Dear Fellow Leaders,
Have you ever noticed that people don't like to be corrected? LOL...if you are in ANY type of ministry or leadership or...life....you are probably well aware of this fact. I don't particularly like to be corrected either...HOWEVER, if it causes me to grow in the Lord and stay on the right path...then I welcome it with open arms. Do you? Do the people you lead?
This concept of accountability is at the very heart of Christianity. We are to be "like Christ" and we are to encourage and sharpen and hold each other accountable. We've found ourselves in a very politically correct age even within the Church. We hear the dreadful words "Don't Judge Me" "You have no right to Judge me" "Don't judge me untill you've walked a mile in my shoes"...right? Well....actually those are "shame on us we're not really preaching the gospel accurately to our people" statements aren't they?
God is VERY clear about judging in His Word. First of all there is a very big difference between judging and condemning. We have no right to condemn anyone because that's not our job, that rests solely on God because only He knows the heart of a man. We have no need to judge the world because they are already being judged...Choose life without God you are going to Hell. Enough said. But God DOES tell us that we are to judge our brothers and sisters in Christ. WHAAAAAAT???? Yeah it's in there...lots of times. (I encourage you to pray and research the Bible for what God says about judging each other and holding each other accountable...if you can't find any scriptures yourself, feel free to message me and I will help you)
Why am I even bringing this point up and what does it have to do with charades???
Lots.
Alot of ministry leaders including myself a few times have bought into the mentality that I just need to set a good example with my life and pray for people if I see that they are living in sin because if I just come straight out and talk to them about it...it would be rude, and they might leave because they're mad, and God is the One to change them not me.
And even though living out a good example and praying for people is NEVER a bad idea, there are some MAJOR problems with this sort of thinking.
First of all, if we are to be like Christ... how is never speaking the Truth of God's Word a good idea? Can you imagine what the Message of the Gospel would look like if Jesus never said anything? Never told people what He was doing and why He was doing it? How would people just know who He was or the Life ChangingTruth that He had? Why should we not follow His example? People can't change if they don't know. So as Believers first and Leaders second...we have to be willing to speak the Truth.
*Speak the Truth in love...I hear this all the time from leaders.... it is common knowledge I believe that people know and understand what that means. Don't speak truth to intentionally hurt someone, don't speak the truth to someone without seeking God on their behalf, make sure that you are right before God and what you are going to share is backed up by His Word.
People may not "feel" loved when you correct them on an issue. That makes sense too because usually when all of us get corrected...it hits a nerve and we don't like it...but that doesn't mean it wasn't done in love. As leaders it is so important that we teach people the difference. It's probably going to not feel good but if what the person is saying lines up with Who God is and what He says in Scripture...then we need to listen. Frankly, we really should be helping our people seek after God's approval so much that even if someone stood across the room, yelled at them (or us) and spoke the truth not out of love, that our people would look beyond the offense and still inspect their own heart and get right with God. Right?
We focus WAY to much on making sure everyone is tolerant and nice that we make everyone afraid to speak the Truth in love like we are SUPPOSED to do and we enable the people who would rather get offended than get right.
Second of all, IT IS OUR JOB AS LEADERS TO LEAD! So OPEN your mouth and teach what is right and what is wrong. God gives us all jobs, all callings, and ours is very important! We cannot sit around and HOPE that people will just figure stuff out if we dance around the subject with them or post it on a bulletin board ... people need to be taught. If we are not honest with people...we will most definitely lose their respect and their trust. And we should. Imagine if someone is living in sin or simply doing things that we know doesn't please God but we're just going to let them figure it out...and then 2 years later, on their own or by some other means, they realize what they were doing was wrong...and YOU KNEW THE WHOLE TIME!!!!! How do you suppose that is going to make them feel? embarrased? angry? hurt? Trust me, it happens.
Just like when a toddler enters the "why" stage...."why is this? and why is that?"...we don't look at them and say... "ya know what kid...just figure it out." do we? No, and just like God, He sets us up in the Body of Christ to teach each other, admonish (definition: warn or reprimand someone firmly. advise or urge someone earnestly. warn of something to be avoided.) each other, encourage each other, correct each other, ect. These are not suggestions, yet we treat them as such. God doesn't want us playing games with Him. God doesn't want us playing games with each other. God doesn't want us playing games with sin either.
We have to stop making excuses for people's bad behavior. Sin is sin. Time is short. We never know when the people we love and care about and are entrusted with by God, are going to step into eternity. These are the FACTS.
We do not have time to mess around because their life does matter. We cannot be afraid to speak truth. All of our examples in the Bible...opened their mouths and SPOKE the Truth of Who God is and What He Expects of His Children. So either follow Jesus' and the Disciples', and all the Apostles' examples....or GET OUT OF MINISTRY. Go be a mime.
(again...I am speaking to LEADERS here....)
Third thing to remember and we often quote wrong in our society: "God will change them."
Actually....no. God has the power to TRANSFORM us...but We make the decision to CHANGE. God is a gentleman right? He will never FORCE us to do anything...so with that known Truth alone...God will never cause anyone to just change. Jesus never just walked by someone and changed them in the Bible did He? Didn't the people always want Him to change them? The key is our recognition that something in our lives needs to change and humbling ourselves before God and asking Him to help us change...and that's when He Transforms us. So it really starts with us and our free will.
So if what I am saying is in fact Truth, then how will people choose to change if they are never given that opportunity to recognize their need for it? Isn't that our job as caretakers of His flock, to help them be healthy sheep? Not sick sheep, or broken sheep, but healthy and whole? If we love them and truly want to care for them the way God does then we must be willing to point out the opportunities for change in their lives. They may choose to not change...and that's not on our heads...but not pointing out God's Truth to them so that they can be aware of an opportunity to change to be the kind of sheep God wants them to be....that is on our heads. The real question here for everyone NOT wanting to speak Truth in someone's life...what are you really afraid of? Why is this not so important to you?
*the question always poses: Well it's also about correct timing...and yes, there is a SMALL element of timing. But the TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE. When someone is still walking in sin several months to years later and you as their leader have never brought it up to them...the problem lies with you my friend. I guarantee if you are praying for that individual and listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit...speaking the Truth to them will come much sooner than later. Try it.
I know that this blog has been pretty blunt and I promise you that I really am saying all of this in love and praying that you seek God in how you speak His Truth to the ones He's entrusted you with. I write these things because I have been in ministry for many years and we live in a day now that real Truth and Leadership is severly lacking. Sin is running rampant WITHIN our churches and we are literally EMBRACING Sin along with the Sinner. We have to stop embracing sin. It has NO PART in the BRIDE and BODY of Christ. We can't be His Righteousness and Sin too. None of us will be perfect untill we are standing with Jesus in Heaven...but it doesn't change the fact that we are NOT SUPPOSED TO SIN as His Children. We have forgotten this TRUTH today. His GRACE is SUFFICIENT for us. His GRACE is the empowerment He gives the Believer to overcome sin...and not do it anymore. Grace is not a pardon...that's what Mercy is. Grace is a beautiful gift He gives us so that we can truly be His Righteousness. Let's start preaching that message of Freedom and Life to the ones we love and just watch how they can change and be transformed by an amazing God.
Press On My Friends! Press On!
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