Is alle persone in gesagsposisies deur God aangestel?

(Verskoon die Engels en Afrikaans deurmekaar in hierdie blog)

“All authority is appointed by God” -  Dit is deesdae ‘n gewilde stelling in kerk-kringe mbt leierskap in die kerk, nav die manier waarop Romeine 13:1 vir ons vertaal is in die Engels en Afrikaanse vertalings van die Bybel wat ons lees. Maar is dit regtig wat die teks in die oorspronklike Grieks beteken? Is alle persone wat in posisies van gesag en leierskap is, deur God aangestel? Was Adolf Hitler appointed by God? How about Joseph Stalin? Mao Tse-Tung? Robert Mugabe? Idi Amin Dada? How about all the leaders of church sects, some who don’t even acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the risen Son of God and part of the God-head? So, who is appointed by God, and who not? 

Ek wil graag deel oor wat ek uitsluitlik in die Skrif hieroor sien. As ons wil weet wat die Woord van God sê oor enige, maar veral ‘n kontroversiële onderwerp, is dit belangrik dat ons die oorspronklike teks bestudeer, en nie slegs staatmaak op iemand anders se vertaling daarvan nie. 

Eerstens kyk ons na die aanstelling van leiers in die kerk van Christus (ek het ‘n semester van Griekse studie agter die blad en ek het ook die hulp van ‘n Grieks-Engels liniêre verklarende woordeboek):

As ons kyk na wat Paulus vir Titus (Titus 1:5-9) geskryf het oor hoe om leiers te kies, “…I have left you behind in Crete so that you put in order the things needed and so that you appoint elders from town to town…”. Hierdie woord “you appoint” (Grieks “katastysys”) beteken “to assign to someone a position of authority over others”. Die woord “elder” (presbuteros) beteken “a person of responsibility and authority in matters of socio-religious concerns, both in Jewish and Christian societies”. “Elder” beteken ook “ouer persoon”. Verder sê hy “if someone is without accusation, husband of one wife, having trustworthy children… because the church leader as manager of God must be without accusation, not arrogant, not quick tempered, not a drunkard, not a bully, not shamefully greedy…. So that he may be able indeed to encourage by sound teaching”. (Kommentaar oor die “vrou en kinders”: Paulus was ook ongetroud en het geen kinders gehad waarvan ons weet nie, so ek glo dat die werklike saak van belang hier is om in goeie verhoudings te wees met die mense rondom jou en jou basiese verantwoordelikhede as volwasse man of vrou na te kom.) 

As ons kyk na Hand 14:20 “then having appointed for them elders from church to church, having prayed with fastings, they entrusted them to the Lord…” dan beteken “having appointed” (Grieks “geirotoneow”) hier “to appoint or assign someone to a particular task / to choose or select, presumably by a group and possibly by the actual raising of the hand”. Maar wat meer belangrik is om hier te sien, is dat die apostels gevas en bid het voordat hulle iemand aangestel het as “elder”!

In Hand 13:2-3 “… and while they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said ‘appoint then for me Barnabas and Saul for the work for which I have called them’, then having fasted and having prayed and having laid their hands on them they sent them off” Die woord ‘appoint’ is hier (Grieks “aforisate”) wat beteken “to set aside a person for a particular task or function”.

 

Dit is dus duidelik dat drie skrifgedeeltes waar die Griekse woorde verskil (katastysys, geirotoneow, aforisate) is net een Engelse woord vir elkeen gebruik, naamlik “appoint”. Om iemand te “appoint” as “elder” of vir ‘n spesifieke taak in die liggaam van Christus, is dus nie ‘n eenvoudige taak nie, en ‘n aksie wat beslis moet gepaard gaan met vas en bid. Net omdat iemand opleiding gekry het en ‘n sterk natuurlike leier is, beteken nie dat dit outomaties die Here se keuse is om ‘n groep geestelik te lei nie. Ek self wil ook glad nie in ‘n posisie wees as die Heilige Gees nie self vir my leiers gesê het dat ek in daardie posisie aangestel moet word nie. Ek sal met vrymoedigheid ‘n groep lei as ek weet die Here self wil my daar hê, want dan weet ek dat Hy my sal lei, sal Hy my broodjies en vissies vermeerder en wonderwerke doen met dit wat ek het om te gee. 

Tweedens kyk ons na die aanstelling van leiers van lande:

Die bekende Romeine 13:1 word verskillend vertaal, maar bv in die NLT is dit “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.”

