October 03, 2006
Continuing Ed.
In her October Guideposts article titled ‘The Diagnosis’, author Kay Warren makes an interesting statement about her husband Rick (pastor of Saddleback Church). “Rick had enjoyed great success with his books and ministry, and he had big plans to use Saddleback’s resources to train pastors around the world.” Notice it’s not ‘training men to be pastors’, but ‘training pastors’. Assuming that most preachers are educated in Bible College and seminary, you’d think their degree meant that were already ‘trained’. Aside from the teacher/student academic community, I can’t imagine a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) having enough chutzpah to say they want to ‘train CPA’s’, or an MD saying he wants to ‘train Doctors’. The Apostle Peter was sent to the Jews and Paul was sent to the Gentiles. I suppose it’s possible that Pastor Warren is being sent to the pastors.
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Gail;
----Great insight! I have seen the attitudes and properly applied the term "arrogant" to what has been growing in the purpose driven movement. But I have never had such a simple demonstration of it as what you wrote. It kind of brings a whole new perspective to the age old idea of a pastor's "meddling". To train pastors around the world!?! The only thing more amazing than the amount of self-importance tied up in that aspiration is the rapidness in which he was able do it, as well as the number of banks he has gone off to laughing.
----Many people can and do say that his success is the evidence of God's will in what he has done for churches around the world. In many ways I agree. His ideas have been of great service to the Lord's church. But in many ways it must be noted that maybe it is his success we see, rather than the Lord's.
----The man failed to emphasize the importance of love for one another - genuine love. As a result all the little Rick Warren clones and converts have been stepping on the throats of their brothers and sisters in a mad rush to purpose drive their traditional churches. All the resulting hurt, grief, discontent, confusion, and saddly, bitterness and hatred that Jesus has had to feel in the hearts of those who have been stepped on is the closest to a choir production the purpose driven movement has ever produced. If his movement is so apparently by God's will, it also has obviously had Satan's involvement.
----But is that not the way man's efforts are? We do nothing that is perfect. Everything we try to do for benefit also produces some detriment. Only the Lord is perfect such that all He does is also perfect. That is why there is not even a hint in the Word that any man or group of men are to be the head of the church. That is for Jesus alone. One of man's Biblically given tasks to do for Jesus is that of acquiring enough humility to allow Jesus Himself to actually be the head of the church. And like I John 2:26-27 states, "I write this to you about those who would deceive you; but the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you; as His anointing teaches you about everything..."
----Elsewhere John tells us that if we say we love God we will keep His commands, and that His commands are to love God and to love your brother. It is when we busy ourselves with making our love genuine that we acquire humility, and the Lord can then actually function in His church as its head. Paul used much ink and paper telling the Romans, the Corinthians, the Philippians, and the Colossians not to busy themselves with telling the other brethren how to conduct their worship, godliness, and other aspects of their new lives. When such matters are left to the individual, he can develop an understanding of spiritual life from his relationships with Jesus and those around him.
----That is specifically what Jesus wants each of us to do. By that same formula operating in each life within the church, Jesus is able to become the head of the church. But, please don't mistake me as saying that there should be no teachers. Teaching is the sharing of knowledge, and there must be teaching. But the understanding and applications are from the Spirit.
----But Rick Warren has gone beyond teaching and the Word. He has attempted to also develop the understanding and even prescribe the application. In that is true arrogance and usurpation of Jesus's position as the head of the church. As a result, he is in many ways being treated by the purpose driven movement as a pope. I Corinthians 4:6, "I have appliead all this to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brethren, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another."
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