Friday, October 17, 2003 |
| Seeing
some 'Christian' speakers up close leaves much to be desired
By DAVID EPPS A few years ago, I served as an associate pastor at a rather large church that often brought in speakers who were regulars on “Christian” television. All of these men were well-known in their day and some continue to draw large crowds and have a faithful following to this day. A part of my job was to chauffeur these guys around and attend to their needs when they were between services. Most of the time, I was very disappointed when I saw the “other side” of these men. One man insisted that he receive a $6,000 honorarium for one night's preaching, the use of a hotel suite (a simple room wasn't good enough), and a basket of fruit and fresh flowers delivered to his room every day. Another man demanded to be spirited away as soon as the service ended so that he wouldn't have toÊmingle with the people who attended the service. It seems, according to him, that the “anointing” would leave him if he was exposed too long to the “common people.” Then there was the guy who stood over the offering basket, asked people to come forward and deposit their financial gift in the basket, and blessed the people who gave — but only if they gave a check or a $20 bill or higher. Those who gave less received only silence from the “man of God.” Oh, and there was the TV preacher who only ordered the most expensive item on the menu at the “post-service” dinner. A portly gentleman, he once ordered two large T-bone steak meals, complete with two baked potatoes and two salads — and ate every bite. All of this leads one to ask, “What are the marks of a true spiritual father?” In 2 Corinthians 12:10-19, St. Paul gives seven signs of a true shepherd — of a genuine “father in the Lord.” The list may be a bit surprising: • A true spiritual father willingly pays the price for the good of the people (vs. 10). Father Mark Johnson of Sharpsburg left behind a wonderful job, a beautiful home, his friends and his family to take a non-paying assistant rector's position in Wilmington, N.C. Unable to find a steady job in Wilmington, the price that Mark and his family paid was tremendous. There were times that, literally, they wondered what they would feed the three small children for dinner. But God was faithful and Mark never complained. Today, he is the full-time rector of St. Peter's Church and leads a growing flock into a new era. • A true shepherd is aware of both his own inability and sense of personal nothingness (vs. 11), yet he is also totally confident in the strength and ability of Christ. Paul described himself as “a nobody” and as the “chief of sinners.” Yet he could “do all things through Christ.” • A true pastor perseveres with and for his people (vs. 12). He never quits praying for his people, never stops loving them, and never, ever gives up on them. He never writes people off, never burns the bridges, and never slams the door. And he certainly never “prays people out of the church.” • A true father in the Lord will not take financial advantage of his people (vs. 13). As shocking as it seems in the electronic evangelism age, he understands that the church was not created by God in order to give him a job. Like a good biological father, the spiritual father invests himself in the people and seeks to enrich them, rather than the other way around. Paul was not opposed to pastors receiving financial support, as clearly indicated in 1 Timothy 5, but he also demonstrated to the church at Corinth his willingness to consider their needs by supporting himself financially. • A genuine shepherd is not materialistic. Such men “very gladly spend and are spent for” God's people (vs. 15). He understands that, at the end, the only things that will matter are the spiritual investments he has made in his own family and in the church family. Everything else is just “stuff.” He doesn't have to wear the most expensive suits, have the biggest house on the block, drive the newest cars, or have the most expensive toys. He doesn't even need to have the most expensive steak on the menu. • A godly pastor loves his people (vs. 15). “The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). In fact, he loves his church family almost as much as he loves his own children. He is not concerned about “losing his anointing” because he realizes that he was called to be with and among the people, not separate and aloof from them. Furthermore, he is not always seeking to move to the “bigger church with the better salary.” • The true father in the Lord has as his sole aim “the edification,” or the strengthening, of the people of God. He is faithful to bless the people even when they have no money at all to put in the offering. It is the hirelings, Jesus said, who misuse and then abandon the sheep. Obviously, the Apostle Paul did not measure the “success of a minister” by the size of the crowd on Sunday, the amount of money in the offering, or the quality of the buildings and campus. He did, however, expect pastors to be loving, faithful, and honorable men. Men who, like Jesus, empty themselves for the benefit of the people of God. Even if they never get $6,000 a night, a hotel suite, or fresh fruit or flowers. [David Epps is rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church, which meets at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sundays on Ga. Highway 34 between Peachtree City and Newnan. He may be contacted at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com or at www.CTKCEC.org.] |