August 11, 2015
As Steve entered the doors, he could not help but feel a little giddy. He had grown up in a small church, and he cherished the time the Lord had allowed him to serve as the pastor of a small church. As his wife Amy and himself made their way to one of the old wooden pews, his mind went back to a time a few months before.
He served that small church with a passion. Even being a bi-vocational pastor, he found that he spent more time at the church each week than he did at his regular job. After working each day, he would do the things the Lord had called him to do with the church each night. Many a night, supper came while he viewed the late news. There was just so much work to do in the little church, and with just sixty-eight members, most of that work fell on his shoulders. But it was work he cherished, and he would not have had it any other way.
In that moment, he remembered the day they had left the church. Amy had received a job offer in another city they just could not refuse. One of the church leaders had been called by God, taking classes in theology, and was prepared to take over the role of pastor. He had no doubt the church was in good hands, and that God was in control. But with each day, he still missed his little church.
As they settled into a new house, and both got accustomed to their new jobs, one of their neighbors invited the two of them to church on the coming Sunday. Their neighbors explained that it was a small church, only about seventy-five members. They also told them that the pastor of the church had recently left, and they would be having a guest pastor speak that Sunday. But the words did not matter to Steve, he never heard another word after they were told it was a small church. He could not wait to be in a familiar place, surrounded by people who knew the name of everyone who walked through the door. A place where people prayed for each other by name, knowing the needs of the people who sat in the pews in front and behind them every Sunday. He missed what he had left behind, and longed to find it again.
As Steve and Amy sat down in the pew, he could feel something was just not right. They were the only visitors there that morning, but only a couple of people took the time to come up to them, to welcome them. He soon noticed it was not just them, that most were distant as they entered. Quickly walking to the pew, with little to say.
As the announcements started, Steve received an even bigger surprise. He heard the head of the church board address the church. He listened to the brashness and boldness with which he spoke, proclaim that God had told him alone what the church should be. He told those there that Sunday morning what the church needed, how each there needed to dedicate themselves to helping fix the church up, to make the repairs the church was in need of. Steve heard the man then go on to say this was work he just did not do, but would be there to watch as the rest worked away.
Steve listened as the board leader continued to speak, proclaiming his plans for the church. He plans for how the music should be performed, and how each worship service should go. He told all there how the little church was the best keep secret in town, and that with his vision, all would be able to share this secret with everyone in the town.
As the announcements ended, the board leader called on the congregation to greet those around them, to welcome each. Only two others came to welcome Steve and Amy, and neither of those was the board leader who had just spoke so boldly. Steve began to wonder if this little church was really the town’s best kept secret, or just a secret that no one in the town wanted to speak about.
Steve sang each of the hymns, and placed his tithing in the offering plate. He sat quietly as the guest pastor gave an amazing sermon that morning. But it was a sermon Steve never heard, he just could not get out of his mind all he had already heard and seen. As they left the service that morning, Steve and Amy knew this would be one “secret” they would never speak of again.
The story of Steve and Amy is obviously a fictitious one. But when we look closely at many of our churches today, we realize there are a lot of facts in this fictitious story. We watch today as many of our ministers and church leaders do more to serve their own interest, than spending their time developing their ministries and their churches into what will serve God’s interest. We watch as they do this with straight faces, and passion in their voices. Proclaiming a vision that God has given them. But it is a vision that the eyes of God has never seen.
Many of these ministers and church leaders do this without even knowing what they are doing. Paul warned us that a day would come when some would depart from the faith, following deceitful spirits who would be sent only to deceive as many as they could(1 Timothy 4:1). Today, we watch as those words from Paul are being fulfilled. We watch as many of our church leaders look to lead this Church down a path that our Lord has never walked. A path filled with darkness. A path on which many of these leaders think they see light, but the light they see is a light reflecting from one who is masquerading as an angel of light(2 Corinthians 11:14). A path they are deceived to follow, and a path they seek to have the rest of us follow. A path that is only filled with deception.
When we think of deception, many thoughts come to mind, many definitions can be given. I like one that is simple. Deception is when someone thinks what they are doing is right, but in reality, what they are doing is completely wrong. When we think of stories of deception, no greater story comes to mind than the Ides of March, the story of Julius Caesar and his close friend Brutus. A story of deception that set a standard for betrayal. But what most who read the story do not realize, Brutus believed what he was doing was right. He did not see what he did as betrayal, but as protecting Rome.
Brutus was raised in a prominent family of Rome, and his mother was actually the half sister of a famous Roman, Cato the Younger. She would also become the mistress of Julius Caesar. Brutus’ uncle was a member of the Roman Senate, and the connection between Brutus and Caesar went deep.
When civil war broke out between Pompey and Caesar, Brutus actually took the side of Pompey, and lead forces against Caesar in the battle. Despite this, Caesar ordered his troops to take Brutus alive, not to kill him, and as the fighting persisted, Brutus was captured. After the battle, Brutus wrote Caesar apologizing for his actions, for fighting against him in battle. Caesar not only immediately forgave Brutus, but pulled him into his inner circle, giving him a position of prominence in his administration.
A short time later, many in the Senate began to fear where Caesar’s power was leading, fearing he would make himself a dictator. They convinced Brutus of their fears, and soon Brutus joined their cause. They decided that on the Ides of March, the 15th of March, they would follow through with their plans to assassinate Caesar, eliminating from Rome the power that Caesar had amassed.
