Who’s the Boss: Jesus Is Lord … On A Constitutional Basis

The church is like a constitutional monarchy, where Jesus is allowed the title, but has no authority to make any decisions. (A.W. Tozer as quoted in Simple Church by Tony and Felicity Dale – p 25.)

The book I’ve just started provided the quote for today’s blog entry.  It was through the usual connections (King Arthur, Alan the Great and Eric the Noble) that I came across the blog for Felicity Dale and her writings intrigued me and got me to splash the cash in purchasing the book she wrote with her husband Tony called Simple Church.  Hopefully much more on the book when I get round to finishing the book and putting together a review for it.

In the meantime the Tozer quote tickled me fancy something chronic.  I studied philosophy and politics at A-level and degree level and have always been interested in both subjects for what they reveal about the mind-set of humanity and its pursuit and exercise of power.  So hopefully you’d expect me to remember a thing or two about it. 

Tozer’s reference to the constitutional monarchy of Jesus reminded me of how Britain is run.  Although there is a monarch to whom we nominally pay allegiance, in actual fact she has no power to execute in the running of her Queendom.  By law, all power was placed in Parliament and to the government who rule on her behalf.  Essentially legislation is passed through both houses of Parliament – Commons and Lords – and on successfully getting through those houses it is passed to the Queen to sign it into law.  She could refuse to sign it, but then she’d be breaking convention and contradicting the constitutional arrangement of how power is exercised in the country.  In essence she is a ruler by name only.

So connecting that to the Tozer quote, I never attributed it immediately to the church.  I thought it would make sense to consider it on a personal level.  Its all well and good singing Jesus is Lord and Majesty with those soaring sentiments of the sovereignty of Jesus Christ – that’s marvellous.  In every day life though, does it really work out that way?  For example you’ll recall in the Bible days that whenever a monarch was to pass something into law – a decision on how the domain would be ruled – a decree would be made.  It would be clear to those involved that this is what the King demanded on that issue.  You may recall in the story of Esther how the King got himself in a spot of bother because of legislation he decreed on which he could not turn back his word that put the lives of the people of his own dear wife in peril.  Daniel likewise was a victim of the irreversible decree of a King.  Everyone knew about it – it was written, it was broadcast, it was pronounced and it was enacted because that was the bottom line because the King said so.  (Just a little Stone Cold reference if I may.)

When was the last time on an individual basis you received a decree from the Lord of your life?  When considering significant changes in life, did you act on the decree of the King?  In any department or issue of life was it based on what the King decreed?

If I’m honest with you – and let’s face it, I might as well be – the pattern of my life was making my own decrees and going by them – for good or for bad.  Even when I ‘gave my life to the Lord’, there was a significant part of me that wanted the arrangement to be very much like the British Constitution.  Jesus can be Lord as long as he signs the legislation I send his way – for good or for bad.  I love the nominal value of having Jesus ‘rule’ in my life – He’s great for the feel-good factor.  I love the opportunity it gives me to sing songs to him and celebrate him with others and read what he says and all that kind of thing.  That’s wonderful, that is.  But when it comes to the key decisions of how I spend my money, what I do with my time, the words I say, the thoughts and desires of my heart and the key relationships I develop, he may have some influence, because that would be good, but the final word rests with me – not him.

Now note I did say ‘was’ at the start of that statement.  Life experiences and learning more about who Jesus is and what Lordship really means led me to acknowledge some serious gaps between the happy-clappy statements I would proclaim in a church setting and the reality of every day life.  Those gaps began to bug me as God revealed how much it was an issue for Him.  So drastic action needed to happen and, praise God, at least the constitutional arrangement has been exposed for the fraud it is and the genuine, actual Lordship of Jesus Christ is more evident today, than it was back then.  Don’t get me wrong, there are still times where I fall for the oldest trick in the book and want to put myself back on the throne.  Those don’t last long, though, and are challenged one way or another to put me back on the right track.

The intriguing issue comes in when we consider the actual rule of Jesus on the corporate level – and this is where it gets tricky, as it should do because it involves people just as self-centred as I am/was.  While it’s all dandy singing those wonderful songs to the Lord, really, how could anyone tell if Jesus really was in charge?  Could you tell me the last decree Jesus made in the midst of his people?  How did he direct the use of your money?  What did he decree regarding the issues to be conversed? What songs did he want you to sing?  How did he want you to serve in a period of time?  Where did he want you to share his good news?  Not only the answers to those questions – but how would you ever know it was Jesus who decreed it?

My own growing experiences has seen a variety of ways in which certain church expressions has adopted the lordship of Jesus in that same British constitution model that was so convenient for me.  Whether decision making was done by tradition/convention/routine, by one man, or whether it was a committee decision (because God loves democracy, right?) there would be little in the way of actually knowing it was Jesus leading.  Some would approach it like a gamble and only the result would determine which way it would go.  Others were just happy to go along with whatever the leader told them – and by leader I’m referring to the dude at the front of the church doing most of the talking, because he must be right, rather than testing the spirits for themselves and holding fast to what was true – what Jesus had decreed.

That has not always been the case and I have been blessed and privileged to be involved in situations where brothers and sisters in Christ would explore issues deeply together and then come to a loving conclusion that surely Jesus was leading to this direction, or that decision.  My time at the YMCA was especially a great time where with Danny my boss and brother in Christ, my dear friend Ray and others in the mission, prayer, conversation, waiting and divine inspiration (without wanting to sound pious or ‘super spiritual’) were hallmarks of endeavouring to follow the leading and lordship of Jesus for real, rather than just go with my programme/agenda.  That is to say, there have been times in my life where in a corporate setting Jesus as Lord was real and not a convenient tagline to get us sweet with other Christians.  Even in me family circumstances the leading of Jesus has been instrumental in my wife and I making crucial life changing decisions only on the understanding that it was Jesus in charge and not our feelings, preferences and overriding desires.  What I notice in these situations that this has taken a great deal of meekness, patience, humility and self-abasement on the parts of all concerned to leave their egos outside and submit to each other as we looked to submit to God.  In that way there were no airs and graces, no titles and positions, only brothers and sisters waiting and sensitive to what Jesus wanted – what He decreed.

I believe in Jesus.  I believe he is building a church that loves, honours and obeys him.  I believe that church is growing in the knowledge of their Lord and learning to go by what he decrees.  I am eager to contribute to that church life as one who himself remains subject to the decrees of the King.  I am eager to witness others reflect that life together under his rule.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd