What is the Impact of This Crazy Behavior?
It is good to prepare our minds with a survey of the consequences of ill-advised behaviors. Just as Proverbs describes the tragic outcome of bad moral choices, so should we regularly consider the negative impact of our displays of disobedience. This certainly encourages us to avoid the path of scandalous sin but also encourages praying for those who taste the bitter fruit of their spiritual failures.
Shame to Christ – The great tragedy of theses crazy escapades is the discredit they bring to the Savior’s holy name. Christ’s reputation is tarnished and disgrace has marred the work He died to establish. Some will use the bad behavior of believers to discount the claims of Christ. As Nietzsche stated, “I would believe in your redeemer if you lived as if you were redeemed.”
Delight for Satan – The enemy always rejoices when he can trip up or throw down a Christ-follower, knowing he has ultimately broken the heart of Jesus. No one sets out to make Satan smile, but this is the true effect.
Shattered Relationships – Sin is described as the violation of a relationship – first with God, then with countless others who expressed confidence in the straying individual. To wander into the weeds of wanton behavior always involves the choice to hurt and violate the trust of people who love us.
Painful Earthly Consequences – Of course, depending on the area of sin, there are various consequences. Adultery can destroy a marriage and family. White-collar crime lands a man in jail. Drunk driving can result in fatal accidents. Genuine sorrow may evoke forgiveness from the family of the victim but it will not bring a life back.
Lost Eternal Reward – Ultimately, any earthly consequences are but a vapor compared to the loss of eternal joy and reward in the everlasting presence of the Lamb. Rewards in eternity are granted to the faithful who serve with pure motives and persevering faithfulness.
What Should We Do About This Craziness?
Humble our Hearts – If you have stumbled in some fashion that has brought open shame to the Lord, your family, His work, and your own reputation – genuine humility is the first step to recovery. Humility is the precursor to real repentance and change.
James 4:7-10 provides clear guidance for the wandered trying to find his way back home via that path of humility in the presence of the Almighty:
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
Humility is also in order toward our fellow man with whom we have been entangled or toward whom we have created the offences. The straying soul would do well to adopt the attitude promoted in Proverbs: “Go and humble yourself; plead with your friend. Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids. Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler” (Proverbs 6:3-5).
Learn our Lessons – The immediate season after a spiritual failure is one of the great moments for learning the lessons that result in genuine life change. Ask God to help you apply the salve of divine wisdom to the self-inflicted wounds of sin. Embrace the sorrow that leads to real, lasting repentance, not just the regret of being caught. Failure is a powerful teacher if we are willing to learn, recalibrate our senses, and resolve to avoid any return to the mire.
Watch our Steps – If you have been preserved by God’s grace and your own common sense from scandalous sin, by all means, guard your thoughts, decisions, and deeds by resolute determination to honor Christ and His Word – every day.
Surround our Actions – Spiritual survivors do not go it alone. They have learned the value of accountability in every area of life. They embrace the wisdom of avoiding any appearance of evil and surrounding themselves with checks and balances in the areas of money, morality, and ministry activity.
Trust, but Verify – Realize that saints who just might do something stupidly scandalous surround you – and you could become part of the fallout. Yes, trust your fellow believers – but verify their behaviors through accountability, direct questions, and systems that will not tempt them to blow it in a weak moment. It is better to be criticized for careful scrutiny than to be stuck untangling the spaghetti of shameful stumbles and permanently damaged relationships.
Thank God for the Faithful
In spite of the reality of this craziness – the fact remains that every day millions of Christians remain faithful to Christ and His claims on their lives. For every crash-and-burn story there are multiplied thousands of godly saints whose stories of love, grace, and positive spiritual impact will never make the news.
We want to be among these faithful saints. The secret is that we abide in Christ, drawing our life from His sufficiency in and through us. He will bear the fruit of godly living through us, in spite of the trends and temptations of the day (John 15:5-10). Praise God that we do not have to succumb to crazy decisions and shameful behavior. We can live a life of abiding love for Him and selfless love toward others, which is always a choice for purity and perseverance. We can stand in the promise that He “always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
In closing, I think of how Paul wrote to Timothy about the crazy and perilous days that would come as time unfolds. The culture would be marked by people described as “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). In spite of all this senselessness, Paul reminded Timothy of the sufficiency of the Word of God in his life and offered him the final exhortation he would ever pen to his young understudy: “But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at bringing others to Christ. Complete the ministry God has given you” (2 Timothy 4:5).
