NEW TESTAMENT READING PLAN: Ephesians 1-3
SCRIPTURE READING
Titus 3:1-2 (NIV); Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient,
to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate,
and to show true humility toward all men.
Part of listening prayer and listening to godly council includes respecting the authority
of our leaders. The wonderful truth that we can hear from God directly has led many to
an extreme idea that they don’t need human leadership. But again, we must remember
that we have a “me-filter” and that God often gives us only partial revelation of His will.
Therefore we are not released to hastily say or believe everything we think is from God.
God works through His delegated authorities. Did you catch that? God DELEGATES
authority and USES them to help us! God will not tell you to undermine the very order
He has established. In fact, if God’s going to bring something to the church, He will do
it through the leadership. Pride, and a lack of trust in God, is what leads us to scurry
around challenging the church leadership and planting our own ideas into the heads of
anyone who will listen. But God is sovereign and has His own timetable. He will not tell you
something so that you can sow seeds of dissention in His church. And in the cases where
God reveals something true and prophetic to you about the direction of the church, He
does so that you may be spurred on to pray. And remember these things: If it is really God
speaking to me, then He can speak to leadership too; if leadership refuses to get it, God
can remove people from leadership without my help; and if the problem is me, God can
remove me too.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Confess negative thoughts and words towards church leadership. Ask God to show you
where you offenses lie.
2. Have you sensed God telling you something about church leadership, teaching or
direction? What have you done with this information? Make a commitment to God that you
will remain silent and humble, and speak positively of the church, that you’ll trust Him to
reveal truth, and that you will pray for the church.
3. Meditate on Titus 1:2-3. How can you bless your church, ministry or cell leaders this
week?
