City Life Starter

By Heather Mattingly

The WORD:

Genesis 2:7, 15

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being……Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”

Genesis 2:18

“And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to Him.”

John 20:22-23

“….[Jesus] breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”

Today, let’s discuss the gift of authority, particularly authority as it is given to men. Authority is indeed a gift. It is a God-given gift; authority was God’s idea. We see this beautifully illustrated in the Trinity. God the Son, while equal with God the Father, walked this earth in full submission to God the Father (Phil 2:3-11), and the Holy Spirit empowers and enacts this submission. As missionary and author Elisabeth Elliot said, (yes, this wouldn’t be a contribution from me without a quote from Elisabeth Elliot!):

“The opposite of chaos is peace.

There can be no peace without order,

and there can be no order without authority.”

The Bible says that the Lord God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being (Gen. 2:7). Then, God gave man purpose – He gave him work to do. And then, God gave him a helper, an “ezer” (which in Hebrew means “help, succor, one who helps”) to come alongside him so they both could accomplish God’s purpose together. And then, the Fall. The woman was the one who ate, and God knew that but who did He question? The Bible says that “…the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (Gen. 3:9).

I am so grateful to be a woman. Men, you will be accountable to God for the responsibility and the authority He’s given you in your homes (and outside your homes). What a high and honorable responsibility and calling that is. Ladies, we are accountable to God for how we submit to the authority He gives to us and places over us. When we are standing before God, this is what we will answer for.

We also see Jesus bringing us back to the beginning, even and especially in this issue of authority: John 20:22 says that “….[Jesus] breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” Hmmm…this seems quite similar to the creation account we just read in Genesis 2:7, right? (“…the Lord God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.”). These two accounts seem similar because they are similar. Jesus did not come to make us better, He came to make us new – and that means going back to the beginning and starting again! He breathed His Holy Spirit – THE “breath of life” – on us, and we came to life! Think of it: a re-enactment of God bringing the first man to life happened to you when you said yes to Him. He brought you to life! Not merely physical life (“bios”), but spiritual life (“zoe”)!  And immediately, just like in the creation account in Genesis, Jesus gave His disciples a purpose and authority to accomplish His purpose: to set others free and be ministers of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-19).

What a calling, what an honor, and what a responsibility! There is no room for competition with a calling such as this – the highest calling! There is also no room for competition in the midst of true love such as this – a love that desires to bring the dead to life. Let us each as men and women embrace our roles and keep advancing His kingdom together.

Letter to Men:

Dear Men of God,

We (your sisters in the Lord) see you. We see you fighting for what is right, and we see you standing tall for Jesus. We see you protecting and providing and running after God yourselves. Thank you for fighting; thank you for striving to be all the man God made you to be. Thank you for turning your back on what the world says a man is, and thank you for turning to God to tell you who you are. Thank you for letting us see you on your knees – where you are the tallest and strongest and thank you for making it easy to submit to you. We are for you. We want to help you, and we want to come alongside you and be your “ezer” to glorify God and be a visible image of the invisible reality to the dying world around us – that men and women are not competitors, but complements – that both are good, and both are made in His image and are a reflection of His glory. Keep fighting.

We are for you,

Your sisters in the Lord.

Prayer:

“Thank you, Father, for making me. Please show me how to be all the man [or woman] You made me to be today. Thank You for Your gift of authority. Will you also show me how to glorify You in this gift today? Holy Spirit, please empower me to either walk in authority like You did, Jesus – by washing my followers’ feet, or please empower me to submit to the authority You have placed over me. I need You; please help me. Amen.”