food for fish

"If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the fault. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If that person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. If the church decides you are right, but the other person won't accept it, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector. I tell you this: Whatever you prohibit on earth is prohibited in heaven, and whatever you allow on earth is allowed in heaven. "I also tell you this: If two of you agree down here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together because they are mine, I am there among them." [Matthew 18:15-20]

The importance of authority is not just for the sake of chaos control, it is important for our own well-being. If we submit to the authority God has placed in our lives, we will see beauty come from it. The kind of authority I am talking about though is not Earthly authority; it is the authority of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of brothers and sisters around us. We all need authority, without we cannot discern what is right and wrong. This is a large problem with the church, and many Christians today; they refuse to listen to the wisdom God has spoken through authority. They became in charge of their own lives, and do not seek counsel or guidance from true authority. When the accountability of authority is missing people begin to get hurt, many times it is selfish desires, other times it is running from responsibility, and some times it is simply wanting life to be "happy", none of this will teach a person the beauty of commitment, obedience, and the joy of being accountable. Organized religion has many drawbacks, but it can be a great place, if filled with the Holy Spirit, because accountability of the leaders keep the people safe and it creates a place for people to know God personally. We all need authority, if I were the head of a business, I would purposely choose three to five people to watch me, simply to provide a place for others to approach if there was a problem. However, God must be their authority for this system to work, otherwise greed, and corruption can happen, many times it does.