The first century church was not perfect by any means. They had their issues; false teachings running rampant, judgmental folks pushing their beliefs, and the occasional ragamuffin causing problems during worship. To be honest, it’s no different today with the modern church. I’ve watched the goings-on in the Christian community around the world, especially the past two years, and it has shed some light on what’s really going on...what’s really happening behind the scenes.
It’s one word: sin.
Leaders, pastors, singers...they’re all falling short. But you know what? So do we. We may never get behind a pulpit. We may never lead worship. We may never write books or teach small groups. But yet, we still deal with sin. We lie, steal, cheat, blow up at our friends and family. We’re dishonest with our spouses, employees, and even our children.
All of that still boils down to that one word.
Sin.
See, recent events in the Christian world have humbled me. It reminds me that we all have weaknesses. Some weaknesses are more prominent than others. But we’re still weak. That’s why Jesus came. That’s why He died for us. Because He knew that we couldn’t handle our weaknesses on our own.
So, why are we placing judgment on a fellow believer? Is it because they’re more well-known? Is it because we feel we’re better than them? If so, we ought not to think those things. Somewhere down the line, we’ve failed too.
These same events have also instructed and warned me. God’s Word clearly says that even the things that go on around us are meant to teach us something about our lives and His. We have to be open to such things.
What have these things taught me? What can they teach you?
1) Nobody is immune to the temptations of Satan
2) Rely on God’s Word first and foremost; man is never the final authority
3) Where we are weak, Christ is strong
4) We should be praying for those in leadership
5) “That will never happen to me”, should never come out of our lips; remember, pride goes before destruction.
How are we to respond to leadership gone wrong? How do we respond to the critics?
We pray, first of all. Prayer can and will change things.
Know and remember that all things are for God’s glory. We may never know why God allows these things to happen, especially those He’s called into ministry, but He will ultimately get the final say.
Be patient. Be faithful. Patience and faithfulness will surely turn some heads. They will surely turn some hearts to Christ. It is our job to do what God has called us to do, and not to worry about what man has done to ruin the testimony of the Church. Even the critics cannot say anything bad about us if we remain steadfast in our duties as followers of Jesus.
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