Yoke of Exousia: Bad Assumption

Ok, we moved from "The Assignment" of the servants into reviewing the "Bad Assumption" of this week.  Our case study was based in Acts 19:8-16 - the Seven Sons of Sceva.  The Apostle Paul is in Ephesus and spent 2 years sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Some believed, others didn't.  Some folks went on to "act out" what they believed ... while others (the Seven Sons of Sceva) attempted to function the same.  Here is where the "bad assumption" steps into the picture.  When one takes on a power or authority which isn't theirs, they will eventually run into trouble.

Based on our group discussion, we covered some points from scripture and suppositions about what may have occurred.  There were "incantations" used, perhaps the demon expulsion was a money maker, perhaps it was "smoke and mirrors".  In the end, if there isn't an authenticity of authority, a person will fail.

We continued our discussion by doing a quick review of another Greek word - "dynamis" (G1411), or "release of power" - like dynamite.  Of the many scriptural references which use this Greek word, here are a few highlights:

• Gospels: Jesus acted/worked by dynamis
• Acts 1:8 - the Day of Pentecost - dynamis from the Holy Spirit
• 1 Corinthians - miracles (dynamis)
• 2 Corinthians - dynamis in clay containers
• 2 Timothy 1:7 - having a form of godliness, but, denying the dynamis

When we look specifically at the last reference above, the "denying" (Greek G720) indicates "not to accept" or to "refuse something that is offered".  The whole discussion creates a spectrum for our review:

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"bad assumption"                                                    "refuse an offer"

You see, we don't want to be on either extreme of the spectrum above ... we want to be EXACTLY where God wants us and sees us according to Romans 12:3.  Because, when we are exactly where God sees us, there is nothing that can stop us from doing His will and purpose for the assignment given to us!

Changing my thinking to match His ...

Yoke of Exousia: The Assignment

After a quick review of a fuller definition behind "servant" (Greek G1401), we moved into "The Assignment" of a servant as it's referred to in the Luke 19:21-28 parable.  The discussion covered many aspects of the parable from what a "talent" is (money, in this case) to what it is in relationship to the assignment given the servants.  When we consider today how God calls us to our assignment, we must think beyond money, gifts, skills, abilities, etc.  He created us for a very specific purpose and He equips, enables, promotes, supports, and guides us in that purpose.  Are we listening and responding?

In the Luke parable, the servant given the single talent, chose to simply bury it.  How does that align with the assignment given to the servants?  Depending upon the translation used, the assignment ranged from "Put this money to work until I come back" and "Operate with this until I return" to "Invest this for me while I am gone".  How ever you'd like to view it, the master basically said "DO SOMETHING WITH IT!"  I'm convinced that if the servant had invested AND lost it, instead of burying it, he would have, at least, been commended by the master for the effort.

In many cases, we are "frozen" from action out of fear and that is the exact opposite of what the Word of God tells us (refer back to 2 Timothy 1:7).  Fear is perhaps manifested in a lack of confidence, or that we might not do it "just" right, or that we will be rejected.  That fear is where the enemy wants us to live ... so that we remain inactive and ineffective.  God is calling His church out and up ... to higher levels from where we are at this time!  He has seated us in Heavenly places and made us royal heirs, let's act like it!

From My Assignment Place ...

Yoke of Exousia: The Abuser and The Abused

So, it's sometimes hard to talk about abuse because there is thinking out there which would have us believe that we have somehow brought it upon ourselves - the association of guilt may keep us from discussing it frankly.  I believe this very teaching is a form of abuse!!  Read on.  There are a variety of categories of abusive tactics:

• emotional/psychological
• sexual
• physical
• financial
• identity

Though there may be instances where we might precipitate abuse (note my qualifying with italics), I believe that it is rarer than "they" would like us to believe.  I personally believe responsibility for abuse rests entirely upon the abuser and not the abused.  When it comes to abuses of authority, I cannot think of a situation which stems from this great fallacy that we brought it upon ourselves (I am open to discuss this further).  In the abuse of authority, it often uses the "identity" tactic listed above.  It can take the form of racism, sexism, or ageism.  It can also be used  in relationship to physical appearance, intelligence, position, etc.  Intimidation is often a tool used in the identity abuse tactic.  Suffice it to say that abuse of any type is wrong.  In the sense of abuse of authority, it taints us and warps the appropriate view and right definition of authority which God has designed into His creation.

