What about those (other) guys?

I recently got an email from one of our former interns asking my thoughts about a certain celebrity TV evangelist.  He wanted to know whether I thought ministry was "real" or "fake" and how to think about the negative rumors he's heard about the guy. Here's the answer I sent him.

Hi [Friend]! 

So GREAT to hear from you!  I hope you're are doing well.   

Honestly, [Friend],  I don't exactly know how to answer your question.  It's not as clear cut for me as that.  Everybody is a mixed bag.  You and me included.  Just because there are things in our lives that aren't the way they are supposed to be doesn't keep God from using us.   

In other words, if the miracles are real, I don't think we should take that as evidence that everything in a person's life is A-OK.  Also, if a person doesn't have a miraculous ministry, that doesn't mean that they aren't doing everything God has asked them to do.
Look at Sampson.  His spiritual maturity level was near zero.  But God used him miraculously. 

Look at the church in Corinth.  Paul says they "are not lacking in any [spiritual] gift" (1 Cor. 1:6), but they have nearly zero spiritual maturity to go along with that gifting and that faith.  In fact, there is more sin inside their church than outside of it (1 Cor. 5:1)!  Lots of super-spiritual signs and wonders, speaking in tongues, etc... but that wasn't coupled with a growth in the Corinthians' character.  So Paul instructs them and begins to disciple them. 

The reason I don't know how to answer your question about [Celebrity Ministry Person] is that I'm not in a position to know the inside scoop of what's really going on in his life.  I am confident that at least some of the miracles are for real.  But I don't have any way to know about his character.  I'm not saying that I think the rumors are true.  I'm not saying that they aren't. I just don't have an opinion because I don't think God has given me any place to have an opinion.  When it's not my place, I try not to have thoughts.  It just keeps my life a lot simpler and freer from judgement, criticism, doubt and so forth. 

I hope that [Celebrity Ministry Person] has voices in his life that are helping to keep him on track the way that the Corinthians had Paul.  But Sampson didn't have anybody like that.  And God still used him.  But I think that Sampson's life would have been much less of a tragedy if he had allowed someone to help him with his thinking and decision-making process. 

I hope some of this is helpful! 

Yours,
Todd

Have you ever struggled to step forward in what God wants for you because you've been turned off by some of what you've seen being done in the name of "ministry"?  I sure have!  I used to hold back from really going for it in the Kingdom because I didn't want to look like, sound like, or be associated with one of "those people."

In fact, I sometimes used to watch Christian TV with a mocking attitude in my heart.  But one morning a few years ago, after I had one of my little mocking-episodes the evening before, I came across these verses:

Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife... out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives... What then?  Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice. Philippians 3:5

God leveled me.  He showed me that I was so proud of my particular approach that I would mock another person's attempt to share the gospel.  He told me that the people I was mocking had great motives.  But even if they didn't, even if they were off-track in their motives, I should be grateful and excited for the gospel to be preached.  After all... it's the gospel that is powerful.  Not how well or how badly we preach it.

The Myth of Balance

I got a question the other day about how to balance family life with church life.  My main thought about this is that balance is a myth.  Nowhere in the Bible are we encouraged to be "balanced."  The whole concept seems so fragile, so teetering, such a constant effort to make sure I don't overdo anything.  Trying to be "balanced" feels like a recipe for apathy and mediocrity or else exhaustion and bitterness.

Instead I want to be 100% gung-ho about whatever I'm doing!  I think God has given me each of the things that He's put in my life because they help ground me in who I really am.  When I'm at home with my kids being daddy, I want to be 100% there -- body, soul, and spirit -- connecting fully with my little ones, laughing, tickling, playing, encouraging, disciplining, praying, and so forth.  When I'm engaged in church stuff, same thing (well... actually not the tickling part *smile*).  When I'm hanging out with another dad of a kid in our neighborhood, same thing.  When I'm relaxing watching the 49'ers game, same thing.

I find that the enemy of my soul always tries to distract me with other good things God when I'm trying to engage in the good thing God has put right in front of me.  The enemy wants me to be thinking about the church when I'm at home, wishing for vacation when I'm being given time to work, regretting my family's needs when I'm serving the church, and so forth.  The enemy never wants me to be fully engaged in anything that God gives me.

But when I trust that God is the one holding onto the big picture of my life, when I truly know that He gives me all these things to add life to me and not to take life from me, then I can give myself fully to each of them.  Then I can trust that He's taking care of my family when I'm taking care of the church.  And I can trust that He's taking care of the church when I'm taking care of my family.  The same is true for my finances, for my efforts to reach my neighborhood with Jesus' love, my vacation plans, my need for rest, and so forth.  Every facet of life is another gift from God that is meant to be fully received and thoroughly enjoyed.  And again, the only way to fully immerse yourself in each of these gifts is to fully trust that God's got all the other ones handled while you're engaged with the one He's put right in front of you.

If we understand all that, then the big question of life is not, "How can I live a balanced life?" (notice how God is not part of that question), instead it's "God what do you want me to do today?"

Trying to be "balanced" in life leaves us vulnerable to legalism (performance / man-pleasing), self-pity, shame, and hopelessness.  They come in and try to steal away the life Jesus wants for us.  But when we remember that everything Jesus has given us is for our benefit and blessing, then we can go for them with all our hearts, and we find ourselves growing more into the people He's made us to be.

There are two extremes that spiritual forces try to drive us towards.  Self-pity and laziness try to tell me that the things God has given me will steal away my life.  These forces tell me to go back to bed.  Legalism tells me that I have to do it all perfectly, and there's no room for flexibility or creativity or grace in the things I'm doing.  This force cracks the whip on me, and takes the life out of the good things God gives.  Either extreme is deadly.

The way to escape these deadly extremes is to live in the grace God gives with all the stuff He puts in front of us.  Part of His grace are the natural limits God puts in our lives (i.e. there are only 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week and a limited about of energy that we can expend within that limited about of time, we can't be in two places at ones, etc.).  If we try to ignore the limits God gives us then we'll end up doing both ministry and family in unhealthy, unrealistic ways.  We won't promote other leaders, we won't delegate responsibility, we won't encourage people to go to God for themselves, we won't discipline our kids or require them to help around the house, and so forth.

The MOST important thing is that we need to seek Jesus in the things that He gives us.  We're not supposed to do it on our own wisdom and strength (i.e. trying to find "balance").  We need His help to teach us how to navigate all the stuff we're doing.  We really need to hear from Him.  If we just try to think it through on our own, we'll end up confused and frustrated and in the end... embittered against God & people.

In addition to asking God for help, it's key to be asking others for help, too.  Find mentors whose lifestyle you admire and ask them for perspective about the specific things you feel stressed by.

Click here to read more about The Myth of Balance.