Navigating Power In Partnerships Mary Lederleitner & Jose de Dios.

Navigating Power In Partnerships

Mary Lederleitner & Jose de Dios

No matter how full the river is it still wants to swell more.

- Congolese

Accumulation got the giant rat killed.

- Malawian

Mighty things from small beginnings grow.- John Dryden (1631-1700) British poet

Take only memories, leave only footprints.

- Native American

A flea can trouble a lion more than a lion can trouble a flea.- Kenyan

The less power a man has, the more he likes to use it.- Chinese

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.- Lord Acton

(1934-1902)English Historian

Beggars can’t be choosers.

- United States

He who pays the piper calls the tune.

- United States

Tall branches are apt to be broken.- Korean

An elephant which kills a rat is not a hero.- Cameroonian

Power is like being a lady… if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.

- Margaret Thatcher(The Iron Lady of the UK)

Be nice to people you meet on your way up, because you’re going to meet them all on your way down.- Jimmy Durante

United States

Remember, even monkeys fall out of trees.- Korean

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.

- Abraham Lincoln

Can you think of any other proverbs or parables about power from your partnership contexts?

What Do The Parables Reveal?

• All humans have some level of power.

• All humans can employ the power they

have.

• All humans are at risk of abusing their

power.

• All humans at time bump up against the

limitations of their power and, when they

do, it can be a frustrating and difficult

experience.

A Gap I Was Facing In Myself

Imago Dei & Image Bearing

In this theological construct I have found

the capacity to partner better and more

fruitfully when things get difficult.

The Wycliffe Global Alliance & Missio Dei

• God is a missionary sending God.

• He has a plan for the world.

• He is “on” mission.

• The mission is “His” and not ours to

control.

• Our responsibility is to follow Him on that

mission.

The Link Between Imago Dei and Missio Dei

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our

image, according to Our likeness; and let

them rule over the fish of the sea and over

the birds of the sky and over the cattle and

over all the earth, and over every creeping

thing that creeps on the earth.”

Genesis 1:26-28 (continued)

God created man in His own image, in the

image of God He created him; male and

female He created them. God blessed them;

and God said to them, “Be fruitful and

multiple, and fill the earth, and subdue

it….”

The Link Between Missio Dei & Imago Dei

Critical to God’s sending mission has always

been that human beings would model His

nature, values and character in all we did as

we are sent into the world.

Missio Dei & The Distorted Image Bearer

We know the sorrow of Genesis 3 and the misuses

and abuses of power that have happened since that

time. People began perverting their own use of

their power to deceive, manipulate, exploit and

even kill others who were made in the image of

God. They also stopped relying on God as their

true source of power and identity, and began

looking to idols.

Theological Reflections About Imago Dei

Although there are many theological

interpretations of what it means to be

created in God’s image and how sin has

impacted image bearing (Dyrness 2008, 43-

51), “in recent years it has generally been

agreed that the Bible nowhere speaks of a

loss of the image” (Bray 2000, 575).


“At the outset the concept of man as the

image or likeness of God tells us that”

humans are “to mirror God and to represent

God” (Hoekema 1986, 67). This is core to

their identity.


We are not to design or craft graven images

or idols (Exodus 20:4) because God “has

already created an image of himself: a

living, walking, talking image” (Hoekema

1986, 67).


“Power is all about image bearing-

reflecting and refracting the creative power

of the world’s Maker into the very good

creation. And image bearing is for

flourishing” (Crouch 2013, 67).


Before sin entered the world imago Dei was

wholly evident. “After man’s fall into sin, the

image of God was not annihilated but

perverted…. Because of the Fall, therefore,

the image of God in man, though not

destroyed, has been seriously corrupted”

(Hoekema 1986, 83).


“In fact, the very greatness of man’s sin

consists in the fact that he is still an image-

bearer of God.” That is what makes sin so

heinous. “Corruptio optimi pessima: the

corruption of the best is the worst”

(Hoekema 1986, 85).


Thankfully through His work on the cross, Christ

paid the penalty for the sin of humanity. Through

Him there is forgiveness, redemption and

renewal. We know He is the true image of the

invisible God (Colossians 1:15). As we follow

Him we are drawn into a journey of renewal and

transformation through the work of the Holy

Spirit (Rom. 8:1-16; Gal. 5:16-25).


What was perverted “is being rectified, is

being set straight again” (Hoekema 1986,

86). “This renewal is both God’s gift” and

each human beings “task” (Hoekema 1986,

89).


“The renewal of the image of God,

therefore, is not an experience in which”

human beings “remain passive, but one in

which” each person “must take an active

part” (Hoekema 1986, 91).


“Likeness to God is still” each person’s

“true identity and so fuller participation in

this reality” remains each person’s “true

calling. These twin motifs, namely identity

and participation, are important” (Robinson

2010, 15).

Reflection

So how in the world does an understanding

of the theological construct imago Dei

(a.k.a. – image bearing) help us gain greater

capacity to partner well in difficult

situations so we will use our own power

appropriately?

Difficult Things

Our capacity to forgive lies in our

remembering how much He has forgiven us

(Matthew 18: 21-35).

Our capacity to love our enemies lies in our

remembering how God treats the

unrighteous (Matthew 5:44-48).

Difficult Things

Our capacity to endure hardship lies in our

remembering Christ’s example on the cross

(Hebrews 12:1-3).

Our Eternal Destiny

In the midst of all the missional work God is

doing in the world He is deeply concerned

that His sons and daughters follow the path

of obedience so we learn how to once again

reflect His image, and become like Him in all

we do and in all we say as we work with Him

in His mission.

The Power Of Seeing

Forgiveness is almost impossible. Loving one’s

enemies is almost impossible. Enduring

hardship gracefully is almost impossible. What

makes it possible? A crucial step for lasting

transformation lies in “seeing” His example

and accepting His call to bear His image as we

work in global partnerships.

The Ultimate Transformation

“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has

not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that

when He appears, we will be like Him, because we

will see Him just as He is.” – 1 John 3:2

That ultimate, complete seeing will seem to be the

catalyst for lasting and ultimate transformation.

For now even partial seeing produces good fruit.

Small Group Exercise

1)Take a few minutes to describe to

someone else how God has partnered with

you.

2)Discuss how His example in your own life

might shed light on how to address a

challenging issue in your partnership or

ministry context.

Bibliographic References:

• Crouch, Andy. 2013. Playing God: Redeeming the gift of power.

Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

• Dyrness, William A. and Veli-Matti Karkkainen, eds. 2008. Global

dictionary of theology. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.

• Bray, Gerald L. 2000. Image of God. In New dictionary of Biblical

theology: Exploring the unity and diversity of Scripture, ed. T.

Desmond Alexander, Brian S. Rosner, D. A. Carson and Graeme

Goldsoworthy, 575-576. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

• Hoekema, Anthony A. 1986. Created in God’s image. Grand

Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.

• Robinson, Dominic. 2010. Understanding the “imago Dei” thought

of Barth, von Balthasar and Moltmann. Surrey, England: Ashgate.

Navigating Power In Partnerships Mary Lederleitner & Jose de Dios.

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Transcript of Navigating Power In Partnerships Mary Lederleitner & Jose de Dios.