HEALTHY AUTHORITY

SUCCESSFUL TEAMS Part III

My home felt safe when I was a little girl growing up in Cape Town, South Africa.

It was a place of peace with lots of light, action, noise, and pets. There was good food, friends and family visiting frequently, music playing, and different sport activities. Outside were beautiful plants, fruit trees, and lots of room to play. My parents worked hard; mom at home and dad at his job. We were not wealthy or perfect by any means, but to me we were.

I assumed all homes were like mine until I was old enough to visit neighborhood friends after school. I made the startling discovery that all homes did not function like mine. Some were dark and quiet; others had parents who worked with kids fending for themselves. Some friends had strange parents who said things I didn’t understand and had expectations, restrictions, and behaviors that were foreign to me. One friend’s dad died in a car accident that left her mom and five kids drowning in grief. Another friend who lived a couple of blocks away, told me the man with her mom was not her dad, while someone else’s dad decided to leave his family for another woman. My one friend was the only child. Her house was polar-opposite from mine: peaceful and quiet, with every toy imaginable … and lots of candy.

Mature understanding about different dynamics in different homes came to me later in life, such as realizing the horrible torment from depression the mother of one of my friends suffered all her life.

I now understand the significance of how each home’s atmosphere is set by those in authority. Whether easy-going and free, cold and stark, healthy or unhealthy, those in charge with power and authority are responsible for the felt rule or mood in each home.

Teams are similar to homes in that they function in the authority structure set by those in power that creates a unique atmosphere and a set of rules to submit to. Teams are different from homes, however, in that those under authority are mostly there by choice.

HEALTHY AUTHORITY

Secret #3

Submitting to and accepting the given authority in any team is crucial for the success of the team and its members. It is therefore imperative that each team member makes wise judgments about the nature and health of the authority structure to which they submit. Once on a team, authority needs to be respected and defended with loyalty and determination.

What is healthy authority? How do I recognize it? Why is it important?

The Bible teaches that all authority belongs to God. All power is in God’s hands, no power exists beside His, and all other power has been given or delegated. It is an extreme view but the biblical one. God is all-powerful, the Beginning and the End, the Giver of all life, the One who holds all things together with the power of His might, reigning over all the earth and creation.

Authority originates from a position of power, a legal right, and a kingdom. Two kingdoms are operational in the age we live in: God’s kingdom and the kingdom of this world. Power was released to Satan by God after the fall of man. God has not decreed any changes since.

Jesus said that all authority had been given to Him by God to bring people back into relationship with God. Jesus then released that authority to us as believers to triumph over evil on earth. We can’t extinguish evil and the authority evil has been given on earth, but we have the power to live above it by choosing to live in and according to the kingdom of God here on earth.

Volumes have been written and spoken about who is in charge, what it looks like, and the implications of authority in everyday life, but let’s take a shortcut to how Jesus addressed it with His team of disciples when the topic presented itself.

Jesus’ disciples functioned under His authority that manifested with great power through the miracles, signs, and wonders He performed. Jesus had a massive following, was famous, the name on everyone’s lips at the time, and the King who came to save the world. His mission was misunderstood as one connected to an earthly kingdom, which created a jockeying for positions of authority amongst His disciples. They sized each other up in speculation about who was the greatest. Again, not much has changed.

The mother of two of Jesus’ disciples couldn’t hold it back any longer and approached Jesus about positions of authority for her sons in the kingdom some expected to be established on earth at that time.

Matthew 20:20-28 NKJV

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

And He said to her, “What do you wish?”

She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”

But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

They said to Him, “We are able.”

So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with, but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.

But Jesus called them to Himself and said,

but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.

And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

A MATTHEW 20 UNDERSTANDING OF AUTHORITY

1. People desire positions of authority and power: they are attractive and instinctive to human beings.

2. People mostly misunderstand the cost involved to fill positions of authority. With power comes weight—to whom much is given much is required. The price of the gift of power in Jesus’ name is steep.

3. No one can escape the sacrifice that authority requires.

4. God alone delegates authority in His kingdom. Jesus functioned under delegated authority and was a follower first. He did nothing out of His own but in followship to God.

5. The rest of the team resented those who asked for power because most people want power while few enjoy being under it.

6. Authority in God’s kingdom requires servanthood first and always—to God and others. God needs second chairs as well, those ready to serve under others in serving Him.

7. To be first in God’s kingdom requires being a slave to those under your authority, watching out for their wellbeing above all.

His power comes into play when we do life God’s way in our world causing favor, miracles, and supernatural interventions that bring success in the toughest circumstances. God’s word always wins. It may not feel or look that way at first, but in due time will bring honor, value, and success without fail.

Jesus came humbly, but He won. He achieved His purpose. He finished His assignment. No one could stop Him, yet they tried. No one could fool Him, yet they conspired.

In God’s kingdom it is about serving, dying, giving, and leading by example in delegated authority, not by telling others where to go. It is a dangerous yet brave walk to walk ahead of others. The tip of the arrow goes first, engages first, feels the impact first, and so makes way for those who follow.

The position of authority comes at a price. When we offer ourselves to be used of God, we do not get to pick and choose the cup we drink from. We drink the cup of the one we sit next to, and the one who wants to sit next to us will drink the cup we have to drink. When we sit at the table, we eat from the table everyone eats from and drink from the cup the others drink from. This revelation puzzles the mind, but in my lifetime of building teams, it has proven to be the absolute truth.

ONE MORE LOOK AT JESUS' EXAMPLE

He walked in complete obedience to His Father.

He was seen and considered as weak at times.

He accomplished His unique assignment.

He was confident and undeterred in His mission.

He is the greatest leader and example of exercising healthy authority of all times.

OPTIONAL PERSONAL ASSESSMENT

How healthy is the authority you accept, tolerate, and implement according to the teachings of Jesus?

Jot down the numbers of the statements that represent Jesus' teaching on authority:

1. Jesus Christ is our example without exception, in our homes, at our jobs, and in our businesses.

2. We have to act in our own interest to reach our goals and succeed in life.

3. As a leader with authority, others should follow us because we have titles and positions.

4. Some people are followers, while others are born leaders and do not have to follow anyone.

5. Everyone has to choose between serving people and leading in authority; it is not possible to do both simultaniously.

6. Those in authority should make it clear that they are superior and in charge at all times in order to be successful.

7. Winning is important in life, so at times we all have to do whatever it takes to win.

8. Those in authority do not have to clarify whom they serve as it will diminish their power.

9. Authority is granted and leaders should be willing to release power when things change.

10. Pulling strings or dropping names are unavoidable to those in authority to achieve their goals.

11. Leaders can’t always look out for others; helping someone here and there is sufficient good.

12. Those in authority should always look ahead and plan how to get more power in the future.

13. Leaders have to pay a price in staying faithful to the one granting them their authority.

14. Those in authority should not require followers to go where they won’t go.

15. It is necessary to make sure followers understand your power as a leader.

16. Using positions of authority for personal advancement is a part of the perks of leadership.

17. Pleasing God is the highest good for anyone that is a follower of Christ.

18. Leaders deserve to get the praise for what their followers accomplish.

19. Too much praise for those under authority will only make them rebellious, so should be limited.

20. Leaders should be willing to take the hit to protect those under their authority.

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