In my Grieks-Engels liniêre Bybel is dit as volg: “let every person submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except under God (hupo theou) and those existing are established (tetagmenai) by God (hupo theou)”

Sien hier dat die woord tetagmenai nie dieselfde is as enige van die ander woorde wat vertaal word “appoint” nie. Hierdie woord word in verskillende vertalings vertaal as o.a. “placed there; instituted; appointed; established; ordained; set up”. My Griekse woordeboek sê dit beteken “to cause someone to be in a state involving an order or arrangment” wat heel verskil van die vorige drie Griekse woorde wat as “appoint” vertaal is. Hupo theou beteken streng gesproke “under God”. Daarom kan ons hierdie sin vertaal as “for there is no authority except under God and those exisiting are caused to be in that order of arrangment under God”. 

Hierdie gedeelte in Romeine 13 volg op die konteks van Romeine 12 waar Paulus vir ons leer hoe om teenoor ons vyande op te tree. Romeine handel dus ook oor hoe ons optree teenoor mense in die wêreld waarin ons leef, en hier spesifiek in sekulêre leiersposisies. Paulus sê in werklikheid vir hulle “onthou, God is nog altyd die hoogste gesag, maak nie saak wie as leier heers in die land nie”.  Alhoewel God toelaat (nie “appoint” nie) dat leiers deur mense in hul posisies aangestel word, is die leier nogsteeds onder God, want God sal altyd die hoogste gesag wees. God respekteer die mens se vrye wil – God laat ‘n land se mense toe om hulle leiers te kies. (Ek het na die Amerikaanse verkiesing gehoor iemand getuig dat, toe hy vir God vra wie sy keuse as president is, God geantwoord het “I am giving them the president that they want”). Dit is verder vanuit Rom 13:3 duidelik dat Paulus van ‘n spesifieke konteks gepraat het. Hy sê “because the rulers are not a source of fear to good work, but to evil work. Now if you want not to fear the authority, do good, and you will have praise from it”. Die leiers van wie Paulus praat is leiers wat ons nie hoef te vrees solank as wat ons goeie dade doen nie. Die idee wat oorgebring word, is dat God nogsteeds die hoogste gesag bo daardie regeerders is, en as ons onderdanig is aan goeie leiers wat goeie werke prys, dan is ons onderdanig aan God. Paulus sê vir die Christene in Rome dat hulle onderdanig moet wees aan hulle leiers asof hulle onderdanig is aan God self. En die wat, volgens die konteks, goeie leiers teëstaan, weerstaan in werklikheid vir God self. Ter wille daarvan om die karakter van Jesus aan die wêreld te wys, moet ons dus onderdanig wees aan wêreldse leiers (sover as wat hulle nie mense vervolg vir die goeie dinge wat hulle doen nie) sodat hulle Jesus in ons kan sien. Dieselfde idee word oorgedra wanneer Paulus sê “doen alles asof julle dit vir die Here doen” (Kol 3:23). Dit gaan oor ons hartsgesindheid en die beeld van Jesus wat ons wys vir die wêreld. In hierdie geval het Paulus met slawe gepraat, oor hoe hulle optree teenoor hulle eienaars. Die idee was om deur hul optrede teenoor hul ongelowige eienaars die Jesus-beeld uit te dra. Paulus het glad nie slawerny goedgepraat nie. Dit was nie slawerny wat in fokus was nie, maar hoe ons leef in die wêreld waarin ons onsself bevind. Paulus sou ook nie slegte leiers goedpraat nie. 

 

Ons kan dus nie sê dat Adolf Hitler ‘n aanstelling van God is nie. God laat bose regeerders toe wanneer die mense self daardie regeerders kies, maar dis nie God wat hulle aanstel nie! Ons weet ook dat Hitler en baie ander regeerders was beslis “a source of fear to good work”. Enige iemand wat die Jode wou help (good work), het in die moeilikheid gekom, is vervolg en baie maal doodgemaak! Paulus moedig ons dus aan om onderdanig te wees aan sekulêre leierskap sover as wat hulle “not a source of fear to good work” is nie. So nie, dan sal ons moes sê dat die Duitste prediker Dietrich Bonhoeffer God se gesag deur Hitler teëgestaan het deur as spioen te werk in verset teen die Duitse regering. Ons sou moes gesê het dat dit ‘n goeie ding is dat hy gehang is 8 dae voor die einde van die Tweede Wêreld oorlog! Ons moet ons verstand gebruik en die Griekse teks raadpleeg as iets in ons Engelse/Afrikaanse vertalings net nie sin maak nie. Ons kan nie vir mense vertel Hitler is deur God aangestel nie. 

