Kings hate to lose their kingdoms. Kings almost never voluntarily give up their crowns, which makes Jesus, the only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords even more remarkable, for he is history's only king to voluntarily lay aside his crown , and give up his royal station, and his riches, to become a commoner, but not only that, he didn't stop there, he transferred his wealth, kingship and authority to his subjects, to us, common men, making us uncommon, making us "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich."
So we, being earthly, are now able to take on his heavenly mantle, with it's heavenly riches, because he being heavenly, took on our earthly mantle, that is to say, our flesh, in all it's poverty. God, being a Spirit, took on the form of our flesh that we being fleshly might put on his Spirit. And if we have indeed become kings and priests we are heavenly kings, not earthly, spiritual rulers not soulish or carnal. This means we're destined to rule and reign with him forever because his kingdom, the kingdom he gave us, has no end, whereas all other kingdoms, principalities, powers and every name that is named, will cease.
Yet pastors and denominational leaders of every stripe and background are seeking to build and rule their own "fiefdoms" here on earth. Some apostles and prophets do this too. They seek to rule flesh with flesh. They seek worldly wealth and use worldly models for leading because their kingdoms are worldly, not heavenly at all. All denominations are man-made kingdoms and are destined to fall. All are founded on a man - all are built on one man's revelations, teachings and personality and the people love to have it so. For when their leadership is walking in the flesh and not the Spirit, it makes them comfortable being in the flesh and not the Spirit. They feel vindicated, justified. They love to submit to pastors who are just like them. Those who are carnally minded abhor those who are spiritually minded. They seek instead those who are fleshly and carnal just like them., then pride themselves on how submitted to their pastors they are, yet never submitting to God.
If we care to, if we desire to emulate Jesus - The King above all kings, we must, like him, give our crowns to others to wear. We must lay aside our own fleshly ambitions and agendas to take on his agenda. We must become poor that others might become rich, by giving our spiritual wealth to them. We must lower ourselves to exalt others, not exalt ourselves to lower others. We must serve others, not rule over them. "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth." We must each esteem others better than ourselves. We must look not every man on his own things, but every man on the things of others.
Yet pastors and leaders in today's churchianity never, ever, want to give up position, title or power. They may be convinced God put them in the position they're in, but they never go about it the way God intends. They never lead until the people are so mature they don't need a leader anymore, they never step down and relinquish the role they play in people's lives, acknowledging they are no longer needed, as much. The role of a parent constantly changes throughout the lives of their children. A parent doesn't have the same role with a ten year old that they have with a baby. They don't parent a teenager the same way they parent a ten year old. If a parent does their job well, the day arrives when they no longer need to provide a home, or food or clothing for the child. They may still want us to, but hopefully don't need us to.
The door of every church should be a revolving one, with babies going in and mature saints going out. Too many pastors won't or can't produce mature saints. Some want their churches to be nurseries full of spiritual babies. This keeps the people dependant on them and helps them justify the farce they're putting the people through, "ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." Besides, babies are much easier to manipulate and control. The younger the child, the more readily they'll believe whatever their parent tells them. Sure Santa is real! Of course apostles and prophets don't exist today! Tongues is of the devil! Yes it's easy to teach immature saints false doctrines, and man's ways and not God's because they don't know any better, they really don't.
I nurtured a very intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit from almost the first week i was alive, spiritually. Often, even as the pastor was teaching me in one ear, the Holy Spirit would whisper the truth to me in the other. Yet i still received as truth false doctrines i later had to repent of. The glorious truth is you need not that any man teach you; for the Holy Spirit himself will gladly become your personal teacher. When you are seeking him to be your teacher, he will lead you to men and women like myself that he is able to use to impart wisdom, knowledge and understanding. So when you do receive revelation filtered through someone else's flesh, it should be flesh submitted to him just as you are. And eventually, you too will be used by the Holy Spirit to teach others - not to make them dependant on you as their source for wisdom and spiritual knowledge but to teach them to become familiar with God's voice, and to hear from him directly like you do.
The end game is always to guide them away from you and to God. You must decrease so they can increase. If a plant tries to grow too close to the main tree, it's growth will be stunted and it will remain in an immature state, never bearing fruit on it's own. Leadership should be signs in people's lives, pointing them in the right direction. Don't lead people to a dead end or a stagnant pool, where the river isn't flowing. Lead them to the deepest part of the River. Invite them to join you there. Don't remain an ankle deep fellowship or even knee deep. Don't remain waist deep or compare yourself to ankle deep ministries and become prideful. Be a church fully submerged and submitted to the Holy Spirit's flowing, so much so that no man can be in control, for no flesh can glory in his presence (which is why churches that exalt flesh avoid his presence). In the deepest part of the river, no flesh can be seen anymore, for it's all in him. When I'm in his presence this way, as his deep calls out to my depths, and we become one there, our identities intertwined, i don't want to surface again - just leave me there forever, never to be seen again. My flesh, who i was, what names i used to be called, keep me buried in him. Selah.
