The Slow Slippery Slope of Destruction

Have you ever wondered how people end up doing the unthinkable? You watch the news about someone who orchestrated the death of their spouse and wonder how they ended up there? How would someone who loved so affectionately hate so deeply? Or think about the man caught up in addiction and is in and out of rehab. How did they end up there? What about the pastor defrauding his congregants in broad daylight? How on earth did they get there?

Most of us tend to think that such people are intrinsically bad. As if they were born evil and wretched unlike “us”. Others imagine it happened overnight. You’ll hear them say they were so in love, I can’t believe he would do that. That this man was actually a staunch believer before he fell into alcoholism. That this pastor was such a caring man. Many would defend such people unable to see how they’d fall in so deep. But I think we forget nobody just wakes up and decides to harm their loved ones. Nobody falls into addiction within a day. Not many pastors set out to defraud their congregants. No, the journey to ruin starts with a slow slippery slope.

The enemy begins with making sin familiar before he moves to acceptable and lands on habit.

The devil never comes wearing horns and holding a fork otherwise we’d run away from him. Instead, he sends friendly emissaries in the name of lighter temptations. It starts with a little greed here which looks situationally acceptable. A small lie that harms no one. A glance over that X-rated movie and before long we are hooked. The biggest battle for every addiction whether for money, power, fame or sex happens on the slow slippery slope. The enemy begins with making sin familiar before he moves to acceptable and lands on habit. Sadly, many of our attempts at behaviour change target the last stage while saying little of the slippery slope.

Our biblical application tends to condemn the man who sleeps with his neighbour while leaving the man who is conceiving it in his heart. We go for, don’t do that when we should start with, give no foothold to that thought. We wait until the fruit is ripe when we should have dealt with the roots. In truth, though nothing is impossible for the word of God applied by the Spirit of God, we have better luck saving ourselves before we descend on the slow slippery slope of destruction. It is on that first plain when sin looks attractive and harmless that we should bring out all our big guns and kill it.

If you want to kill these giants you have to start by starving them out and do so early enough. Your only chance, humanly speaking, is before that descent down the slope of destruction.

Sin starts so innocently that we would confuse it for a friend. It begins with such an allure it looks like our salvation. But like the proverbial giraffe, all it needs is to put its head in the house before it demands us to accommodate the whole body. Murder begins with a bit of “righteous” anger. Adultery is the fruit of little uncontrolled passions. Porn addiction starts with just a few glances over the steamy scene. The greed that kills begins with harmless intention and a combo of a little selfish desire. If you want to kill these giants you have to start by starving them out and do so early enough. Your only chance, humanly speaking, is before that descent down the slope of destruction. But praise God he still offers a fighting chance later only we may have to carry such many scars for a lifetime. Kill sin when it’s still young and kill it completely.

Uprooting Roots of Bitterness

Parenting a toddler has taught us that people don’t always throw tantrums because they are essentially bad people. Yes, theologically, they are totally depraved for sure. Children included. But sometimes they are just hungry. Other times they are sleepy or maybe not getting the attention they deserve. Most times they are hurting and acting out. The crazy thing is we accept this with toddlers and teenagers but somehow ignore it with adults. But you try to argue with some people before they get their morning coffee and you’ll know they are a toddler in a suit. Or try to handle something with your spouse past 10pm and you might end the marriage altogether. All I’m saying is we are too quick to give a prognosis for what we have only superficial observed. There’s always something behind the symptoms. A root behind bitterness and a bigger issue below the surface. If we are to disciple people in a godly and more biblical way we must wear the doctor’s stethoscope and be ready to listen more keenly.  

Take the example of the brother who never sees eye to eye with you especially if you are their department leader or pastor. A quick prognosis would conclude that he doesn’t like you. He wishes he was the leader and not you. Perhaps, he thinks he can do a better job. Well, that might be the case though it’s also possible that you are insecure and assuming everyone is out to get you. What if he genuinely sees the alternative that you don’t see. And what if he doesn’t like you? Should everybody like you? But here’s something else, what if he’s hurting and asking for your attention? Just think about that. If you are a Christian leader, especially in Gospel ministry then your duty is not only to the whole group but to each person. Perhaps before we label our people as disloyal and unsubmissive we should ask why they are dissatisfied with us. Is it something we are doing wrong? Are we doing justice to the sheep the Lord entrusted to us especially the one who is “unruly” like we are often with our Saviour? And if it’s not about us then what are we ignoring about them? 

