Like me, you probably know of people who have left the church because they’ve been hurt by another in some sort of church leadership.
You may be one.
Or, you may have watched as someone, in leadership, has very publicly fallen.
The evil one gets a lot of bang for his buck with this and, I believe, he is turning up the guns in his attack on the bride of Christ because he knows his time is short.
But I wonder, are we making it easier for him because of some we invite into leadership?
I know, anyone is capable of sin.
However, I think we need to be more purposeful in choosing leaders who have DEMONSTRATED they seek the (often lonely) will of God more than they thrive on attention, praise, and power.
I think if we would be serious about discerning this, we would thwart many of the evil one’s plans to hurt those in the church.
We need to diligently seek out leaders who love the Lord and have demonstrated they walk the narrow road of integrity with a TRUE biblical worldview, instead of promoting those who are drawn to the attention of the stage and crave the power of leadership.
I believe those who love their glory more than the glory of God are not so hard to spot.
We should have a check in our spirits when those we are considering for leadership are boasting of their networking skills, and marketing programs, rather than demonstrating a history of listening for the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, it’s an asset to have good people skills, and I’m not knocking all the pastors in their Jordan’s, but, the kind of men who can lead in the days we are facing should demonstrate they are willing to use those same feet to stand for truth, REGARDLESS of criticism and persecution.
In fact, if those we are considering to lead us have never rightly ruffled any feathers, then perhaps we should walk away.
For the fact is, John the Baptist, Paul, Peter, and Jesus could all draw a crowd; but they DID NOT shirk from speaking and living truth that would eventually cause them an earthly death.
Now, more than ever, we need wise, courageous leaders of INTEGRITY who have their hearts set solely on the prize of Christ Jesus and diligently guard their hearts from the seductive praise of men.
If the evil one tried to tempt our Lord with power and praise, you better know he is trying this with those who have ministries of influence- “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”” (Matt 4:8-9).
Clearly, we are seeing some with large platforms today, who so desire the kingdom of popularity with the world, no longer speaking truth that sets captives free but have become captives themselves to the prince of this world.
Beware—They are enemies of the cross of Christ. They will fall hard and take others down with them.
The Apostle Paul warned us, “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things”. (Phil 3:18-19)
But those who truly serve the Most High God, those we need to seek out to lead us in these hard days, are intent on equipping the saints to walk in TRUTH (all the truth, not just the “easy” parts), so as not to be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine and deceitful schemes—
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the (evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather ,speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Eph 4:11-16)
Oh friend, now more than ever, let’s refute false doctrines and false teachers. Lets look for integrity in our leaders who endeavor, themselves, to follow the only One who has overcome the world and can give us peace! (John 16::33).
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