Die punt is, ons kan glad nie die gedeelte in Romeine 13 gebruik om vir mense te vertel “elke persoon in leierskap is deur God aangestel en dat ons altyd moet submit, anders is ons gekant teen God en in rebellie” nie. Dit is manipulasie en misbruik van die Skrif. Hierdie lering het al tot baie pyn en lyding gelei in die kerk van Christus, terwyl liefde by die deur uitgewaai het. Submission to true Holy Spirit directed authority is belangrik. Maar uit Paulus se woorde in Titus en die voorbeelde in Handelinge, ontvang ons riglyne om onder leiding van Heilige Gees, self “elders” in die kerk te kies. As daar riglyne is sodat ons wyse Heilige Gees geleide aanstellings kan maak, dan is dit natuurlik ook waar dat onwyse aanstellings gemaak kan word. Nie elke persoon wat in ‘n leiersposisie in enige kerk aangestel word, is deur God self daar geplaas nie. As dit so was, het ons nie so baie probleme gehad nie. Dis ons mense wat hulle daar plaas, en as ons onwyse besluite maak, sonder om die Heilige Gees te raadpleeg (deur te vas en te bid), en net op grond van mense se goeie “performance”, dan moet ons probleme in die kerk verwag. Nie alle probleme in die kerk is mense wat “offence” vat of in rebellie is nie. 

Die ander probleem met die lering oor authority and submission in die kerk, is die vrees wat ingeburger word by mense deur aan te haal uit 1 Samuel 15:23. Mense word vertel dat as hulle nie in “submission” is nie, dan is hulle in rebellie, en “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft”. Maar as ons een sin verder lees, dan staan daar “Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king”. Die vraag is nou, of elke opdrag wat ‘n persoon in leierskap vir iemand gee, die Woord van die Here is, veral as leiers in posisies is waar hulle nie veronderstel is om te wees nie. Ek dink ons moet bitter bitter versigtig wees voordat ons hierdie versie vir iemand kwoteer wat nie na ons sin gehoorsaam is en na ons sin optree nie. Dit is suiwer manipulasie. Terwyl ons soms besig is “with our own mission, and not necessarily with the Father’s mission”, het dit te maklik geword om Skrif te gebruik om mense te beheer en te manipuleer. Ek weet daar word ook gesê dat, “as die leier ‘n fout maak, sal hy self daarvoor verantwoording doen voor God. God sal nie die persoon wat in submission is verantwoordelik hou vir iets wat die leier gesê het hy moet doen nie.” En so stel ons die mense gerus dat hulle maar net kan submit en al die gevolge aan die leiers oorlaat. As leiers weet dat al die opdragte wat hulle vir mense gee, die wil van die Here is (wat dit kan wees as hulle die hart van die Vader ken en sy stem mooi hoor), dan gaan hulle nie verkeerde opdragte vir die mense gee nie, en dus hoef hulle nie mense deur vrees in submission te hou met 1 Sam 15:23 nie. Mense moet die vrymoedigheid geleer word om vir hulself te dink in die kerk, en alles te toets teen die Skrif (soos die dissipels in Berea) en teen wat hulle self hoor die Heilige Gees sê vir hulle. Net soos wat leiers verwag dat mense hulle (die leiers se) verhouding met die Heilige Gees vertrou, moet daardie leiers die mense in hulle gemeentes se verhouding met die Heilige Gees kan vertrou, en aan hulle kan leiding gee, sonder om hulle met vrees te probeer beheer! Die wêreld beheer en regeer deur vrees. Die kerk van Christus moet in liefde mense leer en leiding neem deur ‘n voorbeeld te wees. Dit is hoe Jesus dit gedoen het. Hy het niemand gedwing nie, maar was altyd besig om sy dissipels in elke situasie te leer, deur woorde en deur sy voorbeeld. Hy het bv met Judas Iskariot en Petrus ruimte toegelaat vir die natuurlike gevolge van hulle keuses en aksies. Hy het nie die situasie probeer manipuleer nie.  

Soos altyd verwelkom ek vrae en kommentaar. 

Family, happy singles and friendship feasts

The purpose of this article is to share the vision I believe God has given me to start meeting a very real need in the body of Christ. 