He knew Timothy could live a sane and sanctified life by the power of Christ, regardless of the times. So can you.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Christians Gone Crazy
Every day, it seems, we read or hear another account of “Christian” people being caught doing things that are anything but Christian. People of “faith” are found guilty of fraud, fondling children, and faking the truth in a variety of ways. With tears, they admit to their scandals, sex-capades, and stealing, but give praise to God for the presence of Jesus in their lives. In the meantime, Christ weeps, His work suffers, the world laughs, and fellows Christians wonder what in the world is going on.
Examples Galore
In the process of writing my book Defying Gravity (How to Survive the Storms of Pastoral Leadership) I interviewed dozens of Christian leaders (not all pastors) about some of the challenges they have faced. I will never forget the input I received from Karen Covell, a television producer and author. She serves as the Director of the Hollywood Prayer Network, seeking to mobilize prayer for “the most influential mission field in the world” as she connects with intercessors around the world. Karen and her husband, Jim (also a producer and my best friend from junior high school) have led a weekly prayer meeting in their home for their Hollywood colleagues for almost 25 years.
Not long ago, Karen discovered that a trusted friend and co-laborer for over 20 years, who handled HPN’s finances, was “borrowing money” from HPN. By the time Karen discovered this it was almost too late to salvage the ministry. Suddenly she was in the situation of needing to decide how to handle her colleague, what to do to save the ministry, or whether she should just shut it all down and start over. She found herself struggling with the thought of rebuilding – knowing the commitment, time, effort, and fundraising that it would take. As I wrote about her brokenhearted journey of trying to salvage the ministry, I wondered, “How could someone do that to such a wonderful person and ministry?” (When the book comes out in January, you can read the amazing story of how Karen navigated this crisis and came through with honor and grace.)
Of course, this is one of hundreds (maybe thousands) of stories that emerge every week across America involving “the faithful” and their woeful wrongdoings. I am not talking about a temper flare-up, speeding ticket, or failing to tithe. I am talking about major, public scandals that damage the faith of others because of the level of blatant duplicity involved. Whether it is a high-profile evangelist, a “Christian” politician, or a friend in our small group Bible study – it is all so very baffling. Let us try to make sense of it.
Humble Disclaimer
First, let’s admit the need for humility and grace as we consider this issue. Every one of us has entertained a thought or contemplated an action that could have resulted in great harm to our testimony and pain to those we love. As Galatians 6:1 says, we need to consider ourselves “lest we also be tempted.” God’s grace instructs us all that “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:12). Truly we can all say that, apart from His grace, “There go I.”
Why Do “Christian” People Do Such Crazy Things?
While hardly a theological treatise or counseling session, I want to share a few thoughts about how other believers can misfire so badly.
False Profession – Sometimes people behave in blatantly non-Christian ways because they are non-Christians. Just as godly repentance does not register in their present behavior, neither did it register when they “made a decision” to become a Christian. Read Matthew 7. Enough said.
Unsanctified Brokenness – Many people come to Christ but never really bring the brokenness of their past or present life under the power of the cross. For example, the baggage of uncrucified bitterness can lead to damaging decisions. The pain grows deep and eventually results in irrational, reactionary behavior that takes this unthinking believer from the frying pan of pain into the fire of widespread disgrace.
Another example might be the deep-seated dysfunction of an unsettled identity. Some Christians were raised with strong messages that their value was in how they appeared to others, what they possessed, or what things they achieved. Rather than living out an identity that is solid and settled at the cross, they are still trying to prove an identity that some powerful figure told them they must prove. To find themselves, they risk losing their integrity and intimacy with Christ and others.
Skewed View of Holiness – Our present culture tempts us in many ways to redefine God’s holiness. When we impose the acceptable behaviors of the day over the biblical picture of God’s absolute holiness, we set ourselves up to justify unholy behavior. I have heard it said, “In the beginning God created man in His image. Ever since, we’ve been trying to return the favor.”
Compartmentalized Behavior – Integrity is about a life where all the pieces fit together in authentic harmony and honesty. When compromise begins in some area of life, a person can begin to compartmentalize and believe that his behavior or thought patterns in one area are not necessarily related to other areas of life. Financial compromise gets isolated from family. Sexual misbehavior is tolerated as long as the individual serves at church. It is an approach that spells eventual disaster.
Seared Conscience – Some arrive at such a point of coddling a lying lifestyle that they actually yield their thoughts to the power of evil and no longer respond to the God-given voice of conscience. They develop a lifestyle of getting away with sin, with little remorse and minimal concern for the consequences.
Impact and Response?
So what is the practical impact of this crazy behavior? How should we respond to it all? In next week’s e-devo, we will tackle those questions.
In the meantime, we must make the decision every day to find our strength for holy living and authentic witness in Christ alone. As He taught us, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me”(John 15:4).
Ephesians 5:8-10 reminds us, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.” May we each resolve to walk the talk and manifest His light. Let us pray that the fruit of goodness, righteousness, and truth will be evident in our lives as we actively discover all that is acceptable to the Lord and avoid the pitfalls of this all-too-common crazy behavior.
