"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? Hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye"
Matthew 7:3-5
"Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure." 1 Timothy 5:22
A number of years ago, at a church I was attending I heard the testimony of a young man who served as one of the youth pastors. He told a sordid story of having been sexually abused as a young boy into the beginning of his adolescence. He then told of how Jesus Christ had brought healing and restoration. As time went on it became apparent (at least to some of us) that perhaps the healing he had described either had been incomplete or possibly, never happened at all. While to the best of my knowledge, nothing horrible had happened, it became apparent that he was still a very wounded man and his woundedness was affecting his ministry in some very ungodly ways.
This situation illustrates why it is important to really evaluate carefully who is appointed in positions of leadership. As Paul told Timothy, we should be careful not to appoint leaders too quickly. This principle can and should apply to anyone who may be placed in any type of leadership position. But especially those placed in a teaching capacity.
"He must not be a new convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap." 1 Timothy 3:6-7
Often when a person is considered very early for some type of leadership position it is because some level of talent or giftedness has been noticed. This can easily lead a person to think more highly of themselves than they ought to. Paul referenced how the devil fell into sin when he became conceited. And just as Satan drew a third of the angels with him, often when a leader comes under the same judgment it has a devastating effect on others.
It's interesting to note that Paul said he must have a good reputation with outsiders. How many cases have we heard of in recent years where a pastor or influential Christian leader had a 'moral failure'. You may have heard the expression, 'Secret life'. Often outside of the body their life wasn't so secret. One wonders if anyone considered what their reputation was among outsiders. Very often there were rumors being circulated about these individuals that nobody ever checked out. While we don't want to be involved in the latest gossip, when appointing leaders we do need to consider and look into what might be going on. The damage an individual can do, who is not ready to be a leader can be devastating to the church body.
There are two things that must be considered:
1. Is the person truly saved.
The byproduct of being saved is sanctification...being set apart...made Holy. Galations 5:22 describes the fruit that is borne in the saved person's life. Fruit doesn't show up overnight. An individual may have a great conversion experience and give a wonderful testimony afterwards, but it generally takes time before the fruit of the spirit begins to emerge and ripen. Too often people are appointed before the fruit has begun to manifest itself and all too often it becomes apparent later on that there was no real change but by then damage has been done. Jesus warned a number of times that there would be MANY false teachers. This is especially true in our day where doctrine is almost considered a dirty word. There is very little discernment and people are afraid to call out false teachers because they don't want to be labeled as 'judgmental'. But it is vital that we take the time to observe what is happening in the convert's life and see if the fruits of the spirit are showing up in the person's life. Even to the point of talking to some old friends they associated with before their conversion. Have they observed any changes?
2. Have the wounds really healed
Possibly more often than not, people who come to saving faith in Jesus Christ have some very deep wounds. Often we have experienced abuse, heartbreak from broken relationships, addictions, and the list goes on.
A very common scenario is just like the one I described in the beginning with the young man who had been abused and was deeply wounded. He gave a glowing testimony but after a time it became apparent that he was still very deeply wounded. Whether or not he was truly saved or not isn't the point. If he was truly saved, just as it takes time to begin manifesting the fruit of the spirit, sometimes healing does as well. God is certainly capable of healing us emotionally and spiritually in an instant. But often he takes us through a process to teach us things that contribute to our growth in Christlikeness. However when a person is placed in a leadership position before the healing has truly taken place, it becomes a situation of 'the blind leading the blind and both falling into the ditch'.
(Matthew 15:14)
I'm reminded of a teaching from someone who told the story of Daniel's three friends when they were rescued from the fiery furnace and it says that they didn't even smell like smoke. In other words, their rescue had been so complete that there was no evidence on them that they had ever been in the furnace. This teacher went on to describe someone they knew who was serving as a pastor who had gone through some horrific things. They said, if you didn't know their story you would never believe that those things had happened to them...they didn't even smell like smoke.
Of course, nobody acheives perfection of this side of heaven. We all struggle. But what is vital is that we are dealing with the issues in a godly way. And the question needs to be asked, "Are these issues going to have a negative impact on those the leader is supposed to helping?"
Too often we hear these glowing testimonies and from outward appearance they seem to be healed, but when we get close we discover they have a thin layer of ash on them covering a bed of hot coals. While the passage in Matthew 7 is about passing judgment on others while refusing to face the sin issues in our own lives. The point is still valid that if a person is not dealing with their own woundedness in an appropriate godly way, they won't be able to effectively help others. Many people have been burned because they were under leaders who were still very wounded themselves and had never properly handled their wounds in a Godly way.
The vital importance of good mentors
If a young person goes into the armed services. They will not be put into the battlefield on their first day. There is a tough regimen the new soldiers have to go through of training and conditioning before they can be put in battle. And it is TOUGH TRAINING. Some don't make it.
Being in a relationship where you are being mentored is tough. A good mentor will tell you things you may not want to hear. They may call you out on things that you want to make excuses for. But good mentors will see things about you that you don't see about yourself. They have also been on this Christian walk for some time and they know the struggles and how to get through them.
Now some might say, "I don't need mentors. The Holy Spirit mentors me." It is true that God can do his work without us. But that is not how he has chosen to work. In Ephesians 4:11 the apostle Paul explains how God has appointed certain ministries for our equipping. When someone says that they don't need to belong to a church body or that they don't need mentors because the Holy Spirit mentors them, they are simply doing their own thing. The Holy Spirit isn't mentoring them, they are mentoring themselves. And the real reason they don't want to be mentored is because they don't want to be corrected.
Remember, a person who won't be taught should not be teaching others.
Now it's true that you may find out that you have a bad mentor, this is why it's good to sit under the mentoring teaching of a number of mentors. Proverbs 11:14 says "Many advisors make victory sure." The One caution is, don't look for people who are going to tell you what you want to hear (2Timothy 4:3 There are plenty of teachers who will do that) Look for people who will tell you the truth.
The Motivation of a True Shepherd
After the resurrection Jesus asked Peter three times if Peter loved him. When Peter answered in the affirmative, Jesus told him to feed his sheep and take care of his (Jesus's) sheep.
Many people aspire to leadership positions in the body of Christ because of personal ambition. They may desire recognition because of their own perceived giftedness, or perhaps power and control over other people. As Paul admonished Timothy when he said not to appoint new converts because they might become conceited if they are placed over other people before they are ready.
Too often in the church today we appoint leaders based on giftedness and abilities and often, credentials. What we really need to place front and center is this; Do they love Jesus, and does their lifestyle demonstrate a wholehearted devotion to him.. It's not even enough to love people. A true shepherd should have a passion for people but the heart motivation must be their devoted love for their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
May you all be richly blessed.
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