Pursuing Biblical Ministry

 

I attended a massive conference for pastors in the Chicago area during my twenties. Thousands of pastors were there to learn how to build a large church. The pastor was a commanding speaker, and most everyone was awed by his success. It was not my first time being captivated by the megachurch and its many different ministries.

However, on this occasion, he shared some principles he said guided his life, but I came away questioning what he had to say. He shared a principle called the “Carbon Copy Principle.” For many years he had been teaching that every person should try to be who they were meant to be but recently, he had come to believe that was wrong. Now he thought every person should find a suitable model and carbon copy their life to that model. I certainly got the impression that the best copy was the man speaking to us.

That was hard to swallow, but what came next was even harder to digest. The speaker told of his overwhelming duty to preach the gospel. He shared a personal conversation with his young son to demonstrate his uncompromising commitment to Christ. Very dramatically, he began, “Son, you know we have been to a lot of baseball games together, but daddy has been to the last one because daddy now has to do what God wants him to do.” The dramatic illustration had the opposite effect on me than intended. It was overly dramatic and lacked authenticity.

It took a while for me to sort out the impressive presentations and the significant following of this man from what was really being said. When I finally did, Mr. Carbon Copy Principle went into the trash. I determined I wanted to make my family a priority, not an add-on to my ministry. That same day I decided to prioritize being rather than doing. Incidentally, sadly, that son’s life turned out to be a disaster. And by the way, that megachurch has gone through a series of scandals over the years.

I have found that pursuing a biblical ministry often conflicts with the successful ministries that people flock after. Usually, there are several warning signs when judging a ministry’s authenticity. 1). Is the leader an authoritarian? Is it his way or the highway? 2). Do the leader and the ministry control the information their people receive? Do they assert we are right and everybody else is wrong? 3). Is there a lack of accountability? Without accountability, we are more prone to take the wrong path. 4.) Is there humility? Without humility, pride and arrogance lead the way. 5). Is there a priority to put marriage and family first, even above the ministry? If there isn’t, the family will suffer. (6. Is there authenticity? Are these people for real? If they are not, stay away from them!

The ministry with the most people and talent may not be the most biblical. These benchmarks have helped me judge between the real and not real through the years.

The Absurdity of Faith

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Cor 1:25). When Paul wrote these words to the Corinthians, he could have been describing the battle of Jericho. After spectacularly crossing the flooded Jordan River, Joshua was preparing for his first battle in the conquest of the Promised Land. Certainly, he missed Moses’ company and guidance, but he was gone. Joshua needed a plan so early one morning as he was meditating, the Lord appeared to him in full battle-dress with his sword drawn. Joshua fell facedown and worshipped the Lord (Josh 5:13-14).

Joshua received instructions from the Lord on how to conduct the battle. There was to be a procession around the walls of Jericho led by soldiers, followed by seven priests blowing rams’ horns called shofars. Then the Ark of the Covenant was carried by priests, a delegation from each tribe, and finally, a rearguard of soldiers. The march from Gilgal where they were camped was a 1 ½ hour march and another ½ hour march around the city walls. They were to march once around the walls each day during the first six days, maintaining absolute silence while the priests blared on their shofars. On the seventh day, they kept silent as they circled the walls seven times - until Joshua gave the command to “shout.” Then the walls would fall.

To anyone looking on, these instructions had to seem ridiculous! Whoever heard of conquering a city by marching around it for a week. The enemy is defeated by force because it is the sword that wins battles. Strong walls do not just fall because a group of priests plays shofars. Imagine how the Canaanites must have mocked the procession with their laughter. This whole plan must have seemed so absurd to the onlookers.

I have witnessed that absurdity with which the world looks at us and says, “You think something is going to come out of this?” I have seen that whether it was a tent campaign in Argentina or believing that a church that had come to the brink of financial disaster could survive and even flourish. Then there is the absurdity of giving part of your income each week to God’s Work! Tobiah mocked Nehemiah’s building of Jerusalem’s walls (Neh 4:3). Goliath mocked David, who came to fight him with only a sling (1 Sam 17:43-44), and both proved their mockers wrong.

The plan certainly seemed absurd to anyone outside, but it worked. True faith obeys God and his Word, even when it looks ridiculous. True faith focuses upon God in obedience. It was God who brought the walls down, but it was Joshua’s faith and the people who brought it about. Here are the results of Joshua’s obedience: “When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city” (Josh 6:20).

When we live out our faith today, it will seem absurd to the world. Let them mock us. We know that God will fight for us. Today we are seeing marriage mocked as out of date. We are witnessing the nuclear family mocked. Sexual purity is mocked. Biblical values are mocked! Our faith may be absurd to the world, but it is real to us!

 

The Pain of Infidelity

 

Today emotional affairs are rampant. The marriage hits a rough spot, so one of the spouses begins to share through social media or at work with a very understanding co-worker. It feels so good to have someone listen to your story. The emotional affair is justified with irrational thinking, “This person really gets me; they understand what I am going through.” All the while, these conversations are kept secret.

Solomon said, “But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself” (Prov 6:32). He asked why a man would become obsessed with another’s man’s wife when “your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths (Prov 5:22).

What starts out feeling so good turns sour when all is exposed, and the emotional pain is excruciating. Couples get bogged down with conflict, and they stop talking to each other; they ignore one another and they stop caring. That’s when they look for someone else—just to talk, someone who will listen. “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” (Prov 9:17).

Infidelity is the betrayal of trust and the breaking of the marriage vows. Trust is the bedrock of the relationship. Everything is built on it. Infidelity erodes trust in the way salt eats concrete. Infidelity breaks the promises made—promises meant to last a lifetime. confidence lost is not easy to regain. Just ask the couples who recover from infidelity and the those who did recover but how much they still struggle with lack of trust.

Infidelity is the sharing of intimate conversations with an outsider. Marriage is a committed relationship where intimacy can be achieved. It is what couples long for and enjoy. Infidelity takes that intimacy and throws it to the wind. Later there will be much regret and heartache.

The pain I have seen from infidelity is challenging to describe. The lie that this will be so wonderful is turned on its head. It is an utter pain for both—even the one who ate the stolen fruit in secret. Marriages are destroyed, and kids’ lives are messed up big time.

Protect your marriage by staying away from anyone who could compromise your most precious possession. I tell couples never to engage with anyone in an intimate conversation except their wife or husband. Never say anything negative about your spouse to anyone, especially your kids.