Being boss is nice. We get the best parking spot, can afford the best car, and that corner office? It comes with the job.
We like being the big cheese.
Even in our homes, being the big cheese means our word is law, and we get to control the purse strings, the television remote, and the thermostat. We’re the one who gets final say in our vacation plans.
What about in the church? How does being the big cheese work there? There are five references from Revelation that are relevant here.
Relevant Reference #1:
Revelation 21:9. “Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ ”
We need to pay attention to the numbers. The angel is one of seven. The Bride is the big cheese.
Relevant Reference #2:
Revelation 21:3. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’ ”
Again, it’s about the numbers. God will be the one and only god. He gets the best parking space.
Relevant Reference #3:
Revelation 5:6. “And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”
How many lambs did we note here? Ah, it’s the big cheese. The seven spirits are secondary. The remote is not theirs to control.
Relevant Reference #4:
Revelation 3:1. “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.’ ”
In this passage, the big cheese has his hand on the thermostat, and the temperature is about to go up. Everyone else had better pay attention.
Relevant Reference #5:
Revelation 2:1-2. “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.’ ”
We toil as a unit; not in a singular fashion, but as a team. We are not the big cheese; rather, we are the tiny cheese squares. Only in unity can we find success in any measure.
Let’s step away from Revelation for a moment and look at the spoken words of Jesus. He sums it up quite well in Matthew 23:8.
“But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.”
Once more, it’s about the numbers. Singular rabbi. Plural brothers. By Jesus’ own words, there is one big cheese, but there are lots of little cheese-lets. He’s the big cheese. We are the Velveeta squares.
Let’s let God remain in control. It’s the job he’s best at, one that we couldn’t do if we tried.
Who needs the corner office? We’ve got Jesus, and that’s better by far.
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