One
consistent interruption to the growth of churches has been the claim that
pastors are to give as much credence to people’s perceptions as to the positive
leading of the Holy Spirit. Since I have seen this in both institutional and
home churches, it appears to be a favorite tool in our enemy’s arsenal.[1] Even
when a pastor seeks to direct a church’s attention to what God is speaking
about in his word, and the things God is doing both in the church, and in the
world around the church, some people believe that the perception of a problem
is just as important as the reality of a problem.
This means that
various meetings are required to give people opportunity to voice their
perceptions.[2]
If people have hurt feelings over something they read into a pastor’s sermon,
the pastor is honor-bound to make sure the person’s perception is validated,
and adjustments are made so the person can feel better. If someone perceives
that the pastor is not doing his job in any way he or she thinks is important,
the person’s perception is treated as real, and time must be given to prove
that the pastor is doing his work.
In one experience,
we lived in a house on the same block as the church building. A board member
came to me with a complaint from certain members that they were unsure of
whether I was putting in my time since they never saw my car at the church when
they drove by (because I walked to work every day). The board member’s
diplomatic solution was that I should park my car in front of the church every
day, even when I was at home for lunch, just so that people’s perceptions could
be satisfied.
What suddenly
occurred to me this morning is that I have never had people call for a meeting because
of positive perceptions. I have been encouraged when people share what they
believe God is speaking to them about in his word, or situations in which they
are praying about how to join God in what he is doing. But I do not recall the
same kind of meeting where concerned church members[3]
would ask the pastor to help someone who perceived a work of God in their lives
and wanted to know how to join God in this work.[4] I
don’t remember any specially called meetings, or special representatives coming
to board meetings, where someone had a perception of something that was wrong
with themselves, and they wanted help knowing what to do with their perception.
I do remember
a young mother standing up in church once and asking for prayer for her
alcoholic husband, pleading with the men to please reach out to him. However,
she didn’t know the right people in the church, none of the men responded to
her request, and no one came to the board with concern that her perception of
the situation needed to be heard.[5]
Over the years,
it has become very clear to me that there is a whole gamut of fleshly, sarky,
thinking and feeling that is given ground in the church it should never have.
Hurt feelings are given greater significance than the pursuit of holiness.
Favoritism and partiality are rampant when someone within the core group has an
issue with what is going on. What Paul condemns as prejudging situations is
honored by those who get together to share their concerns before calling for a
meeting with the pastor to set him straight.
On the other
side of this, in a church that the apostles perceived to have no place for the
works or the fruit of the flesh, is the Spirit-filled church that constantly
seeks to know the mind of Christ about everything. The church leaders seek to
perceive what God is doing in the church, what he is working in us to will and
to work for his good pleasure.[6]
When someone shows he or she is stuck in a fleshly perception, the leadership
seeks to minister to the real need of their inner being, and to help them be
filled with the Holy Spirit.
No, this does
not swing from the extreme of allowing all kinds of judgmental perceptions
against pastors on one side, to shutting down anyone who speaks “against the LORD’s anointed,” on the
other.[7]
Rather, this
is about encouraging people to consider what they perceive of what God is
speaking about through his word, and what he is doing in their own inner being,
rather than focusing on judging others. There are biblical ways of handling
objectively verifiable problems in pastors and churches.[8]
And, we must be mindful that the solitary pastor being expected to do
everything everyone wants is not a biblical model to begin with, so we must be
especially cautious in expecting church leaders to adjust to perceptions rather
than the Spirit’s leading.
When we
combine an unbiblical model of solo pastors being expected to do things that
should be shared amongst a brotherhood of elders, with the unbiblical pattern
of allowing fleshly perceptions to sit above Spirit-filled unity, pastors do
not stand a chance. The works of the flesh produce the fruit of the flesh,
every single time.[9]
It is
interesting to consider that Jesus confronted a church that was living by its
perceptions rather than the divine viewpoint. Except that, in this case, the
people’s perceptions were positively wrong. Jesus’ word to this church was, “you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I
need nothing.” This was the positive perception the church had of itself.
However, when
Jesus spoke to them, his message was, “you
are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”[10]
With their perception, there was nothing the people needed to do because they
had need of nothing, even in their relationship with God. However, with an
accurate view of their church, Jesus’ call was, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”[11]
Big difference!
To another
church, Jesus exposed the difference between perceptions and reality when he
said, “I know your works. You have the reputation
of being alive, but you are dead.”[12] Again, when a church has a reputation
of being alive, what more do they need to do than what they are already doing.
However, when a church is dead in God’s sight, they must heed a far different
message. Jesus said to this church,
“Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.”[13]
Now, because
writing about such things is very likely to stir up perceptions about what I
mean, and because I neither want to deny someone the opportunity to join
together in fellowship to fully present these things to God, or to give
perceptions a place of influence God never intends, I keep my door open to
anything God might be doing with this invitation.
If you have a
concern about what I have written, and you’re not sure what I mean by
something, or you are afraid I am doing more harm than good by addressing such
a problem as this, or I just plain bug you, then try this: present your concern
to me with enough clarity that we can direct it into the lifestyle of
Philippians 4 and see what happens when we handle it the way God tells us to
handle everything.[14]
It will look something like this:
Perception: _________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
As we come
together to:
· rejoice in the Lord always[15]
· to let our reasonableness be known by all
(including each other)[16]
· to not be anxious about anything[17]
· but, in everything, to turn to God in prayer[18]
· to express all our keenly felt needs to God in supplication[19]
· to immerse everything we need to address in
thanksgiving[20]
· and to present all our requests to God[21]
we will experience God’s promise that, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,”[22]
even while we wait on him to lead us through any unresolved situations that
exist.