As a group, we discussed where we fell on a scale of being under or over someone in authority.  We also rated ourselves on a scale of being an abuser or one being abused within a worldly or spiritual setting.  The discussion was interesting in that many placed themselves as being abused by another (both worldly and spiritually).  Some placed themselves as the worldly abuser, however, most placed themselves in the neutral position on the topic of being a spiritual abuser.  I find this promising ... we'll see, as we continue our journey, how appropriate this ranking is.

We finished out our main group discussion with exposure to the truer definition of what a "servant" is.  According to the Greek (G1401), "A slave, one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another, his will being altogether consumed in the will of the other" (The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament © 1992 by AMG International, Inc. Revised Edition, 1993).  When viewed in a spiritual sense, the "will of the other" is the will of our Lord.  We are NOT everybody's servant, we are the Lord's servant.  However, in service to Him, He commands we serve others - according to His will.  How does this relate to "abuse" and "authority"?  Well, according to 2 Timothy 1:7, when we are intimidated into doing something (or to NOT do something), we need to pay VERY close attention as to who's authority we are serving - another person, or the Lord!  This scripture encourages us to KNOW that we have The Spirit of Power, Love, Self-Discipline.

In His service ...

Yoke of Exousia: Susan and the Centurion

This was a VERY interesting meeting in that we covered quite a bit of material.  Here are the highlights ... we did a case study of Susan Boyle and the various characteristics of her 2009 audition which launched her not only into the limelight, but, radically changed her world.  That change took her on a very tumultuous journey where she suffered an emotional breakdown.  Now, the underlying causes for the breakdown are likely numerous ... suffice it to say, that "something" rocked her world.  Now, back to the case study ...  some of the notable points raised in our case study discussion were:

• She has a God-given talent
• It gives hope (to her and others)
• It had the potential to change her "self-image"
• She could be viewed as an "object"
• She didn't know the outcome

Another person we looked at was the centurion in Matthew 8:5-13.  The notable points from this discussion was that the centurion recognized authority.  How?  Because, he said that he is a man "under" authority and he in authority over others.  Note the order of his own recognition - "under" was first.  He stated that Jesus only had to "speak" the words and his servant would be healed.  Jesus commended the centurion for his belief (v13).

As we continue this season, I encourage you to take the tidbits discovered and hold onto them as we use them to build our understanding on the authority God has given us to be what He designed us to be in His total Redemptive Plan to restore broken relationships with Him.

Until next time ...

Yoke of Exousia: Introduction

This season, Bible: Out Of The Box will be covering elements of the topic "Yoke of Exousia". One definition for the Greek word "exousia" is "authority". We'll be looking into the authority God has given you, the purposes of authority (both what you submit to as well as that which you hold), the abuses of authority, and the discovery and use of your authority. The "yoke" is in your partnership with Jesus as you take on His yoke according to Matthew 11:29. However, we will investigate more deeply what it means to take on the yoke of Jesus - it's more than we think!

Begins Monday, October 1, 2012
6:00pm-7:00pm Dinner
7:00pm-8:30pm Meeting

Update:
Quick update on our discussion for this meeting ... in our introduction we covered understanding the Greek for "exousia" (Strong's G1849).  When looking at the KJV translation, the vast majority of the verses used "power" (nearly 70%) and most of the balance used "authority" (nearly 30%).  When we look at the source of that power/authority, it comes from God (Romans 13:1 and Colossians 1:16).  We then covered the misunderstanding that exists in that some believe that when one has responsibility and authority, that it makes them superior to others.  In other words, authority = superiority.  This is patently wrong.  Finally, we viewed a YouTube video of Susan Boyle and her 2009 audition on Britain's Got Talent.  We'll be doing a "case study" on Susan and her experience.


Blessings!!