October 12, 2007
That's Not Fair
I know life isn’t fair…but I want it to be. A few weeks ago one of our ministers, with no immediate plans other than feeling God calling him in a new direction, turned in his resignation. He was quickly let go with a severance package. Last week another minister, feeling God’s call to plant a church, turned in his resignation to be effective five months from now. While I don’t feel personally affected by either resignation, for me the appearance is that one gets to pick his departure and the other had his departure picked for him. Certainly my ‘that’s not fair’ is showing. I think Peter had a twinge of fair and unfair when he questioned Jesus about John by asking, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”(John 21:21-22 NIV) No doubt where I see unfairness, Jesus would say to me, ‘what is that to you?’
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Gail;
-----It is odd that you would be considering the concept of fairness concerning what happens to ministers at that particular church. I recall a significant number of people there who were also very concerned about fairness. And those issues were their business because the leaders had decided the hymns that carried their expressions of worship were passé, and that much of the furniture involved in their manners of worship were merely clutter and space wasters. In short, the leaders took away the familiar culture of worship they had known all their lives, and demanded they celebrate in new ways they did not understand. These leaders broke two important principles of Scripture - do not demand your own ways and look also to the interests of others. The ministers proclaimed that what they were doing was necessary, good, and for God, while the old traditional hymns and stuff were ineffective, detrimental, and could only be for self-serving Christians, “immature, narcissistic Christians,“ as one from the ghostly past called them. In this way they nullified the brotherly consideration included in their debt of love to the neglected people. Thus in this unscriptural disregard for the Lord’s own brothers and sisters, these ministers have carried on their duties with favoritism in their teaching.
-----I remember clearly one Sunday morning when the minister given the severance package preached. He proclaimed emphatically that he was at the church to serve, and if he or any of the other leaders did wrong and were unresponsive to correction, the congregation needed to hold their feet to the fire. The unresponsiveness to calls to obey the Word of God regarding their partisanship had continued through a succession of leaders for five years. So I reasoned he would be the right minister to approach with a stronger plea for an end to the favoritism being shown in their leading. I went to him face to face and heart to heart and pled for him to stand up among the leaders against the serving of partisan ways in the church. He informed me he was powerless, and I heard nothing more from him. The other minister was also approached several times by good brethren who desired their reverent expressions to the Lord be given as much consideration in the worship service as the celebratory expressions. At least this minister did not make big of having his feet held to the fire, but he also refused to do anything about the partisanship.
-----Now, some may say that this whole situation in your church is merely a matter of perspective. And they would be right if they went on to mention that perspective is the cloud that darkens the reality of the Written Word. Where the Word is plain and straight forward, there is no need for perspective. Where the Word is not plain and straight forward, it tells us to leave one another alone and welcome one another regardless of perspective. Check Romans 14 on that. The Word tells us to please one another regardless of perspective and welcome one another. Check Romans 15. So, it is not our own perspective we are to promulgate within the body. We are supposed to promulgate love for one another through service to one another, pleasing one another (Rom 15:2), devoting ourselves to one another, and honoring one another (Rom 12:10.) These are not cloudy perspectives. They are clear and forthright. In fact, the clearest of Biblical teachings are those simple mannerisms of love that we are to show one another, such as refusing to show favoritism.
-----Maybe the two ministers could have been treated a bit more similar. But honestly, when it comes to the idea of fairness, I think both were let off the hook with loving kindness. The Word of God stands rock solid against favoritism. James 2:8&9, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” Ponder that alongside Philippians 2:3&4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Then consider Ezekiel 34:18&19, “Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?”
-----For over six years at that church I heard this succession of leaders impugn and castigate the elements of the traditional worship service. I heard them talk it down and insult the intelligence and sincerity of those who longed to worship in a traditional manner. And I heard them tell these good brothers and sisters in the Lord that if they did not like what the leaders were doing there, down the street was another church where they would be happier.
-----The Scriptures make no room whatsoever for this kind of partisanship. Malachi 2:3-9, “’…I will spread on your faces the offal from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. And you will know that I have sent you this admonition so that my covenant with Levi may continue,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction--because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.’"
-----No, Gail, it is not unfairness of the treatment these two received that I bemoan, it is the unfairness they served to the congregation. That entire succession of “ministers” and “elders” should in all fairness receive the treatment of Malachi 2:3. But I thank God He does not deal with us fairly, for I know I would receive worse. I thank God these two are out of there with mercy. It gives me hope that when it is my turn I will also receive such merciful treatment from Him.
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