A Kingdom Dynamic

The Holy Spirit gave me a picture in the wee hours this morning. It was part catalyst, part confirmation of something I had been working on for at least a few weeks now. Sometimes it takes me awhile. That is why I try to never make snap decisions. I am going to try and describe something to you that works better as a picture, but since I do not know how to do pictures here, you may have to do some work to understand it.

I have been mulling a situation (I wish I could say "meditating" but I have really just been mulling, i.e., soul vs. spirit.) The situation has to do with a Christian relating to his superiors in the workplace. The perspective here is from the employee's side, but if you have employees, please do not stop reading.

Let me describe the picture I saw and hopefully you can see it too. Think of two people side by side (I think in stick figures because that's all I can draw.) one is head and shoulders above the other, but they are about the same height. Each figure is enclosed in an oval so it is like they are floating in the air, next to each other, one higher than the other, showing authority in the workplace. Now if you have the picture in your mind, keep reading.

In the workplace, for whatever time that entails, "the boss", as we will call him or her for convenience sake, floats a little higher. That is the way business works. That is the way it has to work. With greater responsibility comes greater authority. However, we are talking about employment-related, worldly, soulical situations here. ("Soulical" is the word Watchman Nee uses to describe the activites of the soul in distinction from those of the spirit.)

In the Kingdom of God, no one "floats" higher than anyone else. Do not confuse the Kingdom of God with The Church here. We usually use the term, "The Church" in these pages to indicate all believers, but in this instance we are making a further distinction and calling The Church the groups of people gathering together. The Church on earth has to operate like a business in this one respect--someone has to be responsible and that person has to be in charge. That person has been, hopefully, placed in that position of authority by God. But listen. That person still "floats" at the same level in the Kingdom of God as everyone else. This is the point Jesus was making when He said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet is shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to be great among you, let him be your servant" (Matthew 20:25-26)

If you work for someone else, meaning you have a superior at your place of employment, you have only one responsibility. You are responsible to do what that person requires of you, to the best of your ability. It does not matter what it is you are asked to do. If it is legal and ethical, it is your duty to do it--to the best of your ability. Remember, we are not discussing the other person's responsibility here. That is between them and God. You are obliged to do your job as well as you can.

The point of what I am trying to describe here is outside, but corollary to, our employment relationships. It is greater because it is spiritual. None of us have had perfect bosses. There are none. Each of them can use some growth in one or more areas. That does not mean you are called to be the fertilizer. It does mean they are people we are inclined to spend quite a bit of time and energy with during the course of any given week. We must see that as a God-ordained situation. While we are obligated to take orders from them, we also have something to add to their lives. The words of Jesus come to mind here that we should be, "...wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." (Matthew 10:16) Most people do not particularly enjoy being challenged with regard to their weaknesses. You boss is certainly not an exception.

There are two circumstances in which you may find limited duration to your employment when you challenge your boss to be better. First, your boss may not recognize your spiritual authority to do so. He or she may not realize that you have, "...come to the kingdom for such a time as this." (Esther 4:14) If you do not challenge him or her in a manner in which he or she can accept it as a challenge rather than as a bad attitude, you have lost before you started. Secondly, some people sincerely do not think they have anything that needs to be changed. In the recovery industry we call that "denial." Pray for them. And pray for me. I think I have probably gotten myself into enough trouble for one post. God bless.