Deafening Silence: When God’s Messengers Fall, Is There A Louder Sound?
When you think about God’s messengers, whoever that may be, and whatever ministry they have, the idea of someone living with a higher set of standards comes to mind. So, what happens when those standards crash?
The maxim, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” is interesting to consider, but we all know the answer. Of course, there’s a sound. It’s a crashing echo that reverberates throughout the woods. Typically, the larger the tree, the louder the sound.
Using that metaphor, think about God’s messengers. Why is it that when someone proclaiming the Gospel message falls from grace, the thud made can be heard and felt across cities, states, and even countries?
The FBI “Crime Clock” represents the annual ratio of crime related to time. Currently, a violent crime is committed every 26.3 seconds. That is a surprising statistic for two reasons:
That’s so much crime and many people being victimized. God help us all.
You know, or have heard, less than one percent of anyone’s name is connected to those crimes.
The world keeps spinning. People keep living. Crime keeps happening. And we go about our business as if it never happened.
However, can you name a scandal, crime, or sinful offense in the Church lately? You could rattle off a Top 10 list in minutes ripe with pastors and priests, evangelists and Bible teachers, and various TV preachers.
How can you recall their sins so quickly but still be surprised about four crimes happening in the time it took you to get this sentence? Think about that. It’s because when one of God’s messengers falls, everyone is around to hear its colossal thud.
Christians Set Standards
If there is a fateful story about any crime on the news, it’s tragic. If there is one about any crime in the Church, it’s either time to burn that individual in effigy or–even worse–it’s expected.
As a child of God, the magnifying glass should make you wince, cringe, and get motivated to change it.
There is a dying world out there, and people are looking to the Church to give it some life. That is difficult when the sins of a few far outweigh the many. Across America, there are approximately 314,000 churches. Good people lead most of them with wisdom, discernment, understanding, and compassion. And a significant majority of the 258 million adults in this country (aged 18 or older) don’t know their names or think about them. Ever.
That’s important because when one of those aforementioned God’s messengers heard about in the news trip over some sin they hoped to sweep under the rug, those same 258 million people usually lump us in together.
“They always do that,” “There goes another one,” or the affront, “Why do your church leaders become hypocrites so easily?”
Well, “They don’t,” “One of what,” and “My church leaders ate at McAllister’s Deli last Sunday.”
It’s our job to defend the Church, proclaim the Gospel, and live like Christ. Of the 211 million Americans who consider themselves “Christian,” very few can say they do all three that well–you and I included.
We must do better because we’re being watched whether we like it or not. Don’t think of that as voyeurism and ill intentions. It’s nothing more than a vantage point for an opportunity to say, “Despite those examples, this is what the Church, a Christian, and Jesus Christ should look like.”
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
See?
And Correct Shortcomings
The media, the government, the haters — many burden themselves to be the watchdogs of the Church. Why do they do that? The answer is simple because there may be a feeling that the Church isn’t doing a good enough job watching its own.
Are we?
How many of God’s messengers started with a humble ministry and were caught in a financial scandal, looking for ways to fleece the sheep?
What about the number of pastors (or spouses) with proven claims of physical or emotional misconduct who have been ousted?
When was the last time you heard about a priest amid a swarm of sexual abuse?
Being arrested for fraud or busted for drugs, a hand in the cookie jar or a heart in the world–we hear about many wrongdoings in the Church every year. Yet, the stories keep coming–and, frequently, by the same offenders. No wonder those audiences keep a watchful eye on the Church.
Where are our eyes staring?
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.
We listen to their words. The world watches our fruit. Anyone can sell a rotten apple, so words aren’t enough. Even Jesus knew that.
These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
What good are words from the pulpit when actions in the public speak louder?
If you don’t feel you’re an “effective witness” for the Lord or it’s uncomfortable to lead someone “down the Romans Road,” you’re not alone. But there is still something you can do. Demand better from yourself and others who demand anything from God.
Call on a Savior
Christ the Redeemer Chapel in the Base of the Monument on Corcovado Mountain. (Credit: Marge Sudol/Shutterstock)
Don’t think for one minute that watching these hobbled among God’s messengers isn’t a welcomed sight for the one who means to cause us all to fall. It’s human nature to idolize people.
Why is “covetousness” one of the Ten Commandments and “envy” one of the Seven Deadly Sins? People want what they can’t have. Eventually, they spite you (or whoever) for having it.
Coveting is “Gimme. I want that, too!”
Envy is “Gimme. You don’t need that like I do.”
People do that. God’s people do that. God’s leaders do that. God does not. So, how can we force people to stop looking at those frozen chosen and look to Jesus? That’s simple, too.
How? Love.
Do you want more from God? Love. If you’re going to do more for God, love. Do you wish more people would listen to God? Love. Are you fed up with the charlatans who won’t shut up about God? Love.
If Jesus walked among us today, he’d be successful and have a following, but he would do it in love. He would respect and value others, even the least of these. And they would love and respect Him back, whether He had money or not.
Read the biographies of Jesus and the Beatitudes from Him. Equal words and actions reflect love and life. People have lousy standards because they usually try to bend them without breaking them. Then, when those snap, they’re heard–namely in a forest when it’s assumed no one is paying attention.
The Church–and everyone in it–should understand high standards only scare those who have none. Expect better, and they’ll be better. Act better, and you will be too.