Many people in church still don’t have the feeling of family in the spiritual family, the body of Christ. Many only go to church on a Sunday and maybe once during the week to a cell group or a prayer meeting, but feel isolated the rest of the week, whether they are single or married. We often don’t really know the brother or sister that sits next to us in church on a Sunday. We don’t know about their joys and heartaches, or perhaps unmet practical needs they may have, because we don’t fellowship with them other than during the two hours at church on Sunday. Not only do we often not really know our brothers and sisters in Christ, but we don’t realize that some of them feel really lonely, and those who don’t feel lonely often don’t know about it. Even people in marriages sometimes feel really lonely. I firmly believe God wants this to change and He wants us to become like real family, and not only organised religious get-togethers. If we bring back the love-feasts, we create more opportunity and time to become what God desires his children to be – family. 

(Please read my article “Let’s bring back the love-feasts”. This article is in a sense an extension of that article, but with a specific focus on singles in the body of Christ. It is however not only for singles to read, but also for married people, to be aware of the need.) 

Statistics show that many singles in their thirties and older leave church because of unmet fellowship needs. This is a reality which I believe saddens God’s heart so much, because those who leave church, often also stop growing in their relationship with God, being absorbed again in the ways of the world and ultimately not fulfilling his plans and purposes for their lives. And at this age a person already has so much life experience, knowledge and wisdom that they can share with younger people in church. How unfortunate that all that gets lost from the church when a single person leaves.  

God wants happy singles in his kingdom, and He is helping us to get to that place. Happy singles first, and who knows perhaps how many happy marriages later… There are obviously a number of reasons why people are not married. And not all people who are single necessarily want to be married. Some, who had been married before, but not anymore, would like to stay single. Others feel called like the apostle Paul, to ministry as a single person. But all of us need friends and fellowship, with both genders. 

Young people organise themselves in friendships and groups more easily, but the older we get, from say late twenties and onwards, as our friends get married and start having children, it becomes harder for single Christians to make new friends. We have to make more focussed effort. 

Family is very important to God and He doesn’t want any of his children to remain lonely, instead as it is written in Psalm 68:6 “God sets the lonely in families…” God can accomplish great things in his Kingdom with happy singles. And happy singles will very likely stay happy, but not stay single…

I believe God is leading me to facilitate a platform where people can come together to fellowship and make new friends and where many relationship tools, wisdom and advice can be shared. So I have already started an initiative locally where I live, namely friendship feasts, where everyone is invited (married and single), but with the aim that we draw in as many as we can, especially those whom we know have drifted off and away from healthy fellowship in the body. I hope to, over time, inspire and encourage and facilitate the initiative as far and as wide as we can possibly go. 

And this is the vision in a nutshell: 

·         I will take the lead in organising events where Christians can get together to spend quality time with each other, to get to know each other, to form friendships and to fellowship. I will only be the facilitator and anyone may contribute their ideas for events and locations. We want to have lots of table fellowship, but we can also just do fun things together or organise small outreaches.

·         This initiative will initially spread by word of mouth, but I foresee visiting all the churches in my town to introduce it to the leaderships of the churches. The idea is that we organise an event once a month on a Saturday, and keep it affordable for most people. We will call these events “Friendship Feasts” and I have created a whatsapp group where I will add anyone who would like to receive information about these events.

·         In due time I will reveal the full extent of the vision and plan from God, but it will include a web-based platform where, amongst other things, we can talk about relevant topics regarding relationships. 

While still very single at this very moment in my life, I am more at peace, and more content and feel more fulfilled than I have ever been before. And it has nothing to do with my personal circumstances, but everything to do with the fact that I reached a place in my journey and relationship with God where I see and experience the fulfilment of his promises to me. But this could not have happened had I been in isolation and not in fellowship with good friends around me. God wants us to be happy singles before we are happily married.

If you would like to get a little more insight, please read further. I have written the following about three years ago and now expanded it a bit.

1.        Singles can learn how to be happy singles

In our western culture it is often expected of people to be married by a certain age. And if they don’t, it is often assumed that something is wrong, and singles themselves start to believe it as well. But the apostle Paul seems to have placed more value on the single life in the Kingdom than on the married life. There is therefore no reason why singles should feel pressured to get married and nothing wrong with being single. The only thing that is wrong is when singles (including single parents) feel isolated and lonely in the body of Christ. The belief that we need to be married by a certain age and then are not, can rob a person of their joy, increase their sense of loneliness and even be the cause of depression.  Their attention is diverted away from what God wants to accomplish in and through them during the single season of their lives, and focussed on a perceived problem which need not be a problem. Precious emotional energy and time may be wasted in this way. All of this is so unnecessary if we educate singles as well as the rest of the body of Christ to value and to encourage singles to be all that God has called them to be during this season of their lives. Singles need to be treasured and encouraged by the rest of the body, giving them more reason to rejoice always, regardless of how long the season is.

