How To Influence Others, Part 3
Submission vs. Resistance
The Bible says in Hebrews 13:17, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief"" The message that the Apostle Paul is giving us here is quite clear: we are to submit entirely to our leaders. Why? Because our leaders are the people who are going to look out for our best interests! It says that, ""they watch for your souls"" This means literally that if we submit to our leaders, our souls (mind, will, and emotions) will be best cared for. Now, notice the phrase, ""that they may do it with joy and not with grief"" This is referring to our leaders in the act of watching out for our souls. What Paul is explaining here is that if we fail to submit to our leaders, then they will be unable to care for us with joy; and consequently, they will be grieved and disappointed in their responsibility of ministering to us.
"Resister" is a modern English word for the Old English word "scorner"; however, resisters are not only scorners, but they can be critical or stubborn people. Proverbs 29:1 says, "He that being often reproved (corrected) hardeneth his neck (resists), shall suddenly be destroyed"" So, we see here that not only will resistance lead to ineffective influence over our leadership, but it will also, sadly, ultimately destroy us"and suddenly at that! Personally speaking, I am always very hard-pressed to promote anyone in the workplace of Reformers Unanimous who demonstrates resistance in their behavior""regardless of how talented they may be.
Obedience vs. Rebellion
You may be wondering what the difference is between obedience and submission. They are, in fact, two entirely different things. To obey means, "To comply with a command" while to submit means, "to yield to a power." By way of illustration, recall the cartoon "Dennis the Menace." I remember seeing an episode where Dennis was commanded by his father to sit down in the corner of the room and be quiet. As he was doing this, a caption materialized above his head that said, "On the outside I"m sitting down, but on the inside, I"m standing up!" This is a classic example of obedience absent of submission. Dennis obeyed his father"s command, but he did not yield to his power""he did not submit! The actual definition for "submission" is as follows: "Acknowledgment of inferiority." I have found that those who do not like this definition typically struggle with submitting to their authority. Now, before you get "up in arms" about the nature of this definition, understand that the word "inferiority" is referring strictly to one"s rank. This is not to say that when we submit we are acknowledging our inferiority to somebody as a person, but rather we are conceding the fact that we are underneath that person in the chain of command, so to speak. So as our last point proves, submission or internal acknowledgement of inferiority of one"s self will better influence your leadership than an internal resistance coupled with external obedience. With that said, obedience will be equally appreciated by those in authority over you. II Corinthians 7:14-15 says, "For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed" (15)"whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all"" This passage clearly shows that Paul is happy to lead and serve these people because they are obedient to his teachings. As a result, the church of Corinth had a great influence upon the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul.
I Samuel 15:23 warns, "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry"" We see here that the Scriptures tell us that rebellion is just like witchcraft. How can this be? Well, witchcraft simply means "to be under the influence of the devil," and when one is rebellious, they are certainly behaving under the influence of the devil. Know also that rebellion, or witchcraft, is different from stubbornness. A person who is rebellious does not intentionally do what is wrong, for they are under the influence of the enemy; however, a stubborn person knows what is right and wrong and chooses to walk contrary to God. Whether one is rebellious or one is stubborn, they will most certainly be equally ineffective at influencing their leaders.
The Bible says in Hebrews 13:17, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief"" The message that the Apostle Paul is giving us here is quite clear: we are to submit entirely to our leaders. Why? Because our leaders are the people who are going to look out for our best interests! It says that, ""they watch for your souls"" This means literally that if we submit to our leaders, our souls (mind, will, and emotions) will be best cared for. Now, notice the phrase, ""that they may do it with joy and not with grief"" This is referring to our leaders in the act of watching out for our souls. What Paul is explaining here is that if we fail to submit to our leaders, then they will be unable to care for us with joy; and consequently, they will be grieved and disappointed in their responsibility of ministering to us.
"Resister" is a modern English word for the Old English word "scorner"; however, resisters are not only scorners, but they can be critical or stubborn people. Proverbs 29:1 says, "He that being often reproved (corrected) hardeneth his neck (resists), shall suddenly be destroyed"" So, we see here that not only will resistance lead to ineffective influence over our leadership, but it will also, sadly, ultimately destroy us"and suddenly at that! Personally speaking, I am always very hard-pressed to promote anyone in the workplace of Reformers Unanimous who demonstrates resistance in their behavior""regardless of how talented they may be.
Obedience vs. Rebellion
You may be wondering what the difference is between obedience and submission. They are, in fact, two entirely different things. To obey means, "To comply with a command" while to submit means, "to yield to a power." By way of illustration, recall the cartoon "Dennis the Menace." I remember seeing an episode where Dennis was commanded by his father to sit down in the corner of the room and be quiet. As he was doing this, a caption materialized above his head that said, "On the outside I"m sitting down, but on the inside, I"m standing up!" This is a classic example of obedience absent of submission. Dennis obeyed his father"s command, but he did not yield to his power""he did not submit! The actual definition for "submission" is as follows: "Acknowledgment of inferiority." I have found that those who do not like this definition typically struggle with submitting to their authority. Now, before you get "up in arms" about the nature of this definition, understand that the word "inferiority" is referring strictly to one"s rank. This is not to say that when we submit we are acknowledging our inferiority to somebody as a person, but rather we are conceding the fact that we are underneath that person in the chain of command, so to speak. So as our last point proves, submission or internal acknowledgement of inferiority of one"s self will better influence your leadership than an internal resistance coupled with external obedience. With that said, obedience will be equally appreciated by those in authority over you. II Corinthians 7:14-15 says, "For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed" (15)"whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all"" This passage clearly shows that Paul is happy to lead and serve these people because they are obedient to his teachings. As a result, the church of Corinth had a great influence upon the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul.
I Samuel 15:23 warns, "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry"" We see here that the Scriptures tell us that rebellion is just like witchcraft. How can this be? Well, witchcraft simply means "to be under the influence of the devil," and when one is rebellious, they are certainly behaving under the influence of the devil. Know also that rebellion, or witchcraft, is different from stubbornness. A person who is rebellious does not intentionally do what is wrong, for they are under the influence of the enemy; however, a stubborn person knows what is right and wrong and chooses to walk contrary to God. Whether one is rebellious or one is stubborn, they will most certainly be equally ineffective at influencing their leaders.
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