My desire in sharing the following is not to rub salt in the wound or to take a position of piety (the Lord knows and my wife that I’m not perfect or always holy), but to remind us all to do what is necessary to stay pure before the Lord and man.
Several ministers and their sins have been in the spotlight in recent weeks and with this exposure, more disdain from those who we are trying to reach with the gospel. If the church, as the world sees it, can contain such liars, deceivers, and whores of the gospel, what is the point in converting? All of these things are already in play in the world, what’s the use in moving from one nasty field to another?
The barrage of sinful preachers has seemed overwhelming lately. Starting with the revelation that the author of the anointed song, Healer has been faking his cancer and now has admitted to a lifestyle of pornography. read here
Todd Bentley, the leader of the Lakeland Revival in Florida revealing that he and his wife have separated and now it appears he was involved with another woman. read here
Then this morning I read an article concerning the Without Walls Church in Tampa Bay led by Pastor Randy White. Randy and his wife Paula announced their divorce last year. She has moved on with her television and itinerant ministry. He has tried to salvage the church amidst the loss of thousands of members and thousands of dollars.
In a recent article posted by the St. Petersburg Times read here , Pastor White outlined several strategies for rejuvenating the ministry. He directed that excessive chairs be removed from the sanctuary (I’ve done this before in order to create community in services). Installing mirrors on the walls of the sanctuary to “brighten the dark atmosphere”. I’m sorry; mirrors have never been able to clear up internal darkness.
And finally, in the most absurd move I’ve ever read, Paula White will be returning to minister at the church on a monthly basis. You read that right! His ex-wife will continue to minister because “she packed the house when she led service two weeks ago”. Not trying to be mean, but this kind of stuff really makes me ill. Rather than scrambling to find a way to prop up the “church”, why not submit to a season of counseling, a sabbatical or all of the above. After this season of restoring, then decide what direction is best for their soul and their families and the body of believers.
This leads me to my point. How did we get so engrossed in ministry that we feel like its okay to do whatever it takes, including sinful acts, as long as we are able to produce results? Why do we have to continue to prop up the ministry? This is what I have termed, “Feeding the Monster”. It seems that ministry has evolved into a “the-end-justifies-the-means” mentality. We have overlooked the basic call of ministry and that is an intimate relationship with God. It’s not about the results and certainly not about the “show”. Whether it’s an anointed song, a wave of healings and miracles or the effective outreach of a local ministry, if it’s not about pure worship before the Father and then doing His will, we are creating monsters that must be fed.
I know that God desires that we pray for these individuals and the ministries that they represent. You may not be charged with writing a new worship anthem for the body, or leading a revival for this generation. You may not be commissioned by God to plant a church that impacts a metropolitan area. But whether you do or you are leading a small group, the question that I pose for you today is, “What monster are you feeding?”
Several ministers and their sins have been in the spotlight in recent weeks and with this exposure, more disdain from those who we are trying to reach with the gospel. If the church, as the world sees it, can contain such liars, deceivers, and whores of the gospel, what is the point in converting? All of these things are already in play in the world, what’s the use in moving from one nasty field to another?
The barrage of sinful preachers has seemed overwhelming lately. Starting with the revelation that the author of the anointed song, Healer has been faking his cancer and now has admitted to a lifestyle of pornography. read here
Todd Bentley, the leader of the Lakeland Revival in Florida revealing that he and his wife have separated and now it appears he was involved with another woman. read here
Then this morning I read an article concerning the Without Walls Church in Tampa Bay led by Pastor Randy White. Randy and his wife Paula announced their divorce last year. She has moved on with her television and itinerant ministry. He has tried to salvage the church amidst the loss of thousands of members and thousands of dollars.
In a recent article posted by the St. Petersburg Times read here , Pastor White outlined several strategies for rejuvenating the ministry. He directed that excessive chairs be removed from the sanctuary (I’ve done this before in order to create community in services). Installing mirrors on the walls of the sanctuary to “brighten the dark atmosphere”. I’m sorry; mirrors have never been able to clear up internal darkness.
And finally, in the most absurd move I’ve ever read, Paula White will be returning to minister at the church on a monthly basis. You read that right! His ex-wife will continue to minister because “she packed the house when she led service two weeks ago”. Not trying to be mean, but this kind of stuff really makes me ill. Rather than scrambling to find a way to prop up the “church”, why not submit to a season of counseling, a sabbatical or all of the above. After this season of restoring, then decide what direction is best for their soul and their families and the body of believers.
This leads me to my point. How did we get so engrossed in ministry that we feel like its okay to do whatever it takes, including sinful acts, as long as we are able to produce results? Why do we have to continue to prop up the ministry? This is what I have termed, “Feeding the Monster”. It seems that ministry has evolved into a “the-end-justifies-the-means” mentality. We have overlooked the basic call of ministry and that is an intimate relationship with God. It’s not about the results and certainly not about the “show”. Whether it’s an anointed song, a wave of healings and miracles or the effective outreach of a local ministry, if it’s not about pure worship before the Father and then doing His will, we are creating monsters that must be fed.
I know that God desires that we pray for these individuals and the ministries that they represent. You may not be charged with writing a new worship anthem for the body, or leading a revival for this generation. You may not be commissioned by God to plant a church that impacts a metropolitan area. But whether you do or you are leading a small group, the question that I pose for you today is, “What monster are you feeding?”
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