By John Thiel

Jesus leads us individually. He gives us heavenly comfort in that appreciation. We may walk with him in a precious intimacy that is unique to our personal self.

The Head of Every Woman

1 Corinthians 11:7 For a man indeed ought not to cover [his] head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. 8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. 9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. 10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on [her] head because of the angels.

As the margin reads, a covering signifying that she is under the power of her husband because of the angels. What have the angels to do with that? It is so the ministering angels will have evidence.

…so that the ministering angels will have evidence that the truth has wrought a change in the life, purifying the soul and refining the tastes. Those who, after receiving the truth, make no change in word or deportment, in dress or surroundings, are living to themselves, not to Christ. They have not been created anew in Christ Jesus, unto purification and holiness. . . . {AH 21.4}

A house that is tidy gives evidence to the angels that the truth has wrought a change in her heart. It is so the ministering angels will have evidence. A woman who has her head covered if she has short hair or long hair, is evidence to the angels that there is submission in the mind of the woman of the order of heaven. The angels are dependent upon us. What do angels do? What are they active in? They are active under the chain of command but what is the actual activity?

Hebrews 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

In our wide reading of the angels, we realise that the angels are serving us to lift us to a position even higher than where they are. They are ministering and as they minister, the observation they make of human beings assists them to minister. This is the concept of what Jesus meant in Matthew 20. In Gods realm of command, those who are in positions along that chain are ministering rather than choleric domineering. The personality assessments in the world are that they categorise you into different personality traits. Choleric is to do with leadership qualities as well as sanguine. They say that people have particular personality traits that they become domineering over.

Matthew 20:25 But Jesus called them [unto him], and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

The angels are minsters. When John the revelator was ready to bow in front of the angel, the angel said don’t do that I am your fellow servant, not choleric or sanguine. The gentile mentality must be completely erased out of our mental exercise in the church but we have been so conditioned that as soon as we have position, there is something inside of us that says now I must have authority over others. I see it around me frequently that someone in position tends to be overbearing upon someone else. That has no room in God’s kingdom. None whatsoever.

When something is not running as we think it should, there may be an error somewhere and we tend to rush in where angels fear to tread. Not even angels do it but we tend to do it. One mind imposing itself upon the mind of another person. Think of how many ways that can happen. One person has his particular way of seeing and the other doesn’t see it that way and the other person thinks they have to impose on the other how they think. It is demonstrated that heaven does not do anything uninvited by anybody. You know so well the language of Revelation 3:20.

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Behold, I. Who is speaking? Jesus. I stand at the door and knock. What does that mean? I’m not going to barge in on you. In him we live and move and have our being but he doesn’t barge in on my own consciousness. He just quietly stands back and sustains us, can I come in? He the ruler and King of kings and Lord of lords does not impose himself on anyone. When Jesus was walking on the road to Emmaus with the disciples, did he say; I’m going to come and visit you today, no he moved on and they invited him in. By that they received the blessing. This is the mentality of heaven. This is the attitude that Gods people should be developing.

Teach every soul to lean heavily on the arm of infinite power. There is an individuality in Christian experience that must be preserved in every human agent, and the responsibility cannot be removed from any soul. Each one has his own battles to fight, his own Christian experience to gain, independent in some respects from any other soul; and God has lessons for each to gain for himself that no other can gain for him.–MS 6, 1889. {2MCP 430.2}

We are to learn and to teach every soul, to lean on God that no one else can infringe upon.

The cause of God is to be free from every taint of injustice. It can gain no advantage by robbing the members of the family of God of their individuality or of their rights. All such practices are abhorrent to God . . . . {ChL 31.1}

One of the very highest applications of these principles is found in the recognition of man’s right to himself, to the control of his own mind, to the stewardship of his talents, the right to receive and to impart the fruit of his own labor. Strength and power will be in our institutions only as in all their connection with their fellow men they recognize these principles, –only as in their dealing they give heed to the instruction of the word of God. {7T 180.2}

As we are heading towards a condition of an entrance into the kingdom of heaven, these things need to be embraced because heaven is like that. It imposes upon no other mind. It gives each mind freedom and space. We say in the world today, stop entering into my space, get out of my space. People feel uncomfortable when others encroach upon their personal space. You feel comfortable in the company of those who leave you alone, free to think and to choose your own path. As soon as someone comes along and says you should be doing that, straight away you don’t like it. You shouldn’t be getting into my space. In him we live and move and have our being. We don’t like anyone getting into my space unless I invite them in. Here we have angels, powerful angels who are commanded to leave us alone. The commanding angels are commanding the other angels, leave them alone. God’s people as they meet the consequence of receiving the outpouring of the latter rain to give the message come out of her my people, when God’s people are sharing this message it will stir up the people and the wicked are turned against them.