Examples Galore
In the process of writing my book Defying Gravity (How to Survive the Storms of Pastoral Leadership) I interviewed dozens of Christian leaders (not all pastors) about some of the challenges they have faced. I will never forget the input I received from Karen Covell, a television producer and author. She serves as the Director of the Hollywood Prayer Network, seeking to mobilize prayer for “the most influential mission field in the world” as she connects with intercessors around the world. Karen and her husband, Jim (also a producer and my best friend from junior high school) have led a weekly prayer meeting in their home for their Hollywood colleagues for almost 25 years.
Not long ago, Karen discovered that a trusted friend and co-laborer for over 20 years, who handled HPN’s finances, was “borrowing money” from HPN. By the time Karen discovered this it was almost too late to salvage the ministry. Suddenly she was in the situation of needing to decide how to handle her colleague, what to do to save the ministry, or whether she should just shut it all down and start over. She found herself struggling with the thought of rebuilding – knowing the commitment, time, effort, and fundraising that it would take. As I wrote about her brokenhearted journey of trying to salvage the ministry, I wondered, “How could someone do that to such a wonderful person and ministry?” (When the book comes out in January, you can read the amazing story of how Karen navigated this crisis and came through with honor and grace.)
Of course, this is one of hundreds (maybe thousands) of stories that emerge every week across America involving “the faithful” and their woeful wrongdoings. I am not talking about a temper flare-up, speeding ticket, or failing to tithe. I am talking about major, public scandals that damage the faith of others because of the level of blatant duplicity involved. Whether it is a high-profile evangelist, a “Christian” politician, or a friend in our small group Bible study – it is all so very baffling. Let us try to make sense of it.
Humble Disclaimer
First, let’s admit the need for humility and grace as we consider this issue. Every one of us has entertained a thought or contemplated an action that could have resulted in great harm to our testimony and pain to those we love. As Galatians 6:1 says, we need to consider ourselves “lest we also be tempted.” God’s grace instructs us all that “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:12). Truly we can all say that, apart from His grace, “There go I.”
Why Do “Christian” People Do Such Crazy Things?
While hardly a theological treatise or counseling session, I want to share a few thoughts about how other believers can misfire so badly.
False Profession – Sometimes people behave in blatantly non-Christian ways because they are non-Christians. Just as godly repentance does not register in their present behavior, neither did it register when they “made a decision” to become a Christian. Read Matthew 7. Enough said.
Unsanctified Brokenness – Many people come to Christ but never really bring the brokenness of their past or present life under the power of the cross. For example, the baggage of uncrucified bitterness can lead to damaging decisions. The pain grows deep and eventually results in irrational, reactionary behavior that takes this unthinking believer from the frying pan of pain into the fire of widespread disgrace.
Another example might be the deep-seated dysfunction of an unsettled identity. Some Christians were raised with strong messages that their value was in how they appeared to others, what they possessed, or what things they achieved. Rather than living out an identity that is solid and settled at the cross, they are still trying to prove an identity that some powerful figure told them they must prove. To find themselves, they risk losing their integrity and intimacy with Christ and others.
Skewed View of Holiness – Our present culture tempts us in many ways to redefine God’s holiness. When we impose the acceptable behaviors of the day over the biblical picture of God’s absolute holiness, we set ourselves up to justify unholy behavior. I have heard it said, “In the beginning God created man in His image. Ever since, we’ve been trying to return the favor.”
Compartmentalized Behavior – Integrity is about a life where all the pieces fit together in authentic harmony and honesty. When compromise begins in some area of life, a person can begin to compartmentalize and believe that his behavior or thought patterns in one area are not necessarily related to other areas of life. Financial compromise gets isolated from family. Sexual misbehavior is tolerated as long as the individual serves at church. It is an approach that spells eventual disaster.
Seared Conscience – Some arrive at such a point of coddling a lying lifestyle that they actually yield their thoughts to the power of evil and no longer respond to the God-given voice of conscience. They develop a lifestyle of getting away with sin, with little remorse and minimal concern for the consequences.
Impact and Response?
So what is the practical impact of this crazy behavior? How should we respond to it all? In next week’s e-devo, we will tackle those questions.
In the meantime, we must make the decision every day to find our strength for holy living and authentic witness in Christ alone. As He taught us, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me”(John 15:4).
Ephesians 5:8-10 reminds us, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.” May we each resolve to walk the talk and manifest His light. Let us pray that the fruit of goodness, righteousness, and truth will be evident in our lives as we actively discover all that is acceptable to the Lord and avoid the pitfalls of this all-too-common crazy behavior.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
