I’ve been in ministry for 60 years and have seen many good men fall through sexual sin, but it seems like there have been more in the last few years than before. Some are well-known, highly respected men. It’s not always recent sin that brings them down. Sometimes it’s something they did decades ago in their youth that catches up with them. It must have been awful living with the guilt and fear all these years, and then even worse when it all comes out and they lose their ministry, reputation, opportunities to use their gifts and often even their wives and families. Instead of being successful pillars of the Christian community, respected by all, they find themselves facing a life of shame and a prison sentence. How awful!
I feel badly for these men. Not because I think they should have gotten away with their sin but because they are no different than me. I am no better than them. It could happen to any of us. “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” Am I any less a sinner? Is my depravity any less than theirs? Don’t we all sin and depend totally on God’s forgiveness and mercy? Is their sin really that much worse than mine? And then I wonder, what can any of us do to keep from making shipwreck of our faith? How is a godly leader to manage the minefield of hidden temptation and sin without blowing himself and his ministry out of the water? Statistics show that only one in 10 men who graduate from seminary and enter the ministry end up retiring from ministry. Granted, there are many reasons men stop being pastors or leaders, but moral failure is often a large contributing factor. What can we learn from these failures?
One lesson to learn is to not confuse giftedness with godliness. Just because someone has outstanding gifts and talents doesn’t mean they are spiritually superior to others, yet we assume that about very successful men. Worse yet, we sometimes assume it about ourselves. People thank us for what we do, they have good things to say about our messages and service. The problem is that we start to believe them! I had a seminary professor who called what happens after a church service when people thank the pastor for a great sermon “the glorification of the worm.” God pops that into my mind many times after a particularly effective sermon, and I’m glad He does. I recognize the gifts for teaching, writing and counseling He has given me, but I know enough about what I am capable of without Him to know I can’t take credit for what He does through me. He gifted me, guides me, speaks through me and applies what I say to the listeners hearts. How can I take any credit for that? I’d be stealing God’s glory for myself, and that is just as bad as moral sin.
That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy what I do and feel satisfaction from being used by God. He delights in blessing me and using me. I just need to remember I am the hose; He is the water flowing through me. I am the scalpel used by the skilled surgeon. We don’t glorify the hose or the scalpel, just the one who uses them. We can enjoy our role, our faithfulness in preparing and being willing to be used. We can be thankful for the front row seat we get to watch God work through us in people’s lives. But we can’t take credit for what God does.
When we elevate men because of their giftedness we are tempting them to believe they are special, better than others. That’s true for nationally known figures as well as small church local pastors and leaders. Pride is an enemy of us all.
We see Jesus highlight the inferiority of giftedness to godliness in Matthew 7:22-23. He warned His hearers that on the day of judgment, many would say to Him, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?” The abilities of prophecy, exorcism, and miracle-working are extraordinary gifts, and people who can do such remarkable feats are very gifted. Jesus, however, tells these gifted individuals, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Their giftedness was not combined with godliness; therefore, it brought them no spiritual or eternal benefit. Jesus was not concerned with how gifted they were but how godly they were.
The world elevates those who are skilled and talented, making them heroes, special people looked up to by others. The danger is in believing that. One application of this is to be careful how we treat those specially gifted and used by God. We are to pray for them and to hold them accountable the same as everyone else. Another application is to be careful we don’t mistake God’s grace in our lives as something we take credit for and thus slip into subtle pride. This opens us up to all kinds of sin, including moral failure. (This blog will be continued next week.)
2 Corinthians 1:12 “This is our boast. Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God.”
Ephesians 5:3 “But among you there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality or any impurity or greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. I am jealous for the integrity of God.”
What are your most effective spiritual gifts?
How do you handle praise? What about criticism? What do these show about you as a person?
Suppose God withdrew His Spirit from you; how effective would your skills and talents be in changing lives?
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cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
(India, Africa & Spanish Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View)
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