Pursue Peace and Holiness

The Hebrew author is very careful to tell his church to not let roots of bitterness grow among them, see Hebrews 12:15b. Now some of us reading this might think more politically. That is, squash them before they lead to a riot. As the 48 laws of power would say, crush your enemy totally. Others might think how sad that someone wants to ruin such a good fellowship. They may recommend we discipline and kick out such a member. But I don’t think that’s what the author has in mind. In this very communal and pivotal section of the letter, he sees this as another way the church with its leadership can pursue peace and holiness, see Hebrews 12:14. In other words, get to the bottom of this as you pursue communal holiness and peace with everyone in the fellowship. We should be very concerned when one of us is voicing objections and getting bitter with the fellowship. Not so that we might kick them out but that we might extend the love and grace of God to them, see Hebrews 12:15a. We should be very interested in the root cause not so we can shame or destroy them but that together we might pursue peace and holiness.

Turn the Trouble to Gospel Opportunity

You know what is crazy? As we seek the root behind bitterness we’ll actually do great ministry together. We might find a lot more people are hurting in this area. And by the way, it could have nothing to do with the church or the ministry and its leadership. Maybe it’s trouble at home, trouble at the workplace or one of those seasons in the Christian life when you are doubting everything. Whatever it is, we’ll be better brothers and sisters giving people, even those who oppose us, the benefit of the doubt and extending Christian love and grace. Think about the ministry we neglect when we quickly label people as the black sheep of the fellowship. Think about the Gospel testimony we can make as we pursue them. Think about the good works we can scatter on their path. Think about the message it sends to the rest of the ministry within and beyond. Sadly this is a lesson we only seem to realise later in life. Actually, even the great apostle Paul seems to have realised it later with John Mark, see 2 Timothy 4:11. Let’s stand on the shoulders of the word of God and see opportunity where others see trouble.

Look Beyond the Bitterness

But what if the person is really out to get us? What if after careful consideration what we find are deep roots of malice and evil intent? Well, to begin with, I’d say we’ll act in a more godly way after careful investigation not after a quick conclusion. Secondly, experience shows that not everything said in opposition is always untrue. When I find myself in a conflict and someone says something in anger I can easily dismiss them. But you know what? Though it’s delivered in the wrong way it doesn’t mean it’s untrue. Most often I find there was a lot of truth only I didn’t want to hear it. Speaking in anger is like speaking while drunk. People will say things they wish they hadn’t said but at least you’ll know how they see you. And even if it is malicious the Gospel tells me I’m a lot worse than I imagine and yet loved and forgiven so much than I’ll ever comprehend. In other words, if it were God speaking he would say a lot more and worse things about me which are true and yet my status before him would remain secure because of Jesus. So I shouldn’t kick out the brother who opposes me just yet because nothing he says is ultimately untrue. But finally, I should be happy to have people who keep me on my toes instead of an army of yes-men around me. So often they’ll tell me the truth no one wants to say. All I’m saying is don’t throw out the baby with the bath water yet. Take time to deal with their bitterness in a godly way and don’t be quick to uproot them.

The Ministry of Putting Out Fires

Sometimes Gospel ministry feels like working at the ER (emergency room) or being a firefighter. It’s one crisis after another, one emergency after another and one fire after another. A brother’s marriage is falling apart and we rush to salvage the remains of their relationship. That sister church is on the brink of division and we quickly deploy a rescue team. A friend is facing a financial crisis and we wear our financial management caps. Every day brings with it a new crisis and even when we take a break we know it’ll be short-lived because crisis is the norm. For some people that’s what Gospel ministry is all about. Dress up ready for the next crisis. The problem with this approach to ministry is that it’s not sustainable. Actually, before we know it we’ll find ourselves falling into crisis. There’s also no telling how many others are neglected along the way as we rush to save the most vulnerable. If hospitals only had ERs soon every “small” illness would end up as an emergency. It’s the small fires neglected today that burn us down tomorrow.

This means that while we need the grace to serve in and out of season we also need the wisdom to plan before time. The thing about effective ERs and firefighting departments is they plan for fires months and years before they happen. They assume any place will catch fire even inside their own office and plan accordingly. They play out every crisis scenario and prepare for it. They train for a hundred hours for those few minutes of madness. So when it happens they are not running in a rat race trying to figure out what to do. Instead, they are applying their training with zeal to help those in need but also with a readiness to be tested. Could we try that with our ministry approach? It sounds crazy to assume the worst-case scenario in our ministry meetings. But working with sinful people in a broken world means it’s never farfetched to assume the worst will happen. It’s only a matter of time before we have to deal with the unthinkable and do so with no prior warning or preparation whatsoever.

