We Made This Mess

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to talk with a friend of mine as he was sharing how he came to a recent revelation on how he would be handling a certain aspect of ministry in the future. He shared how he had invited a minister in to minister at the church God has entrusted him with specifically because he believed in his gifts and desired him to minister according to the gifts he had demonstrated in the past.

When the minister arrived he flipped the script so to speak. He went a whole different route, teaching on a difficult subject matter rather than preaching and ministering through word of knowledge - which was why he had been invited. He attempted through several ill placed comments to imply that the subject matter he was teaching was so deep that he needed to be invited to stay there a couple of weeks to teach in order for them to fully receive the knowledge of what he was teaching. When he flowed in his God given gifting he was on point. When he started to teach he sunk faster than a lead balloon. Needless to say the teaching was not received and he might never get another opportunity to minister again at that church.

My friend lamented on why he did not just handle the assignment that he had been given. Why did he feel the need to do something different just to prove he could teach and because it has become the latest new in thing for ministry - and yet fail so miserably. To the minister's credit at least he did not say "God told me to teach" but rather "I know you want me to preach but I teach at home and I going to teach you today." God revealed to both of us in that conversation that We made this mess.

This hit me very hard. First because I have always been the type of pastor that has opened the door of whatever church I pastored to other ministers. They did not have to have a church. They did not have to reciprocate the offer - and many have not. But because I made a vow to the Lord if He ever blessed me to pastor a church I would not do to others what I felt what was done to me - which was to exclude me from various ministry engagements because I was not a singer, or a evangelist type preacher, because I was not a member of the biggest church or most well connected Pastor in the city, or because I was not a member of the in crowd of preachers.

It hit me because as I approach 50 years of age, that like it or not I am part of the establishment. No matter how I think of myself, by virtue of my tenure in ministry, the positions held over the years in vairous associations  conventions and fellowships, the churches served since that day I preached my initial sermon, I am squarely a part of the problem. If I say nothing especially when I know better then I am just as guilty as those who actually do these things.

Beloved let us hear this then loud and clear: It is time for us to stop blaming God and the adversary for what they are not doing. We as members of the Body of Christ have created this monster. We have set it up so that with all the ministry that is needed in this world, so much ministry is not even being touched because we are trying to get in where we fit in when God created us to stand out! An old quote came to my mind that says that God will never do by miracle what he requires us to do by obedience. Simply put, it is up to us to fix this mess we made, not God.

We protest that many preachers are pastoring that should not be. We smugly talk about those that were sent and those that just went. But why are they doing so? Are they rushing God? Are they simply being impatient? Are they not willing to wait on their ministry - even though we have made it clear that they wont get the chance to minister here? Have we effectively silenced them by not even giving them opportunities to use their gifts to the point the only way they can do what they believe God has called them to do is start church / ministry, start a fellowship or pastor an existing church? Do we even communicate with them at all?

No matter how much we try to teach and explain the value and importance of every gift in the Body of Christ, as pastors and leaders we are also too often guilty of promoting one gift above another. We say there is no "big I or no little u" but when those who are Apostles, Prophets, Bishops, Pastors do it among themselves is it any wonder why the church does the same thing? As a result we become hypocritical when we say for example we value the teaching gift but never bring anyone in to teach.

We exalt preachers that can "bring it" and "kill it" by giving them the prime speaking spots, the biggest honorariums and seats of honor within our fellowships but those gifted in other areas are rarely called to serve. As a result these ministers who aren't getting opportunities to minister in the area of their calling try to spiritually diversify themselves to appeal a greater audience. Often this is at a cost of minimizing or sacrificing their true gift(s) from God. This places them out of order and in disobedience to God yet we fail to see how we helped create the environment for them to disobey.

Far too many Pastors are not adequately training and teaching those young men and women God gives them in the things of ministry. We have left them vulnerable to all sorts of trickery by those who wear the same robes as we do. Proper training includes a plan for development and spiritual growth, opportunities to develop their gifts, and sitting them down if they are out of order. While school is important and ever learning should be the goal of every minister, the Pastor is the primary teacher beyond the father and the mother. This absence of pastoral care leaves the newer ministers foundering in their spiritual development, looking for direction and a word from anyone. Even those who they know are not their daddy but at least takes the time to say hello.

In comes the preachers who can't birth new ministers into the Kingdom or can't keep them longer than two months, but are seeking to take what has already been birthed by other pastors who have left them vulnerable. Too many preachers are laying unholy hands on new ministers claiming to want adopt them as spiritual sons and daughters not to pour into them Godly wisdom, spiritual things, Bible knowledge and ministry understanding but to pick their pockets of dollars, or to initiate other ungodly activity. Something is wrong about anyone who can not birth anything in ministry but can only reap where they have not sown. That is the way of the world, not the way of the Kingdom.

We must repent. We must go back to our first love. We must recognize if it is not about God it is not about nothing. Enough tearing down our barns and building greater yet folks leave just as broken as when they entered in. Having abundance means nothing if the people whom God has entrusted to you leave hopeless.We who have been fighting this fight must press faithfully onward in a manner that will give God glory. It starts at the top. We made this mess. Time for us to clean it up.

Will anyone hear? I believe that at least one will. And that one could be the one to make the pendulum swing back the other way and begin to bring us back into proper spiritual balance. Will it be you?