THE AUTONOMOUS ZONE. Perhaps you’ve heard of what’s going on in Seattle currently? A group of armed anarchists have taken over six blocks of city in Seattle, calling it their own property and pushing out the city’s protectors. However, these did not build anything nor use any of their own resources, but continue to live off the city’s resources and citizens. Quick lesson: Autonomous describes things that function separately or independently.
The corresponding noun is autonomy, referring to the state of existing or functioning independently. Autonomous comes from the Greek roots autos, “self,” and nomos, “law.” Pay attention. I’m about the flip the script.
Yesterday during worship the Lord began showing me an illustration. This is a problem with the lukewarm, American church. People have come into the local church Body and set up their own autonomous zone. They govern themselves (self-law), doing what they want and live according to their own laws.
They take of the church body’s resources and citizens, use her people for their own ministry, create chaos and division, cast arrows, spread lies, rumors and gossip about the church’s protectors, refuse to submit to authority and condemn her leadership all the whole saying, “I have a right to be here” and any leader that will not submit to these “autonomous zones”, but exercises church discipline is considered a dictator. They might leave, but they take some citizens with them, forgetting that those stones were constructed in that city. And so we are fractured. There is no peace or unity in the Body.
We will never bring peace outside the walls if that bond of peace is not inside the local assembly. We need to repent, not just of our idolatries, but of our autonomy. There are so many Scriptures about unity in Scripture and all have to do with the Church body; but I will leave you with one: “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:1-4 NKJV #runyourrace
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