Jesus was Right...Right?

I listened as a fellow-minister bared his soul.  Years of struggle, hurt and disappointment had woven anguish and disillusionment into his once beautiful and sweet spirit.  As he pieced together the story of a recent ministry experience, my heart ached for him and for the church that sat in the sound-proof room largely ignorant of what was happening behind closed doors.  I also ached because he described a scene that many of us in ministry - teachers, elders, ministry leaders and ministers - have experienced on more than one occasion.  In fact it’s something that  too many Christians can relate to in some respect.  

“We talk about God, kingdom, ministry, evangelism and serving people like a company selling brooms,” he lamented.  He continued, “We sit in committees, discuss ministry “objectives” and begin our elder’s meetings with prayer only to quickly turn from the “presence of God” to nothing short of gamesmanship in the name of seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness.  We sit three feet from each other but we are really miles apart.  If the church could see us in “action” they would convulse.  Pride, arrogance and subterfuge hang in the air like a bad aroma.”  Then he said, “I think all of our talk about God and what’s best for the body of Christ is nothing short of a delusion that we accept as okay because our hearts are hard and our ears are deaf to the true call of God.  We talk of God but we know nothing of him.  Didn’t the apostle John say, “If you can’t love your brother who have seen, how can you love God whom you have not seen?” 

Perhaps you have heard a similar story.  Perhaps you experienced one and lived to tell about it.  To be people who claim to be involved in the greatest human endeavor on the planet, too often, we look and sound like spiritual misfits who have forgotten what happened at our baptism.  

As he told his story, my mind kept turning to Jesus’ words in Matthew 20:25-28:

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Simple…right?  “It shall not be so among you,” Jesus said.  If you want to be heard…if you want to lead…if you want to speak a convincing word about the kingdom whether it be outside or inside the body of Christ, you must be a servant.  A slave!  That’s what the Son of Man came to do.  God in the flesh washed feet.  He got low.  He laid his life – literally! – on the line. 

I ask my friend if his people knew the conversation Jesus had with his disciples in the Matthew text.  “By heart,” he said.

We know a lot of things by heart that are not “in our hearts.”  The spiritual horror show he was living through was not a matter of knowing the word.  Sadly, it was an habitual and conscious choice to circumvent good process and the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the interest of lesser interests parading as what is best for a particular situation.  “The vast majority of the junk you are experiencing”, I remarked, “is because your people have tied their worship to an hour on Sunday - if that - and have no concept of worship as a daily experience including and especially when they meet to discuss matters of the church."  Paul conveyed a similar sentiment in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3.  

We concluded our phone call.  We prayed and I encouraged him a bit more.  In these situations you would like to say, “Just take a spiritual aspirin and it will be better in the morning.”  That’s never been my experience.  No.  It’s spiritual “transformation” that we need.  

Jesus set the bar of excellence a longtime ago.  Any congregation, any leadership, any committee any “anything” that wants to do work in the body of Christ that is noble and healthy will meditate on, pray over, and drive deep into their hands and feet the words of Jesus in Matthew 20.  

Jesus spoke them a few days before he went to the cross.  He must have been serious about them.  We should be, too.  And, when we do, listening, respect, kindness, service, honesty and genuine love will reign in our midst as those who once again remember that our deliberations are at the feet of the One who said, “Be like me.”  

I hope it helps my friend’s situation.  It’s our only viable alternative. 

Father, imprint onto our hearts the truth and blessing of the Son’s words.  Save us from our pride and self-centeredness.  Help us watch over our hearts with all diligence so that envy, anger and maliciousness will not be allowed to rule over us.  May we respond to each other with hearts that are full of the grace of God.  We own nothing.  We acknowledge that you own everything.  Thank you for allowing us to be a part of what you are doing through the gospel every day.  May our words and actions be a joy in your sight now and always.  Amen.

Randy Daugherty

Stephenville, Texas