But we trust the Lord?

Someone might ask, won’t we be digging our own holes when we expect the worst to happen? What about our superstition that says if you think about bad things they’ll happen? And what about expecting good things from the Lord and giving people the benefit of the doubt? All valid questions especially on this side of the globe. We are good Christians who trust the Lord and expect the best outcome. It’s no wonder we are among the happiest people in the world. All too good. But the same word that tells us to cling unto Jesus as our anchor in distress also reminds us that we are swimming in dangerous waters. It says here we have no home and if our Saviour faced trouble so will we. It says we have an enemy within, our own sin. Enemies around us, the indwelling sin of our fellow brothers and sisters and sin in the community we live in. In this regard, a biblical Christian is to be both peace-loving as a dove and yet as wise and ready as a serpent, Matthew 10:16. We are to have our head in every situation, 2 Tim 4:5. To be ready for bad times not burying our heads in the sand.

Expecting the Worst is Spiritual

So assuming I’ve convinced you to change approach then you might ask, how do we go about this? I thought you’d never ask. First, let’s accept that expecting the worst is no less spiritual compared to expecting the best outcome. We pray for the best but we prepare for the worst. We wait for the crown while carrying the cross. Second, let’s agree that giving people the benefit of the doubt should also be balanced with the reality that they are sinners living in a broken world. Yes, a pastor can cheat and a ministry leader can steal. And yet they can be as generous and loving as the next Romeo. Don’t be naive. Also, don’t spritualise everything. Remember a male pastor is still a man. A sister in Christ is still a daughter of Eve. Finally, and I really hope we can be convinced of this, let’s agree that planning for the worst is not an aside to our ministry but a good part of loving and serving people. What would we rather do, play it safe until the worst hits and you start running like a madman or do ministry with preparedness for whatever comes? I think the latter is actually more godly, more loving and more spiritual.

Imagine All Outcomes

I would suggest next time we meet let’s survey our pressure points and check areas of vulnerability. Play out every possible outcome and not theoretically like some random game. No, let’s brainstorm all the things that could go wrong starting from inside and going outside. Those in leadership are the ones who would cause us the greatest harm. Start with the leader and the ministry team then move to the departmental leaders and the ministry as a whole. Build accountability at every level, and for heavens’ sake stop spiritualising everything. But also think about all the things that could work out so well. One to balance the mood but also prepare for the gaps that success might create. Yes, I must say being richly blessed can also expose our vulnerabilities. It’s the good days that we enjoy as a ministry that often blind us of the crisis that looms ahead. Supermarkets and planes almost always fall apart when they are about to make it. I’m not saying be a downer or a nosy rosy. Instead, we take God’s blessings with gratitude but all while remembering we are still not at home.

Play Offence not just Defence

The problem with fighting fires is that you are always playing defence. You are responding and mostly reacting with little preparation. What if we changed the approach? Prepare for the fire long before someone lights the matchbox. Take the case of the sin that could easily break a relationship and make one endanger their own faith and ministry. Do you know what that is to you? What is your idol and what about the idols of your team? Where are they most tempted and how are you protecting yourselves. But if you are afraid to poke noses in your team and open the Pandora box, then check around. What is happening around your ministry circle? What kind of sins are leaders falling into? What temptations are besetting your target people group? Stretch further beyond your theological constituency. What’s happening there? Don’t say that would never happen to you or your team. When it comes to sin and the brokenness of this world we are more similar than we are different. We are capable of a lot more than we imagine. But above all we need to ask, how are we feeding our people? Is the meal they take regularly biblically enriching or are they actually malnourished. Are we giving them the arsenal they need for the day of calamity? Or are we just waiting until the ugly unravels before our eyes? Play offence and learn from others.

The Father of Men

There is a lot of talk about fatherhood and masculinity going around these days. Everyone is trying to define what makes or breaks a man. Sometimes it is unfortunate to see women having to define who a man should be. Not that they don’t have a say, especially in a country where most fathers are absent. But I doubt many men respect that. Other times it is men with very questionable backgrounds that take center stage on the issue. Some come across so strongly but you cannot follow them beyond their words. They hide behind keyboards because if you spent a day in their life you’d not really admire them. Unfortunately, some of the men we respect especially within the church never talk about this issue. Our churches also seem to make services and meetings that appeal more to women than they do men. So how do we talk the Gospel to men? How do we excite them to serve and be involved in kingdom work?

