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Power seekers within & outside the body are wolves in sheep's clothing
 Leader: Pastor Bill
As you probably already know, the church can be a
high political area. I mean that the motivations of the world, and
heart of sinful man, can be clearly seen as people struggle for power and
position with the body of Christ. Too many positions are filled for the
wrong reasons. Influential businessmen seem to find their way onto church
boards. Those with money, or who have given large sums to the church have
the places of honor and prestige. This hurts the church and causes it to
become a place where those with money, power, and selfwill buy or maniplulate
what they want.
We pastors all to often become prostitutes who
have been bought and paid for. We must do what we are told or else Mr.
Biggiver will withhold his tithe and special offerings. These men
and women who would seek to control the church with their money and power are
wolves seeking only their own advantage. They love the lime light and the
pats on the back. If we as leaders play this game we not only hurting the
church, but also those who are caught in the snare of the Devil even as they sit
in their favorite seat on Sunday morning thinking that they are doing so
well.
After a service one Sunday morning a women approached me from
another church. She had been offended at her church and was visiting ours
to see if it suited her. She told me after the service that if I played my
cards right she would give lots of money to my church. I knew of her
situation at her home church, that she had been offended by the chief of
police. I told her that I didn't want her money, and that she needed work
out the situation at her church and that she was in a state of bitterness in her
matter with the chief of police. She was besides herself with anger at my
comments. She couldn't believe that a preacher was not interested in all
that money.
Later that afternoon she called me at home. Again
stating that she was willing to give larges sums of money to the church if
things went right. I again told her I didn't want it. Then I did
something that you may feel is a little hard, I hung up on her. That
doesn't seem too Christian does it? But remember, this was not a misguided
member of my church. This was not a Christian brother or sister working
some things out. She was a wolf looking for advantage. Being nice to
a wolf trying to infiltrate the sheep pen is a breach of my responsibilities as
a pastor.
Recently, A man came into my office and wanted to share his
vision with me. He was not a member of my church, and I had only met him a
few days before. He told me that God had really been moving on his heart
and started to tell me of his new revelation. There were some things that
I did not believe were biblical and told him so. At the end of our
conversation he asked me if he could come and preach at our church. I told
him no; I didn't know him and could not allow him to teach the people until I
knew him better. It was obvious that I had offended him.
He asked
me how I couldn't see that God wanted him to preach in my church when others
pastor have been able to recognize his calling? I said they were probably
more spiritual than I was. I think he agreed with me. I haven't seen
him since that day. This man may have been sincere, but he was not willing to
submit himself to godly authority. This was an indication to me that he
may not have been trust worthy. Especially since he had just told me the
story of how his own pastor also had concerns about his revelation and that this
had resulted in his leaving his church because he felt offended and
persecuted.
The point is that if we allow people to seek positions in the
church for the wrong reasons it will certainly hurt us and the people that God
has entrusted to us. Sometimes we naively think that we should want anyone
in our church who is willing to come. This is unwise. Wolves are
more than willing to inhabit the sheep pen. The end result will be missing
sheep, and you will give account to the church board and to God about why you
did not protect those given to be under your care.
I am talking from
painful personal experience. I once served as church administrator
for a church that was in intense conflict. I invited a man that I
trusted in my heart. I made the mistake of not checking out his past
ministry by getting some recommendations. In the first moment that I met
him I knew that something was terribly wrong. But I consoled myself with
the thought that after he preached, I would put him in my past and that would be
the end of it.
In his newsletter he claimed to be appointed by God as an
apostle only sixteen month after I aided in starting "his" church. He won
the hearts of some key people and they were instrumental in opening the door for
him to pastor the church a few months later.
Today even the people that
helped him become pastor there are no longer going to that church. He is
still the pastor today, but the church is just a shell of what it was. The
worship leader, all the elders, and most of the original members are all
gone.
The hardest thing for me to deal with is that I made it
possible. It was my fault. I did not act with wisdom. May you
learn from my mistake.
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