One of the sad pastimes of too many Christians is watching videos of people "taking down" ministry leaders. Maybe I just clicked on one and YouTube thought this was my jam and Facebook agreed, too. Maybe. But even if that were the case, we Christians spend entirely too much time exchanging friendly fire.
Before I get too far along I must give a disclaimer: There is a time and a place for calling out false teachers and bullies. There certainly are Biblical reasons to call out men who misuse their church office. We've seen too many times when unfit leaders hurt and led people astray. I've been disappointed too many times by people to whom I gave my respect. Men like Ravi Zacharias that abused instead of shepherded.
But most of the friendly fire I see is YouTube and Facebook warfare against those who disagree on non-essentials. Most of the videos I've watched serve the goal of making the viewer feel superior to those who have ideas that like "that guy". Many of these videos feature clips of other pastors doing the "take downs" without their comments being intended to do such a thing.
Too often I've been around groups of solid Christians who spent more time discussing the who's in and who's out in the acceptable brand of Christian leaders than enjoying the goodness of God and enjoying the company of His people. Recently I found myself joining right in and then feeling the painful correcting of the Holy Spirit that I was being a busybody and gossip.
"For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not mere men?
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe... as the Lord has assigned to each his task." 1 Corinthians 3:4-5
This glomming on to celebrity pastors and even theological camps and infighting is not what the Good Lord wanted. Consider Jesus' priestly prayer:
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." John 17:20-21
I'm not saying there aren't good reasons for denominations. That there aren't real theological differences. What I'm saying is that the petty garbage is an affront to our Maker and Redeemer. I hate it when my kids fight, and God must feel very similarly. Some of you may be thinking about how Paul once called out Peter on his hypocrisy. Again, there is right person and a right place and a right time, but most of you aren't the person, most of the time I see it isn't the time and most of the places certainly aren't the place.
I think of two seasoned pastors that I really respect and what they said: My dad and my current senior pastor.
I remember being the one that started a stupid dialog like the one I'm bemoaning now. My dad said (I'm paraphrasing from memory). "I can't stand the fundamentalist who think it's their job to tell everyone else what to do." Now, my dad was not bemoaning fundamentalist in the vein of those who believe the Bible to be 100% true and 100% authoritative. In that moment he was referring to the fundamentalist that like to function like modern day theological police for everyone else's church.
My pastor, Jim Lee, once said when talking about the widespread prosperity gospel in South America: "God is more okay with a needle of truth in a haystack of heresy than we are." Meaning, God works often in the very churches we would refuse to join and through the very pastors we wouldn't recommend to our neighbors.
Does this mean these two men don't care about their best understanding of Christ in the Scripture: Absolutely not. We can care about ourselves and those we've been entrusted to guide without seeing the need to lob grenades on our own comrades.
"Teacher," said John, 'we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.'
'Do not stop him,' Jesus said. 'No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us." Mark 9:38-40
Heaven's gates may be more narrow than we think but I am sure Heaven will be more ecumenical than most of us think.
If you enjoy videos featuring an edited clip, for instance, of Voddie Baucham "taking down" another lead worker in the harvest than his preaching of the Gospel, I'd imagine he'd be grieved. I have to believe the Father would be more grieved.
You might be thinking: Matt, what's the solution? I'm prone to enjoy this more than I should. My knowledge has indeed made me puffed up and I need love that builds up those outside my theological and denominational camp (1 Corinthians 8:1).
Here's one helpful practice I have done off and on through the years.
Steeple prayers.
When you come across a steeple, you pray for that church. When you come across the school the church plant meets, you lift them up to the Father in prayer. You pray for every body of believers whose building or name you see, then watch your heart grow more ecumenical. Watch your love for the Church grow. Watch your love for Christ's bride deepen. Watch the way you spend less time tearing down and more time wishing to build up those who may be Baptist or Pentecostal or Lutheran or Methodist or Anglican or Catholic. It's hard to feud with your brothers and sisters when you're praying for them.
Stop friendly fire. We have an enemy and he deserves our full attention. Spend less time tearing down and much, much more time asking Jesus to beautify His bride today.
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