I’ve learned to step back and ask myself a few questions:

1. What does this disagreement show me about my heart? Might the Holy Spirit be using this to illuminate a growth area within me? This is the first question we should ask ourselves in disagreement or conflict. We all want to believe we are [one hundred] percent in the right, that we have perfect theology, but the truth is that most disagreements are nuanced. Most situations [aren’t] as simple as we might want them to be. Understanding God and His word certainly isn’t simple, either. Even if we are somehow entirely in the right, God hides a lesson for us in every situation—if [we’re] willing to listen.

When someone hurts me, I find it helpful to acknowledge the pain or anger in my heart, and then I turn to Jesus and ask Him, [what do You want to teach me about this?] He always has good things to say; He can turn any hurt into good in my heart. Working through disagreement takes Holy Spirit-led self-awareness and a willingness to see our own blind spots and growth areas. The more aware [we’re of our own shortcomings, the less likely we’ll] be to pass judgment on others. Before confronting our leaders—or talking about them behind their backs—we need to examine our own hearts and hear God’s perspective.

2. Is this disagreement an issue of heresy? Let’s be clear: If a church is teaching that Jesus [isn’t] the Son of God or another heresy, you should definitely get out of there. However, sometimes people play the heresy card because it’s easier than walking through healthy conflict toward resolution. Most church disagreements [aren’t over heresy] but debatable matters. Identifying whether the issue is heresy or debatable is essential to knowing how to respond.

3. Will disagreement over this issue make it difficult for us to run together? Some disagreements, while not an issue of heresy, are big enough that we cannot run well on mission together. For example, if I believe the gifts of the Spirit (healing, miracles, prophesy, and so forth) are for today, and you [don’t], the way we approach our Christian lives and ministry will be vastly different. We can still love and appreciate one another, but it may not make sense for us to attempt to work closely together.

If you find yourself in an environment where you cannot wholeheartedly serve the mission of the leaders, it’s probably not the right place for you. But don’t leave in anger. Don’t make a mess on your way out. As a former church leader, I can say that it meant a lot to me when people came and told us, with love in their hearts, that they were moving on—even if it was over a theological disagreement. And we could hug and bless them as they left. Too often, that conversation never happened. It was easier to just disappear and block us on Facebook. I challenge you, should you find yourself leaving a church, to take the higher, kinder road.

4. Am I willing to [work] out the [occasional] messy process of disagreement? Our culture [doesn’t] teach us healthy conflict resolution. Most of us are trained from childhood to either avoid conflict altogether or to derail the healthy process of conflict through anger and aggression. Whether our tendency is to grab control through aggression or to avoid conflict through rejecting those who hurt or offend us—we need to recognize that healthy conflict is neither passive nor aggressive. [It’s] bravely assertive. It means speaking the truth vulnerably, with an [open -heart] eager for reconciliation, and valuing connection over proving oneself “right” in the conflict. [This is a very big topic, which I can’t do justice here], but I highly recommend Danny Silk’s book [Keep Your Love On] for those who want to learn more about healthy [conflict].

This question assumes the leaders of your church are also open to healthy disagreement. At [our church, we’re blessed to have pastors who welcome healthy] debate and disagreement. This is what church should look like—a place where people can disagree in love, where relationship trumps [agreement, and we’re] all growing together into a greater understanding of the multifaceted goodness and glory of God.



5. Am I in this church because of covenant or agreement? For much of [church] history, people have gathered around theological agreement rather than covenantal relationships. But this model means that every time someone disagrees, they need to move on. Relationships are severed. Hearts are wounded. Judgments are solidified. Gathering because of agreement leads to arrogance and isolationism—to a belief that only our group has the whole truth. I know [this] because I’ve been there. I’ve been part of more than one church that felt it had a corner on the truth. The truth is, none of us has it right—not completely.

Instead of gathering around agreement, acting like a political party, we need to gather around relationship, much like a family. It can feel terrifyingly scary to commit with our [hearts] and not just our brains, but Jesus didn’t invite us into His political party. He invited us into His beautiful and messy family. Covenant relationship doesn’t mean [we’ll] never disagree. It means we promise to work through our disagreements [and fight] for the relationship.

Sadly, some groups have taken the idea of covenant and twisted it as a way to control and manipulate others. Let me be clear: Healthy covenant [relationships] will never demand agreement. (If you find yourself in a manipulative or spiritually abusive [place where you aren’t allowed to think differently than your leaders, please don’t] stay. Jesus has something better for you. Reach out to someone you can trust for help.)

But when we can disagree and still love, [that’s] powerful. Imagine what we might be able to do—as a group of brave, wholehearted, wildly different people who are bound together by connection, who won’t let disagreement create division, who love fiercely and refuse to give up on one another. What would the world do with such a brave and powerful force? What will they say when we look so much like Jesus?

The next time you find yourself disgruntled and disagreeing, ask yourself these questions. Be brave enough to face the mess, to keep on loving, and to work toward disagreement done right. In my life, I’ve found that working through conflict deepens a relationship like almost nothing else. You can trust Jesus with the process. He will make it into something beautiful.13



Endnotes

8Weust’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament PC Study Bible version 5, 2005, 04 November 2014

˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

9Calvin’s Commentaries PC Study Bible version 5, 2006, 05 November 2014 ˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

10UBS New Testament Handbook Series PC Study Bible version 5, 2005, 06 November 2014

˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

11Calvin’s Commentaries.

12Bible Knowledge Commentary/New Testament Copyright © 1983, 2000 Cook Communications Ministries. BIBLESOFT. WEB. 26 February 2023 ˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

13Amy Calkins. “WHAT IF I DISAGREE WITH THE PASTOR?” 9 February 2023 .



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