Great power was with these chosen ones. Said the angel, “Look ye!” My attention was turned to the wicked, or unbelievers. They were all astir. {EW 272.1}

Soon after they had commenced their earnest cry, the angels, in sympathy, desired to go to their deliverance. {EW 272.2}

Have you ever tried to help someone in trouble and you go to help and they say leave me alone? These angels are in sympathy to these people crying out.

I saw them perplexed; next I heard them crying unto God earnestly. Day and night their cry ceased not: “Thy will, O God, be done! If it can glorify Thy name, make a way of escape for Thy people! Deliver us from the heathen around about us. {EW 272.2}

As they were praying that the angel wanted to help them.

But a tall, commanding angel suffered them not. He said, “The will of God is not yet fulfilled. They must drink of the cup. They must be baptized with the baptism.” {EW 272.2}

Do you and I want to be totally purified and have a place in heaven? Yes we do. Because we want that, we must develop muscle on our own behalf and if the angels came and helped, we wouldn’t be able to develop that. That is the principle of all leadership in the church. The leadership cannot take over another person’s developmental responsibility. No one has the right to impose their mind exercises over another person. Although we have leadership principles, the leadership has no right to dabble over another fellow servant.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel was put in a position of command and it was God who put him there. Just because God puts us in leadership does it mean we can go a step further of what God wants us to do?

Ezekiel 3:16 And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. 18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

Obey them that have the rule over you as they must give account.

Ezekiel 3:19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. 20 Again, When a righteous [man] doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous [man], that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

Some will read this to mean see, I have to go and tell the person. What he is saying is what is written in the new testament. We are to present the Word of God in warning. The Word of God is to warn the people. The minister is not to do the cutting but let the truth cut. That is all that the watchman has a right to do, to present what God has said and to warn the righteous where the sins are. What God is saying? It is then up to the individual. This is what some have been conditioned to expect. They want to be surrounded by the leaders to tell them what to and what to not do. Everyone has an individual responsibility to act on the Word of God after it has been presented. No one can expect to come to that person and say, what are you doing? If there is open sin, we have instruction from God’s Word. If you know someone is going astray, you may say, do you realise what is going on? We don’t encroach upon another person’s space.

Abigail

Abigail came to David who was going to slay her husband and she came along with gifts and she served and she gave him the opportunity not to do that but in such a way that there was no encroachment upon his personal space. Abigail was a perfect counsellor, it was just a serving. There is so much to learn in God’s way of doing things.

The question of religious liberty needs to be clearly comprehended by our people in more ways than one. With outstretched arms men are seeking to steady the ark, and the anger of the Lord is kindled against them because they think that their position entitles them to say what the Lord’s servants shall do and what they shall not do. . . . {UL 227.2}

Every man has an individuality of his own, which is not to be submerged in any other human being. The life of each one must be hid with Christ in God. Men are under God’s control, not under the control of weak, erring human beings. They are to be left free to be guided by the Holy Spirit, not by the fitful, perverse spirit of unsanctified men. . . . {UL 227.4}

Let God be recognized as the supreme Ruler of His heritage. Let every man place himself under His control. Let Him be recognized in all our assemblies, in every business meeting, every council, every committee. He sees all that is done, and hears all that is said. {UL 227.5}

“Thou God seest me” (Genesis 16:13). Let these words be kept ever in mind. They will be a safeguard against imprudent, passionate speeches, against all desire to domineer. They will repress words that should never be spoken, and resolutions that men have no right to make–resolutions that restrict the liberty of human beings. . . . {UL 227.6}

When we wake up to this we cannot impasssionately have a go at people as this is not part of God’s plan. We want to understand what it is in committees that men have no right to make.

God calls upon men to act under His supervision, to accept His standard, to take all their decisions and plans to Him for approval. His holiness, His justice, is to keep them from unprincipled actions. . . . {UL 227.7}

That’s where the governing force is to come from. We need to examine closely that in our work in positions and in the chain of command, we follow the principle that the angels follow that the God of heaven himself follows. He comes and he shows, he convinces the soul and the soul functions accordingly. There are so many tangles in today’s experiences that we think we can go into another person’s life yet how do we know where that person is situated? We must put the best construction on any man’s motives. If we engage in this we will be preparing for the society of heaven.

Amen.