Now, if there’s a language that men understand it is that of respect.

One, I think we need to make a difference between men and women in our approach. We also need to accept that for the most part, our churches seem to appeal to women than they do men. We need to ask why? Now, if there’s a language that men understand it is that of respect. If you gave a man a choice between love and respect I believe many would choose respect. Men will walk together because there is respect among them. Not that men don’t need and appreciate love but love is best expressed in respect. We need to remember that as we reach and influence men for the work of the kingdom. There’s also no denying that our fathers influence us as men for good or worse. But the combination of a present father and one worthy of respect makes all the difference. That’s the kind of father that you want to point men to. He’s the kind of saviour that both those who had good fathers need and one for those who never had a present and respectable father. And you know what, the Bible being so balanced presents a Father that appeals to both men and women. Look at these words from Hebrews 12:

⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. Hebrews 12 NIV.

The language of discipline and respect is very manly. But before you brand it toxic masculinity look at the one who requires it and its ultimate intention. Like a good father, he’s one worthy of respect and the end goal of his discipline is to make us better. The verses before speak of him treating us as his legitimate and beloved children. The image is, therefore, not one of a father beating his children out of rage. Nor is it of the man who makes ridiculous demands from his little son. He’s also not an absent or indifferent father. Instead like a good father he is involved and seeking to make us better so that we may share in his holiness. If you like he wants us to be respectable men like he is. And because he’s worthy of our respect then we can endure his discipline.

If you like he wants us to be respectable men like he is.

This is the kind of father we need as we wrestle with sin. One we want to listen to because he cares about us and one we respect. He is a man we want to be close to and one we don’t want to disrespect with our sins. Being near him challenges us for the better but not in a way that makes us feel we can never please him. He welcomes the man who never had a father with open arms. He is a friend of the man whose father was present but not involved. He is a helpful resource to the man raised by a single mother who wants to be a better father. He also draws the man who grew up with a good father who knows the value of fatherhood. But this kind of father challenges the men around our churches. He tells them to be better men not only for their sake but also for the young boys growing up around them. He calls the older men to walk with younger men and show them the path of true Christian manhood. But he doesn’t neglect the women either.

When Choosing is Hard

You’d think the supermarket has removed the dilemma of making choices. Where you had one or two items in your local kiosk to choose from now you have a whole aisle. As long as you have the money then you have all the options. But you and I know it’s actually made it harder. Pick a commodity and you now have a whole range of products to choose from. Unfortunately, the economics of prices don’t help either because even when you are on a budget these options still glare at you. And how do you know if the cheap one isn’t substandard or the pricey one is actually good? But this dilemma isn’t just there when we are choosing what to buy. Young men are confronted with it when picking a partner. When’s the right time? Who’s the right girl? Is she really the one? What if I regret it later? After all, we are told the beautiful ones are not yet born. Or take the dilemma of finding a house or to be more spiritual, the decision to find a church. There are so many good and yet varied ones. The big, the small, the conservative, the vibrant, the modern, the spirit filled…all on the same mile length. So many to pick from. How can one ever make a decision?

But these dilemmas don’t wear the same weight. While you can close your eyes and pick the nearest item on the shelf you might need to think a bit before picking a spouse or a career. While the price range might dictate the kind of house you live in, finding a church will involve a bit more investigation. In other words, not all dilemmas should keep you awake at night because not all choices are life-altering. But speaking of life, how can you know you’ve made the right choices on the big questions? How can you know that you are living right? That on the things that matter you are on the right side? Now some people would say whatever makes you happy is the right choice. Others suggest picking moderation. Do everything but to a limit. Invest far and wide and you’ll cover your back. But this doesn’t help and a good number have been plagued with indecision for years. They take forever to decide on anything. They move from church to church, from relationship to relationship, from one job to another and even when they make a decision they keep analysing and overanalysing. Don’t you just hate that? Is there hope for such people? Here’s a suggestion.

