Repentance And Humility

These are my responses to some of my students
Did you want to see humility and repentance in the life of the "executive pastor?" One thing is that the pastor has to understand that people volunteer from their own will and heart. That means they are not paid. They do the work from the love they have for Christ and His church. Therefore, the pastor needs to understand that. The pastor needs to study the life of Christ and the apostles especially the Apostle Paul.

If you have noticed this in your church have you brought it to the attention of the senior pastor of your church? When these types of behavior begin to rear their ugly head, it is better for the senior pastor to preach and teach on such topics so that they do not affect the fellowship and unity of the church. Without true humility, one can't be a follower of Christ. Christ had to model and mold humility in the lives of His disciples. Read some of my blog. I have several articles on humility to which many people have responded. Your pastor also needs to preach and teach on repentance. Repentance is not a dirty word. It becomes a favorite word of every genuine follower of Christ.

Repentance without humility is not genuine; it is incomplete. Repentance is a military term; it describes an army marching in one direction and then turn on a different direction. All humankind is marching in one direction--the direction of sin. However, when Christ saves us, He shows us the right direction where we are to be marching. Humility was a major characteristic of the life of Jesus Christ, and it is still a great virtue in the Christian life. The antithesis of humility is pride. Pride comes before a fall. It is the number one character trait of Satan. Therefore, when humility is absent from the life of a believer then he or she is heading on a dangerous precipice.

LOVE VERSUS SCRIPTURE
You have put your finger on something that is very important and needs to be addressed in the contemporary churches. Love and Scriptures. First, one has to define love in the biblical sense. Today some think that if you love somebody you allow him or her to do whatever seems good or right even though it might be definitely wrong. That is why the church is full of people who are living in sin without any repentance because the pastor and leaders have concluded that if they rebuke or correct such people, they would be regarded as unloving. This understanding or position is biblically wrong. In fact, when you do not correct a sinning person that is the true definition of unloving. The culture today is on the precipice of destruction because there is nobody who is able to stand up and say enough is enough.

THEOLOGY AND CULTURE
You are dealing with true current trends in the world today. Many churches have become anemic and powerless because they have swallowed everything that the culture dictates. Political correctness has dissipated the effectiveness and the passion of many pastors and evangelists today because they don't want to offend anybody. One thing that many Christians do not know or realize is that John the Baptist and later many Christians died or were killed because they did not allow the culture to dictate to them. Ponder on the reason why "Gay Marriage" has become an acceptable practice in the United States. Many preachers kept their mouth shut because they did not want to rock the boat or lose money and prestige. Some of the advocates of Gay lifestyle have resorted to violence and intolerance. Therefore, some preachers are afraid of being attacked or maligned. However, we must speak the truth, but at the same time gracious. The Bible teaches that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. The Law was given to Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). This truth has major theological implications.

PRIDE
The story you have shared is amusing and sad at the same time. My question is how involved is this person in witnessing and the discipleship of others who are babies in Christ? So in effect, this person is saying that he cannot receive any encouragement, benefit, and growth from any other church? Then, I suggest the person should begin his own church. This is pride of the highest proportion that ruins those who think they are more mature to receive nourishment from others. It also demonstrates that such an individual does not have a teachable spirit. If a person does not have a teachable spirit, he or she cannot be a true follower of Christ.