That is the question...
Tuesday night I attended a French-speaking small group of a bilingual (Swiss German/English 🤔 ) church I've visited a couple of times. It's so wonderful to be able to communicate with foreigners in a country where I don't speak the language. I admit that I was super thankful I've been watching some French news and tv as it's been over a decade since I've lived in France and quite the while since I've been immersed even in a conversational French setting.
Tuesday night I attended a French-speaking small group of a bilingual (Swiss German/English 🤔 ) church I've visited a couple of times. It's so wonderful to be able to communicate with foreigners in a country where I don't speak the language. I admit that I was super thankful I've been watching some French news and tv as it's been over a decade since I've lived in France and quite the while since I've been immersed even in a conversational French setting.
There was a time of open sharing about what the Lord has been speaking to us through His Word. A girl in the group shared how that morning she opened to Esther, a book she's not currently reading, and what spoke to her was how Vashti's lack of respect and submission to her husband had the potential to affect the entire society and how we must realize that our actions also influence those around us. (I realize this passage can be looked at in different ways, and some would argue is not at all a Biblical picture of the wife's role of submission to her husband). But this is what she shared.
And I did think it was interesting how it matched with what I had read that morning. My Bible Study group is studying Ephesians, and right now we just happen to be in Ephesians 5 which very clearly is on the Biblical principle and commandment for wives to submit to their husbands. Easy for the single girl to write about, right? (Don't worry, I have my own situations that require submission and constantly confront me with my sin nature which would like to rule rather than letting Christ!). But something stood out to me that normally doesn't: verse 24.
"Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives
should submit in everything to their husbands."
And the question that popped into my head was, "How are we doing, Church?" As a body, are we submitting to Him? It seems that more and more we see churches who are resisting and rejecting Christ's teaching and His position of authority. The Church is the Bride; so, when the Church fails to submit to her Husband, what example is that to the world?
The group leader made the connection between what each of us shared and how important it is for us to consider what messages we give to the world around us as Christians. And I would add, in fear and trembling, that we say a lot by how we treat those in authority that we are called to submit to.
As if to really drive the message home, during a time of prayer at the end, the girl who had read Esther prayed that I would be submissive to the Lord and His will. It surprised me a bit since the message I received felt more like a call and prayer for the Church at large to honor and respect Jesus as our Lord and Master; but I'm thankful and appreciate how she personally applied it to me since, after all, I'm the one God was speaking to about this. Plus, I am a part of the Church and should be examining myself in how I am submitting to Christ both in my relationship with Him and in my relationship with others.
As the Lenten season (time leading up to Easter) tends to be a time of introspection for the sake of prayer and cleansing, may we all have ears to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us as individuals and as the Church so that we will be ready when our Bridegroom returns for us. And may we have hearts that yield and make way for the opinions and decisions of those with authority He has placed in our lives that may be different than we think or want. Lord, have mercy upon us.