Be ready to Die for Something

Contrary to the wisdom of the world that says keep looking, the Bible tells us to invest where we can’t ever go wrong. Make the right decision on the big questions of life and everything else in light of that. And when you do go all in. What do I mean? You see the moment we take a step back and consider how little time we have down here many things fall into perspective. The most important question becomes does it really matter a few years from now. But most importantly what difference does it make a lifetime from now? But it’s not only that. Looking at Jesus we see a model for life. Jesus wasn’t plagued with indecision like many of us are. He knew where he came from, he knew he was on a short mission on earth and soon he would be back with his father. For that reason, he lays down his life when he could easily pick it up. But that was worth it. By choosing to live for God and his Gospel he actually lived a fuller life than the man who keeps guessing his next move or the one who never makes one. Jesus taught us we will always be plagued with indecision until we find something worth dying for. That statement in Mark 8:35 is actually his own motto for life. He says:

³⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.  Mark 8, NIV.

Jesus invites us to a way of life that he has walked in. He tells us any other choice will break you and you’ll never be sure. But as one who knows the future like the past, he says this is it. Lay down your life for him and his Gospel and you’ll truly live. I don’t mean die literally though for some it might come to that. But he’s saying make him and his Gospel the priority and everything else will fall into place. Once you secure your eternal future then you don’t have to be plagued with indecision on the other trivial matters. But even in the important ones, once the priority is Jesus and his Gospel then the weight is lifted off. You don’t have to get the perfect church, only one where Christ is the focus not the man of God. You don’t have to find the perfect job or house or even a spouse. Only one where the commitment to the Gospel won’t be compromised. But this also eliminates indecision. Why?

You stop Looking for Salvation Elsewhere

You see the man who can’t choose is actually looking for someone or something to save him. He can’t choose a career because he wants it to save him. She can’t choose a partner because she’s looking for a saviour in a young sinful man. How crazy is that? He can’t choose a church because he’s looking for a community that can save him. And even if he gets a good one he’ll for sure regret it because he’s after perfection. She won’t settle on a job because she’s looking for salvation and no job can offer that. But the man who knows his life is secure in Christ shouldn’t be too worried even if he gets a decision wrong. If he looks to Jesus he’ll see that God can work with our weak minds and fallible decisions for our good and his glory. Once you eliminate that desire for salvation you also start seeing things a bit more clearly. You stop analysing and overanalysing because on the things that matter you are already secure. But you can also present your choices to Jesus and weigh them on how much they realign you with serving him and the advance of the Gospel. So take it easy and make that decision.

The Tragedy of Escapism

We live in a world that has perfected the art of escapism. When you take a public vehicle in the evening after work you notice how many people are on their phones. Some are scrolling down WhatsApp statuses and others going through numerous TikTok videos. It’s how we unwind after a busy day at the office. But it’s the same at home, hours and hours are spent on Facebook and YouTube. It’s what we do when we are idle or just don’t want small talk. It’s where we escape when the sermon is boring or when we are waiting in a queue. Basically, we will do anything to avoid the discomfort of waiting or having to endure boring lectures. But I think we do this when we are going through troubling times as well. We immediately find something to take our minds away from it. We go out drinking with friends. We binge-watch Netflix and spend countless hours escaping the uncomfortable reality.

Some people spend time wrestling with God and his word in times of difficulty but a lot more people do everything they can to escape reality. It’s like disciplining a child by keeping them in the house only for them to spend the whole day watching anime. You wanted them to take time and think about their mistake but they found a fun way to escape it. It’s like couples who give each other the silent treatment only to enjoy staying out with friends, time-lapses and they move on like nothing happened. Talk of going through a hard time financially or facing a loss and instead of asking God those hard questions we fill our time with escapist ideas. Unfortunately, we forget that escapism doesn’t resolve the problems we have and we waste what God wanted us to learn in that crucible of suffering. It’s therefore possible to go through a difficult time and yet come out as if nothing much has happened. Why? Because we’ve learnt to suppress our emotions and escape to our happy place. So while some might come out of suffering with a renewed conviction and a great trust in God, many surrender to fate and find an easy escape. What a double tragedy that is!

But we are not the first generation to find ourselves here. Reading the prophets you get this feeling of indifference from God’s people. God is calling them out and calling them back to himself. He’s warning them of the coming exile. You see the invasion start happening and you think finally they’ll wake up and turn back to God but no. They escape it in food and drink and turn to their idols. It’s sometimes so unbelievable reading their story without realizing just how much they mirror our society. We might think we discovered YOLO until we read those words from Isaiah 22:

¹² The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    called you on that day
to weep and to wail,
    to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth.
¹³ But see, there is joy and revelry,
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”

What are Friday nights for if not to enjoy our lives before we die? Sadly, some go out not because of the fun it brings but for the chance to escape reality. But conservative Christianity doesn’t allow for that kind of indulgence so we’ve found subtle ways to escape but still remain Christian. We throw ourselves into church activities. We move from one fellowship, meeting, prayer vigil, conference, mission, Bible study and whatever else we can find. Sadly, we might even think we are growing closer to God with all the praise from our leaders and yet sometimes we are just trying to escape. Others go the opposite direction and wallow in self-pity and in that discover all the cults and false teachers who sell cheap hope out there. But others have “good” movies and shows to get lost in before facing another trial.

