August 16, 2007
Ghost Town
An old weathered sign on a deserted building gives you a clue about the building’s former use. I’ve noticed we’ve got a few weathered signs hanging around the doors and walls in my church. There was a time when we were bustling with so many activities that you had to work around conflicting schedules and events in order to use the facility. Now, except for an occasional meeting, some classrooms once used for Sunday school, Weigh Down groups and choir practices go unused. Some of these activities haven’t taken place in years. On a positive note, we’re no longer doing a tug-of-war over space.
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Gail;
-----We put people into the leadership roles of the church based on nearly the same criteria that we use for politicians and business people. Top among consideration is assertiveness, originality, ambition, and achievement. It is only natural that we would desire these traits in our elders and ministers because they are what drive men to success in any endeavor. And they have their place in God’s service. Joseph, David, and Paul all come to mind as ambitious, motivated, assertive men.
-----But more important than these traits, what Joseph, David, and Paul also had were acknowledgment of God’s Word from genuine humility. Although there was nothing of the Word written in Joseph’s time (lest some are correct in dating Job as antediluvian), he was humble to what he learned from his parents’ culture of following God. He did not turn bitter in the injustices that befell him. Instead, he watched for opportunity bearing the marks of God. David’s breaches of God’s boundaries were followed by repentance, not excuses. And Paul showed a keen understanding for the fundamental character traits of Biblical godliness - the honor, respect, and attention given to one another that unifies even conflicting ideas. These men were not only ambitious self starters, they were not only intelligent and learned, self made and independent, they were humble. They were willing to observe the subtle truths of life and to respect them. They were willing to alter their courses and ambitions for those worthy of respect around them. Their planning and plotting did not stand above people, they stood for people. And when they were wrong, they were willing to admit it and correct their ways.
-----I remember many of the men who served as elders at your church and the ministers they hired. I’ve had the opportunity to deal with them and confront them on issues having distinct Biblical clarity. I know the truth about circumstances they misrepresented to the congregation rather than acknowledge Biblical direction and admit errors in their courses of action. Many others in your church also know this; it only takes eyes to see and ears to hear. I know of their ambition to do service to the Lord in blindness to the subtleties of the new life around them. I know the hurt, despair, and turmoil caused by their decisions, obvious to anyone, yet unaffecting upon them. Although the zeal of these men could not be slighted, their carefulness and humility were not cultivated, let alone harvested. I am not surprised if your church facility is underused. The Word of God and the humility to approach it with open eyes also seem to be underused.
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