I have been rereading Bill Hull’s Choose the Life and once again I am stirred even more toward pursuing a life that “embraces discipleship” and disciple-making.
One particular paragraph caught my attention this week. It reminded me of Paul’s exhortation to the church: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5.21). The foundation on which mutual submission is built is the believers’ devotion to Christ as Lord. That is, submission to one another is a natural outcome of our submission to Christ. But how should this mutual submission look like? What happens in a community of Christ-followers when there is reciprocal submission?
Writing about the submissive life, Bill Hull paints one helpful picture of its practice in the church. I believe it’s worth pondering upon:
Humble people who are willing to submit to one another’s strengths can learn to truly love and protect each other. We can be trained to think of others as gifts from God who can contribute based on how God made them and called them without requiring them to be good at many other things. In fact we might learn to say, “George is really good at organization, and we thank God for him. We don’t expect him to lead or to understand much about counseling or small groups. That is the way we treat each other around here. We all do what we can do and don’t expect more than God does out of any person. We find people who are called and gifted for those other areas and celebrate that they can do that.”
For me, the phrase “submit to one another’s strengths” stands out. It’s not a matter of who’s better or more important. It’s about truly being the body of Christ where each part does its work, and every other part allows the other to do what they do best. For example, I would not dare “take charge” of the running of a kitchen when preparations for a church banquet are in progress. In this situation, if I still am to be involved in that particular undertaking, my proper ministry is to submit to the one who has the expertise. I listen to his or her instructions, and I do as I am told. And that may involve simply chopping onions, washing utensils, or the like. I may be the pastor, the lead officer of the church, but the kitchen is not my “domain.” The cook is the one who will take the lead.
I call this the ministry of submission. When we learn to submit to each other’s strengths, it frees everyone to do their best in their God-given ministry. All to the glory of God.
—Keith Y. Jainga