We should not talk about authority in a human, natural way. In the church there is no human authority. The authority in the church is the throne above the clear sky.
Suppose the leading brothers or the elders in a local church are not under a clear sky, yet they exercise authority based on their position. This kind of exercise of authority does not work because it has no weight and no ruling; there is no throne in a clear sky. However, suppose the leading ones and the elders are continually under a clear sky, having a conscience that is pure and void of offense. If this is their situation, they will be under the heavenly throne, and with them there will be something weighty and something of authority. Thus, there will be no need for them to claim authority over the saints.
To claim authority over the saints indicates that one does not have any authority. As long as we are under a clear sky with a throne above it, there is no need for us to claim to have authority—the authority is simply there. We should never try to bring others under our authority. Such a thing is a hierarchy; it is something of organization. We should not try to rule over the saints. Instead, we should humble ourselves and remain under the throne in the clear sky.
It is shameful for anyone to claim to be the authority in a local church. There is no such thing! In the church there is no human authority. The Lord Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you shall be your slave” (Matt. 20:25-27). In Matthew 23:11 He said, “The greatest among you shall be your servant.” This is the way to have authority. The authority is not mine nor yours nor others’. The only authority is the throne above a clear sky.
I can assure you that if we are under a clear sky with the throne above it, the genuine authority will be with us. No opposition or persecution will be able to defeat us or shake us because heaven and the throne are with us. If the sky above us is clear and the throne is with us, we will have the authority and the weight.
The weight of a person before God is equal to the degree of that person’s subjection to God’s authority. A particular brother may be quite proper in his speaking and behavior, but he is light as a feather, altogether lacking in spiritual weight. This indicates that he is not subject to the throne. However, the situation with another brother may be very different. When you contact him, you sense that he is weighty and you respect him. This brother is weighty because he has learned to subject Himself to God’s authority. The more we submit to the throne, the weightier we will be.
Let me tell you about the experience of a female missionary in China. As one who preached strongly concerning regeneration, she was under God’s authority and thereby was a person with authority and weight in the Lord. One day a boat on which she was traveling was seized by pirates, who retained control of the vessel for several days. As they searched her room for money and jewels, she sat there calmly, without any fear. She told the leader of the pirates that it was too hot to confine the passengers to their rooms. She also told him that he should be responsible for cleaning the boat. The leader of the pirates obeyed her and told his men to clean the boat. A ferocious pirate leader came under the authority of this missionary because she herself was under the throne. She subjected herself to God’s authority; therefore, God’s authority was with her.
We need to realize that the amount of weight we have depends on our subjection to the throne. The words out of one brother’s mouth may have weight and power, but the same words out of another brother’s mouth may have nothing. The reason is that one brother is under a clear sky with the throne, but the other is under a dark, cloudy sky without the throne. It is easy to learn to repeat or quote others’ words. But whether the words that issue out of our mouth have weight or amount to nothing depends on whether or not we are under a clear sky with the throne. The proper Christian life and the proper church life is a life under the throne that is above a clear sky.
I would remind all the dear ones who bear responsibility in the local churches never to exercise their authority. We need to realize that none of us has any authority. The authority is the throne. Consider the situation with Moses in the book of Numbers. When the people of Israel rebelled against him, he did not exercise his authority. Instead, Moses and Aaron bowed down and called upon the highest authority. Then the Lord came in to vindicate (Num. 14:5; 16:1-4, 22; 20:2-6). It is a serious mistake to exercise authority over others in the church. Nothing is more shameful than this. To exercise authority over the saints is not glorious—it is shameful. None of us is the authority. The authority is the man on the throne. We must have the man on the throne in our clear sky. In the church life we need a clear sky with a heavenly throne.
The Lord needs such a church today. He needs a group of coordinated living creatures. While they are standing or walking on earth, the heavens are opened to the earth. Through them the heavenly throne is transmitted to earth. This is the church life.
Do not take the natural, human way to exercise any kind of authority. Even if others come to you trying to recognize you as an authority, you must refuse it. You need to tell these ones that you are not the authority. This is not what authority is. Proper authority is a matter of a throne above the clear sky. It is absolutely not a human matter of organization and hierarchy. We need to have a clear sky with a throne.
It is shameful to have power among the saints, to be the authority among the saints, or to intend that the saints should listen to us. We always consider Paul a great apostle. But his name means “little,” and he regarded himself as less than the least of the saints (Eph. 3:8). Paul might say, “You give me too great a title. I am not worthy of that.”