Transparency - Part 2
First, I want to thank those of you who have given me
feedback and told me to keep going. It really has been encouraging.
As Pastor Karl continues his series on “Beating the Devil
With his Own Stick”, he challenged us to look at the lies the enemy has spoken
to us. Some of us have bought into these lies, but if you are like me, they are
just there below the surface. We don’t think about them consciously all that
much, but they are like those nasty noseeums that buzz around your head when
you’re mowing the lawn.
I’ve got a couple of favorite ones that tend to hang on in
the back of my mind. “Your father was a failure and so are you.” My father
started a number of businesses all which folded within a couple of years. He
also planted over 10 churches in his lifetime. Most never grew beyond 50-60
people. I have no idea if any of them still exist today. Counting JesusChurch,
this is my 5th church plant that I have been a part of and none of
the previous 4 still exists today.
The other little gnat that flies around in my belfry is the
comparison one. You know the one. You look at your friends and their lives seem
so much more successful than yours. As a pastor you always hear of these
amazing church plants that just take off and have 400-500 people after a couple
of years and then someone give them a building.
If it weren’t for me forcing myself to turn a deaf ear to
these lies I would very easily turn into my wife’s favorite character Eeyore.
Woe is me, nothing good ever happens to me, everyone else’s life is so much
better than mine.
These lies are the enemy’s favorite weapon. If he can keep
us navel gazing (as I call it), then he’s won.
So, to quote Karl and his Jiu Jitsu analogy, how do we turn
the tables on the Devil. We take our eyes off of our navel and we look
heavenward. More appropriately, we listen heavenward to His truths.
I may never be the pastor of a congregation of over 500.
That is not up to me. It’s His Church.
I do know that I have modeled Christ and spoken His truth into
many times that number over the course of my life.
I recently was contacted on Facebook by a couple that I
married close to 17 years ago and now they have a family with a couple of kids
and wanted to thank me for my ministry.
I also got a phone call from a Pastor that took one of my
classes at the doctoral level at seminary thanking me for the influence that
that class had on his ministry.
I know these truths. But the lies are still back there in
the back of my head.
God has you where he wants you. I attended One of your churches. Love being there. You were a great pastor. It is great being transparent and sometimes hard to be afraid whst others think. But you have done a good job. God doesn't care about how big you grew a church but your heart and the souls you are bringing to HIM
ReplyDeleteJay. Thanks for your honesty. I know the feeling. And I'm trusting God with you. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Pastor Jay, for sharing your heart and your “lies” through complete honesty. I entertain a few of my own now and again, and then entertain a few more that I hear whispered because I can’t seem to get rid of the first set. I am blessed by your friendship, leadership and compassion, and so is my family. Thank you.... and yes... keep the blogs coming!
ReplyDeleteI'm proud of you for sharing those lies and being transparent with others. You are following the path God has laid out for you. You have spoken into so many lives.
ReplyDelete