First things first, which is that singles must embrace the command of Jesus to seek the Kingdom first, because then everything we need will be added to us (Matt 6:33). Since I became born again almost 22 years ago, by the grace of God I have never left the body of Christ or turned my back on God. I have sought the Kingdom and pursued relationship with God always. I have lived a full single life until now. Those who know me will know the details. I have an adventurous soul and I have done much and travelled quite a bit. I have sought to fulfil the plans and purposes He had and still have for my life, and because of Him, I have accomplished much (and I believe there is much more to come). But if I had a mentor early on in my life that could encourage me to embrace the single life with joy and helped me to get a good perspective on the value of being single, it would’ve been much better. If someone who had lived a full single life and still got married in her 30’s or 40’s were there to encourage me, I may have done even more in the Kingdom and enjoyed life more. Older, wiser people need to help younger people to have the right perspective on their single status. Single Christians must be taught how to be happy and seeking the Kingdom while their friends get married and start having babies.

2.        Singles in church desire the feeling of family

Apparently in Jewish culture singles are effectively included in the community and singles introduced to one another. Even when they do not get married, their friendship circles just get bigger and they never need to be alone on for e.g. a Friday evening. Unfortunately this is not the case in our modern western culture. But it is actually very easy to help relieve the loneliness that singles often feel, especially those who also live alone in a house or apartment. Married couples with children, i.e. families are often so busy with their own family lives that they don’t notice that other people in church feel lonely. I encourage families to declare Saturdays or Sundays family days, not only for biological family, but for spiritual family. I realize that sometimes a family just needs to spend time alone, and they should. But as soon as they start inviting friends over, they ought to make sure they throw some singles in the mix. I encourage families to, when they arrange get-togethers with their friends, to not only invite other families and married couples, but to make a point of inviting singles as well. There should not be a single person in church who does not spend time with a family in church at least once a week. Singles also want to be invited to a weekend away, or to a braai or a holiday. They will pay for themselves and they will play with the kids (well, they should). We don’t even mind to be the only single between married couples, because we still have a lot to talk about as children of God. It is way better than to sit home alone. And sometimes a single lady just needs a strong arm to throw out a rotten dishwasher or drill a hole in the wall, but they feel awkward to ask. And singles can lend a helping hand to a family (in exchange for only enjoying the feeling of family), but families need to draw them in. Singles need family, but families often don’t realize how much value a single friend can add to their lives. 

3.        Singles need to be taught about courtship and dating.

(Obviously not applicable to those who have no interest in getting married)

We live in a very individualistic society where young people don’t get the advice and protection from their parents as in the Jewish culture. Parents are often too busy taking care of their children’s materialistic needs and often times the spiritual and emotional needs are neglected. Children are raised in Hollywood’s church. All that most young singles have to work with is human instinct, peer pressure, imagination and Hollywood. This is very unhealthy.  

Many churches have marriage preparation courses, but there are hardly courses or seminars on how to be a content single or on courtship and dating. Only once ever did I see an advertisement in church for a seminar titled “single and satisfied”. And this was a few weeks ago. Courses should not be available only to people who are engaged and married. There is a whole lot that need to happen before a couple gets engaged. And a “relationship week” once a year for singles is not enough. 

A few years back I attended an event for singles older than 28 which was organised by a church. There were 100 – 150 singles above 28 years of age in attendance. They had a panel existing of married couples who were available to answer any questions that singles asked them. These type of events need to be organised in every church community. 

I believe that the body of Christ by enlarge is poorly equipped to take care of its singles. If we spend more time on singles, the church will have fewer problems with broken or hurting marriages.

4.        Men and women who receive prophecies about their marriage partners

This is something that happens quite often in church, and if handled incorrectly, it can cause a lot of confusion and pain. People need to be taught and coached on how to treat such a word of prophecy. 

From the very beginning of my life as a born-again believer I received prophetic words about marriage and along the way also about children, so I was in a sense set-up to wait for the fulfilment of those words, and I prayed many prayers with this in focus. Hindsight is 20/20 vision, and only much later did I realise that I could’ve spent the waiting years much more productively. I would’ve waited less and lived even more. So, I believe that a lot of effort must be made to coach Christians in handling prophetic words about marriage with wisdom and to coach young people through the single season of their lives.