Ever noticed that some people relish the criticism of pastors? Like kids and candy—they addict themselves even though it’s rotting something in them. While choosing voluntarily to stay under his leadership, they commit themselves to finding and exploiting every possible imperfection. The Bible often equated complaints against the spiritual leader as a complaint against the Lord. “…the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord” (Exodus 16:8). The next time you are tempted to join this crowd and participate in “roasting the pastor” try to remember these points. Remember the qualities that caused you to appreciate his leadership. At some point you voluntarily placed yourself under his leadership and influence. Take a moment and remember the good qualities that originally led you to this decision. Remember the victories he has led you towards in life.Because of his leadership you’ve probably had a part in some personal and ministry victories—some joyful, abundant moments. Delight in those memories. Remember the spiritual decisions you have made because of his influence. Because of his preaching, you’ve probably avoided some traps, been spared some bad decisions, and seen some real spiritual growth. Take a moment to reflect on those decisions. Remember that plenty of others are criticizing him. Anybody can be a critic, because everybody is imperfect. Look long enough and you’ll find fault with everybody. Too many people join “the dark side.” There’s nothing virtuous or valiant about finding fault and pointing it out—any unspiritual nitwit can do it. It takes a lot more spiritual maturity and depth to be steadfastly committed to a perfect cause with an imperfect church family. Remember he’s probably bearing burdens in the care of the church that he cannot tell you about. Remember he would still love and support you if you completely failed. If you came to him with the worst news, right now, he would still love you and help you do the right thing in response. He would graciously sit down with you, your family, and those involved and help rebuild what is broken, restore what is damaged, and recover what is lost. Remember your critical spirit makes you and your family vulnerable. Resisting God’s structure of authority is wrong for you just as it’s wrong for your children. Criticism of your spiritual authority opens the door for spiritual attack and it messes up your kids. Remember no pastor on earth is perfect. This is a no brainer. Your next church will have just as imperfect a pastor as your present church. Remember he doesn’t have to be a pastor. He could walk away tomorrow. Many do. Many finally reach an end—tired, weary, and wounded. Many finally have enough. They realize they don’t have to put up with the public criticism. They can return to private life and live according to their own concerns. Don’t push your pastor that direction—plenty of others already do. Pull him the other direction with your encouragement. Remember your criticism is more a reflection of your spirit than his faults. Wrong-spirited criticism is a product of an impure heart, not an imperfect pastor. If your heart was pure, your criticism would not be criticism. It would be concern and it would be shared one on one with the person of concern. Critics don’t seek to resolve concerns and restore relationships—they seek to fester, stir up, and exaggerate issues. They relish turmoil—even if they have to fabricate it. Remember your criticism ultimately hurts you. The spirit that drives criticism is like a festering cancerous sore of the soul. “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled” (Hebrews 12:15). It robs joy, clouds vision, skews perspective, and destroys your ability to live joyfully and abundantly. Beyond the internal damage, criticism always damages your testimony. Wise people start avoiding you. The next time you want to criticize the sincere, godly man you call “Pastor,” remember this list. Stop and think about it. Someone wisely said, “Nobody ever erected a monument to a critic.” Take the high road of spiritual maturity and keep a right spirit. Over the long term, you’ll be glad you didn’t throw away your joy to such mindless, base behavior.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 13:58:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015