January 23, 2022

 

Hold Church Leaders Accountable

 

Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy. – Proverbs 12:20

 

How well do you know your pastor? How much do church politics play in the administration of your church? How much should politics play? Somehow it seems the church of all places should be above the pettiness that surrounds so much of our world. Maybe we can pretend it’s all fine – until one day it isn’t.

 

I have a deep dislike for politics in the church. It always seems to place the wishes of an individual – whether it be a pastor, generous donor, or lifelong member – above God. They don’t view it that way. In their arrogant minds, they know best and everyone else had better get on board.

 

There was a time I would remain silent. Most people do. We stay in our own lane and try to keep the peace. Isn’t that what the Bible tells us? Keep the peace. Hold our tongues. Pray for those who seek to do harm. But at what cost?

 

Perhaps God is calling us to throw out the moneychangers. Maybe He is waiting for His people to demand justice. Perhaps we are being called to actually live our faith, demanding honesty and accountability from those who call themselves leaders.

 

Jesus died at the hands of the religious elite of His day. Yes, it was God’s will so that all of us could be saved. But there’s also an important lesson here. Those who claim to have all knowledge of God sometimes don’t know Him at all. It’s not about words. It’s about actions that reflect our hearts.

 

We expect the leaders of our churches to be honest, filled with integrity that is demonstrated by their actions. We have a right to expect that. Sure. We all fail God on a daily basis. But when that failure is orchestrated over a period of time, intent on harming people without cause, that’s not something we can explain away.

 

Rise up, oh people of God, and demand an accounting.

April 6, 2018

Betrayal Hurts

Then one of the Twelve – the one called Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

– Matthew 26:14-16

Can you imagine how much it hurt Jesus to be betrayed by someone so close to Him? Jesus knew Judas would ultimately sell Him to be murdered. That was why Jesus came, after all. But, still, it had to break His heart.

Jesus was fully God and fully human. He felt the same pain we feel when someone we trusted turns on us. And for what? Thirty pieces of silver. Was it really worth the cost?

On this side, we understand that it had to be. Jesus died so we who believe won’t have to face death and eternal separation from God. Death couldn’t hold Him and, because of Him, it can’t hold us. What a wonderful gift! What an awesome God!

But have we ever considered His pain? It’s difficult to accept that a co-worker would go behind your back and plot to destroy you. It’s hard when it’s someone you know, someone who claims to share your faith, someone you believed liked you. But when it’s someone close to you, well, that’s a whole different level of heartache.

After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” – John 13:21

He saw it coming. Jesus knew His friend, His disciple, a man who had spend three years by His side, was going to hand Him over to be crucified. He could have stopped it but He didn’t. Jesus loved us that much.

But do you think knowing the end result lessoned Jesus’ pain? John tells us Jesus was troubled. I would have wanted to stop it, to demand that my friend admit what he planned and change course. It sounds good but, honestly, someone who would plot against you, speak ill of you, isn’t likely to change course where there’s money and/or power involved.

There’s no way to completely guard against the evil that sometimes springs forth from hearts we thought we knew. To do so would leave us with hardened hearts, incapable of feeling anything. That’s surely not the answer. Maybe there is no answer.

The truth is that there will always be people masquerading as your friends who, in the end, will intentionally do you harm. There are people who call themselves family, either by blood or by law, that will turn on you, spreading lies and the ugliness that lives in their hearts.

Jesus gets it. He understands how deep the hurts goes. He feels your pain because He’s been there. And He knows that sometimes you don’t have any other choice but to continue on into the storm, seeing the betrayal that’s coming but being powerless to stop it.

I wish people would do different, don’t you? I wish everyone would end the games and just put on a cloak of honesty. But that’s not the real world. That’s not what some people are capable of doing.

We’re all flawed human beings, struggling to do the best we can while living in a fallen world. Those who intentionally seek to harm and destroy are inevitable. Keep your guard up and watch your heart. Don’t let the lies and deceit of others cause you to lose your way. Just cling tightly to Jesus and trust that He’ll be with you as you weather the inevitable storm.