As Caesar entered the Senate that day, the knives were drawn. Caesar blocked the first attempt upon him, but on seeing Brutus with his knife also raised, Caesar fell to the ground and covered his head with his toga. The attack was said to be so vicious that many wounded themselves and the others attacking. It is reported that Brutus actual suffered wounds to his hand and to both his legs.
The Senate immediately looked to clear itself, and passed amnesty for the assassins. Although cleared of the charges, the people of Rome were outraged. Brutus, along with the others, were forced to flee the city. Brutus soon found himself in Cretes, far from the life he had known in Rome.
As Octavian overcame Mark Antony, and was proclaimed the Consul of Rome, he immediately reversed the orders of the Senate, proclaiming those who had assassinated Caesar as murders. Upon hearing this, Brutus sprung into action. He felt he had done what was needed to be done to protect Rome, and had led Rome in the direction it needed to go. Brutus knew that the forces of Octavian were weakened, and raised 17 legions to march on Rome. Upon hearing this, Octavian made peace with Antony, and their combined forces equaled 19 legions in preparation for Brutus. The two sides met in what is known as the Battle of Philippi, and Brutus suffered defeat.
Seeing he was defeated, Brutus fled to the hills with only 4 legions left. Realizing the end was near, Brutus ran into his own sword, committing suicide. As he faced his death, it is recorded that Brutus cursed the gods for betraying him, not realizing his own actions had betrayed himself. Brutus never came to realize that his own deception had led to one of the greatest acts of betrayal the world would ever know.
We can see the similarities between many church leaders today and Brutus. They think they are serving the Church, but in reality they are only serving themselves. And in the end, much like Brutus, their own actions will betray them. So often we hear them telling us to stand, to put on the armor of God so we can face the forces of evil(Ephesians 6:1). What they do not realize, they are not calling on the Church to cover ourselves in God’s armor, but actually calling on us to take up arms against God.
God’s Word tells us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they come from God,”(1 John 4:1). So when we test those who speak as leaders of the Church, how can we test their spirit? How can we know what that spirit should be saying to us? And what direction should that spirit be leading the Church today?
Many verses of the Bible speak to the qualifications of what a church leader should be, and others describe for us what our leaders should do. But no verse speaks to the spirit a church leader should have and show more than the verses Paul gave us in 1 Corinthians 12:12-30. Here Paul is calling on us to be the body of Christ. Reminding us that we hold the gifts of Christ, and we often represent Christ for all the world to see. In order for us to be the body of Christ, we must do the things we saw Christ do. We must do the things that Christ would do if He was standing in front of us in this world today. So if Christ was here today, what would He be doing? The answer can be found in each word of the Gospels. He would teach God to all who would listen with a passion, a passion we saw Him teach the disciples each day. Preparing them each day to take His message into a world that greatly needs to hear that message. We would never see Him standing still, or glued to a pew. He would not wait for the people to come to Him, but He would go out to the people, showing them firsthand why He was the only truth this world will ever need. And as He reached out to each of them, He would touch and change their lives, looking for every way He could to bring the message of God to their lives each day. If Christ was walking this earth today, I know without a doubt, He would be doing the exact same things He did when He walked this earth almost two thousand years ago. And each day, He would be teaching us to do the same things He called Peter, John, Andrew, James, and the rest of the disciples to do then.
One of those disciples, Peter, sums this up in a verse we so often use. “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”(1 Peter 3:15). The first thing Peter tells us is to sanctify Christ in our heart. In other words, the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives, setting us apart so the Lord can use us in amazing ways. His Word is at work and alive in us, making us more like Christ each day. And as He sanctifies us, He prepares us to teach that faith, to defend that faith, and to share that faith. Offering the fellowship that faith teaches us to share with others, so their faith may also grow. And taking that faith into the world around us, so that others may know what we know, see what we see, and gloriously believe what the Holy Spirit has led us to believe.
That is where it must start for each minister and church leader, with the teaching, fellowship, and outreach that Christ taught when we was walking among us. They must look to guide the Church in truth, spiritually mature enough to recognize that truth and to teach that truth to all who will hear(Acts 15:1-29). They must be warriors of prayer, finding themselves on their knees more often than standing in front of the congregation(James 5:16). They must be willing to put the good of others above their own desires, looking to humbly and willfully fill the needs of the congregation(1 Peter 5:1-4). And they must teach the truth in God’s Word, showing all the wisdom and authority of His Word, ministering to all through His Word(Acts 6:1-6). Those leaders we do not see doing these things, are not doing the things that Christ called our church leaders to do. The voice they claim to have heard is not the voice of God. The vision they claim to have been given, was created in their own minds. And the spirit that speaks to them, is not the Holy Spirit.
I have said these ten words many times, but they are words that so often need repeating. It is time the Church started acting like the Church. It is time our church leaders first learned to follow, following in the footsteps of Christ. It is time they cleaned the deception from their ears so they can again hear what the voice of God sounds like. And it is time they wiped the filth from their glasses, so they can again see what the reflection of Christ looks like.
But so many of our ministers and leaders stand today at the pulpit, looking back at the sanctuary doors, watching closely so they can see as Christ enters. They stand there with knife in hand, convincing themselves they are doing exactly what the Church needs. So filled with the spirit of deception they cannot see the disaster that awaits them. They stand waiting to hear two words that I pray no one will ever have to hear Christ say. Et Tu?(You Too?)
Praying our church leaders will again first find themselves as followers. Followers of Christ.