If we will
think about, “whatever is true, whatever
is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever
is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of
praise,”[23]
and if we will put into practice “what
you have learned and received and heard and seen” in Paul’s life and
ministry,[24]
we can also expect to experience God’s own promise that, “the God of peace will be with you.”[25]Be
assured that, if the God of peace is not in our handling of people’s
perceptions, there will be no peace in the church over those beliefs.
Again, I am
not denying that there are valid, objectively verifiable, problems in the
church that need addressing. The unique characteristics of the apostles’
letters to the churches, and Jesus’ letters to the seven churches,[26]
addressed the true condition of each church, including any problems those
churches were facing (from the divine, Spirit-directed, perspective).
I just know
that there is far better fruit that comes from a far better way of
fellowshipping together than giving room for fleshly perceptions to govern the
church. In all my years of home church ministry, I have never had anyone’s
concern, or perception, or problem, left unaddressed when everyone was willing
to come together as the body of Christ, doing what the head of our body leads
us to do by his breathed-out word, and the living activity of his indwelling
Spirit.
Whether you
are a pastor who needs this encouragement to try directing people’s perceptions
into the biblical mindset given in Scripture, or someone who sincerely wants to
know how to handle real problems without being negative and demoralizing, or
someone who’s now in a fighting-mood because this post just doesn’t sound right
to you, let’s all agree to, “let the word
of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all
wisdom.”[27]
Think of what
would happen to our fellowship in handling differences if we did things like
this:
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”[28]
Perceptions
will come and go. Handled in the flesh they will demoralize pastors and
churches, and give ground to the evil one.[29]
Handled in the Spirit, the way the apostles handled all the problems and perceptions
that came their way, will build up the church in our most holy faith.[30]
No matter
what you perceive of your pastors, or no matter what pastors perceive of their
congregations, there is a way to present all these things to God for his
discernment, knowledge, and wisdom. He promises that both the peace of God and
the God of peace will guard us and fill us. With the Prince of peace leading
the way through the minefield of perceptions, we will not only know what to
think about those things, but also about the things of God we had lost track of
while focusing on perceptions.
© 2015 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
[1]
Paul was very clear in Ephesians 6:10-20 that spiritual attacks are very real,
and the church must act together in order to stand against them. When
perceptions are elevated to the same level as God’s work, and real problems,
they consistently create division instead of unity in spiritual warfare.
[2]
My experience has been that people do not want to bring these things to prayer
meetings where everyone can address them together, seek the mind of the Lord,
and do whatever the Spirit leads the church to do together.
[3] This
always seemed to be of the if-you-know-the-right-people-in-the-core-of-the-church
variety.
[4]
Philippians 2:12-13 addresses how the church works out our salvation with fear
and trembling in direct relation to what we sense God is working in us both to
will and to work for his good pleasure. While we base our faith on what is
clearly revealed in God’s word, it is God’s word that tells us of this
experiential relationship in which we must constantly, and carefully, respond
to the real-life work of God in the church, and in ourselves as members of the
body of Christ. In the same way as the parts of our physical body are in
constant communication with the control center of the body, the spiritual body
maintains constant relationship with God so we are constantly doing whatever he
is doing. Jesus said of himself, “Truly,
truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he
sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise”
(John 5:19); and he said of the church, “I
am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is
that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). In
our growing likeness to Jesus, we keep working out our salvation with fear and
trembling as children who are constantly seeking to know what our Father is
working into us both to will and to work for his good pleasure. We cannot do
anything on our own, so we are diligent to know and do the will of God in
real-life, and in real-time.
[5]
Even though her perception appeared to be identical to the objective facts in
the matter.
[6]
Philippians 2:12-13
[7]
People often misapply an Old Testament reference speaking against putting one’s
hand “against the LORD’s anointed” to individual pastors who may very well need
the right hand of church discipline brought against them (in the Scriptural
way, I mean). https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=against+the+Lord%27s+anointed&qs_version=ESV
[8]
If Paul’s instructions of I Timothy 5:17-21 were followed, both pastors and congregations
would be protected from the abuses of the other.
[9]
To judge whether we are dealing with fleshly perceptions, or Spirit-led
ministry, we can look to Paul’s contrasts between the fruit of the flesh and
the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:16-26.
[10]
Revelation 3:17
[11]
Revelation 3:19
[12]
Revelation 3:1
[13]
Revelation 3:2-3
[14]
I only use Philippians 4 as an example because that is what God has been most
working into my life as of late. The New Testament is full of positive
teachings for the church that would also help us measure whether what we
perceive is coming from the flesh, or from the Spirit, and would direct us into
how to share together in freedom, growth, and maturity, in Jesus Christ our
Lord. Anything can be addressed in a way that builds up the body of Christ if
it is handled the way the head of the body teaches us by his word, and by his
Spirit (Ephesians 4:11-16 demonstrates this quite well).
[15]
Philippians 4:4
[16]
Philippians 4:5
[17]
Philippians 4:6
[18]
Philippians 4:6
[19]
Philippians 4:6
[20]
Philippians 4:6
[21]
Philippians 4:6
[22]
Philippians 4:7
[23]
Philippians 4:8
[24]
Philippians 4:9 (This applies to all the other apostles as well!)
[25]
Philippians 4:9
[26]
Revelation 2:1-3:22
[27]
Colossians 3:16
[28]
Colossians 3:12-17
[29]
Ephesians 4:27 tells us to “give no
opportunity to the devil,” but the context of Ephesians 4:25-32 gives
another description of how to measure the way we handle any problems or
perceptions in the church.
[30]
Jude 1:20-23 gives us another view of how to help each other work through
problems and perceptions for the good of the body of Christ.
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