Corrupt Leaders : One Thing the Church and State Have in Common
Luke 22:24-27: “And there was also a strife among them (Jesus’ disciples), which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he (Jesus) said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.”
The way of the world is that its leaders typically exercise authority over those under them for their own gain. They thus benefit from their power greatly and in improper ways. Jesus is stating that sad truth here, while also stating that proper Christian leadership cannot be like that.
Yet it should be noted that God’s ways are better than man’s ways. The way that the world typically operates in terms of leadership is ungodly and it does not work as well as the Lord’s way. Society typically would appreciate it though if a leader were to work and get their hands dirty, and make other sacrifices for those under them (that is, if there was credible reason to believe that what they saw was not a publicity stunt). At least in the United States, but in many other nations, leaders in Government are called public servants or something similar. These nations would be much more righteous, as well as much better countries overall, if that were actually the case.
Look at the attitude and way of Joseph before he was put in charge over Egypt.
Genesis 39:20-23: “And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison (and this was because he was falsely accused; he should not have been in the prison anyways). But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it (that is, Joseph was put in charge of everything that was done there). The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him (Joseph), and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.”
Joseph being exalted to rule over Egypt didn’t happen just because he was godly, it was also because true godliness, combined with the wisdom gained by exercising oneself in godliness, actually does work best. Joseph needed to actually rule Egypt to prepare it, and prepare a large part of the world as well, to get through a massive famine.
A person in charge who was expecting others to serve him for his own pleasure and convenience would not have been able to do that effectively like Joseph was able to.
Yet the rulers of earth are typically more scourges of mankind than those who benefit mankind- because they are not typically true servants of those whom they are supposed to be working for. They rather live in luxury and (in this day) are subservient to the international banking cartel and the other oligarchs and lobbying groups which these bankers who control the money supply demand that they listen to. They need to do this to maintain their own exalted position and the perks which come with that. They use their position as a stepping stone and a means to obtain gain for themselves.
This is proven by how the average citizen who works to make a honest living now, among the people whom our leaders are supposed to be representing and serving, is not actually helped by the vast majority of the laws and policies which they implement. This is no surprise; but it is not necessary. The ungodliness of the society is itself a major factor in terms of why the proper criteria of accountability for its leadership on various levels is not properly defined, demanded, and justly enforced.
This corrupt leadership is not limited to the political realm. It is in the religious realm, in churches labeled as Christian, in churches where the Bible is supposed to be the sole authority, and even in churches where the doctrine of the church makes such a claim seem credible on the surface. Even these may have a leader at the helm who is out for his own gain (at least in terms of his reputation and ego if not financially too); a leader who is this exalted figure whom everyone is supposed to practically bow to.
Matthew 23:1-7: “Then spoke Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat (that is, they tell you what the Bible says): All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries (their prayer books), and enlarge the borders of their garments (designated by God as a reminder to keep His commandments, yet enlarged by these as a show for men), And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi (teacher, teacher).”
This rebuke obviously applies anytime the pastor sees the need to be called “pastor” or “teacher.” A true pastor and teacher focuses on being a faithful one, not on being called one. He doesn’t need the title nor does he need to be the center of attention in the church.
And in relation to that, find a church where the pastor’s wife is called the first lady and you’ll see a man leading it whom this rebuke applies to. Find a church where the pastor’s wife is called the first lady, and you’ll find the pastor’s wife (and probably many of the other women in the church) violating the Bible’s commandments related to luxury in dress and status symbols (often in the form of jewelry). Find a church where the pastor’s wife is called the first lady, and you’ve found a church which has chosen to add to the Word of God. Yet those are just some glaring examples. Even though the pastor’s wife is usually not called the first lady, a church could yet practically be a family dynasty and/or a place where certain women are practically set over other certain other men (contrary to the Apostolic principle given in 1 Timothy chapter two that the woman is not to have spiritual authority over the man).
Overall, the ungodly living, the false doctrine, and the man-made traditions which prevail in nearly every church are the evidence of the claim that corrupt leadership abounds in the church just like the injustice, the prevailing of unrighteousness, the bad policies which hurt the common American, and the overall incompetence in our government is proof that corrupt leadership prevails in the American Government. How else could a Government be more concerned about aiding foreign nations and enabling illegal immigrants through the use of the tax dollars taken from its own citizens than actually caring for its own tax-paying citizens and their families?
The rampant corruption in both realms exposes the leadership in both realms as corrupt, with the only possible exceptions being the relatively few in each realm detaching from the rampant corruption, raising their voice against it, and putting their own necks on the line to resist it.
It’s important to see a leader as the one who is most responsible to see that the job gets done and as the one who is responsible for those under him. Obviously, that means those who are under his authority should do their best to get the job done without contradicting the leader’s instructions. They should look out for each other while obeying and serving the leader as he serves the cause and the goals which they (the leadership and those under the leadership) should be working towards. And if a leader seeks to be served by those under him in any other context, then that is corrupt and unrighteous.
Please note what I am definitely not saying here. There is no good reason to think that a Biblical message about how leaders should serve those under them, and not use them for their own benefit, would also be teaching that leaders should let others boss them around in doing their jobs. But I want to emphasize that one need not, and should not, lead to the other. In fact, a covetous leader who is seeking to unrighteously use those under his leadership would be the most likely to take bribes to influence his decisions. Such a leader would also be among the most likely to back away from conflict to preserve himself (and I mean conflict which a leader needs to face and fight in to be faithful to his charge and do his duties as he ought to).
And though every politician, as well as church leader, claims to be brave in doing their duty, the fact that many don’t fight for truth when their own neck is on the line is proven by the falsehood, the many other forms of unrighteousness, and the overall incompetence which prevails under their watch. If such hasn’t stemmed from them, then there is still the issue of why they are bearing with it. If they were doing what they can to resist it and set matters straight, you would know. Otherwise, they are no better than Pontius Pilate; and the Bible labels Pilate as an enmity of Christ and assigns guilt to him in the murder of Christ.
Aaron’s email is: [email protected]
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