Submission

Submission. Just the thought is enough to get the skin crawling and the mouth revved up for an instant rebuttal. If it was not such a long word, it would be a 4 letter word for sure, especially in this day and age. Again, this trait is entirely unnatural and is yet an expectation for those serving in the church context.

Actually, if we think about it, we submit every day of our lives without any question and are each time happier for it. We submit to the laws of the land, and are rewarded by not getting a ticket or being imprisoned. We submit to the demands of our bodies and enjoy 3 meals a day and a good night sleep. We submit to our employers who set out schedules and rules. We abide, we get paid!

So, why is it that it is hard to submit to an idea behind the kit that comes from a non-drummer? Why is it hard to submit to a kind request for volume reduction from a sound engineer? “What do you mean I should wear pants instead of bermuda shorts on stage!?”

Submission speaks of order more than anything. It speaks of how God wants His house to be run. It speaks about an example to the watching world of how we can lovingly respect each other’s boundaries, convictions and enforcements. My learning to submit myself, my decision to do that, marks a maturity that is tangibly enjoyed by all the other members of the worship team. And really, we are all under one authority right? I am reminded of the centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus offered to come and heal and the centurion stopped him saying, “For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it." (Matthew 8:9) The point the centurion was making was that Jesus was the authority, even over sickness, and He has given place, authority, position in the church. Ours is to recognize, honor and submit, ultimately to His authority as an outward sign and proof of our love for Jesus Christ.

II Peter 2:13-16
“Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men-- as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.”

Blessings,
Frank