But what if we learned to talk more to God during these times? What if we asked him all those hard questions? What if we told him to his face that we didn’t like how he was treating us? What if we stopped theologizing and poured our pain on him? What if we brought him our doubts and little faith? What if we turned to his word and sought to find answers from him? This may not necessarily solve our problems but it offers an opportunity for God to use them for good. There’s no point saying God will turn my suffering for good if we escape it. Instead, we can learn from Jesus’ own experience with suffering. He cries to God to take away his cup of suffering and yet embraces his will, see Mark 14:34-36. But even then he cries at the cross asking God why he was abandoning him, see Mark 15:34-37. The greatest theologian didn’t explain suffering or escape to think about other things. He faced God and poured his heart out to him. He asked questions he already knew the answer. But as long as he was speaking to God he was better off than those who don’t question God because they are escaping reality. God turned his misery for our good but God was also in his thoughts up to his last breath.

Are you in God’s family photo?

Up until the era of smartphones and portable cameras people used to hang family photos on their walls at home. Now we sadly hang them on social media. But I guess that serves the purpose albeit temporarily. But a number of people still keep this tradition. Looking at their walls you get an idea of who belongs to their family. You have mum and dad in the middle and the children all around them. It is such a beautiful site, especially with big families. But imagine going into God’s home. You sit on the sofa and look all around the photos on the wall. Who do you expect to see there? The Catholics among us might have Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. The Protestants might remove Mary and Joseph and add our favourite apostles and powerful ministers. Hebrews 11 puts a lot more saints in the picture. But the question to consider is would you be in the picture? Would you naturally consider yourself good enough to be in God’s family photo?

This question is telling in many ways. First, it exposes our theology. Second, it brings in the question of our assurance of salvation and finally, it puts our identity into question. In other words, this will tell you if you are a Christian or Muslim? If your faith is based on Christ or good works. And if you are confident about your eternal future. It’s that important. But how are we to know if we would be in that photo? Is it merely because we would like to? Or is it because we go to church and pay our dues? What about those days we are feeling low? When we have missed church and let Jesus down at work? How can we know for sure that God considers us family? How can we be part of God’s true family? The answer is simple because Jesus confirms it and the Bible records it.

Jesus speaking to the disciples says something that I think should blow our minds away. He says all those who follow and listen to him are his true family. We read towards the end of Mark chapter three, that his earthly family were looking for him because they suspected he might have been losing it. He was preaching all day long and didn’t even have time to eat. People were always around him and demons were screaming his name from every corner. In addition to this, he was making the claim to be the Christ, the son of God. Just imagine your brother saying he’s God. What’s your reaction? You might think he’s a good guy most days but obviously losing it. So they come ready to cease and lock him away. He’s a bit of an embarrassment to the good family name. But amidst all this comes the opportune moment for Jesus to declare who God’s true people are. Mark records these beautiful words:

33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.
34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3.

Jesus says those who listen and follow him have not merely joined a club. He considers them family. He’s by effect saying he, and he alone brings people into God’s family. This means that if Jesus brings you in you have full rights to go up into the family photo. Actually, you have the right to enter every room in the house without seeking permission. Heaven becomes your home. Just pause for a moment and think about the implications of this. It means if you believe in Jesus then heaven is your legitimate home. If you died today you can be sure where you’d be going, home. Why? Because God considers you family on the merits of Jesus. Do you want to know why you can have full assurance of salvation? Well, because God considers you family. This then means our greatest identity is not based on some title of Apostle, Bishop, Missionary or whatever title you might have. In the end, the greatest title is to be a son or daughter in the kingdom of God. The greatest of all privileges is that God has you in his family photo. All because of Jesus.

But Jesus is also making the case that those outside of him are not in his heavenly family. Those who don’t believe and listen to his words are not in. In other words, even Mary needed to come in through Jesus. She was not an exception. She may have brought Jesus to earth but she needed Jesus to join his heavenly family. The only way to join God’s family wasn’t being related to him by blood but by faith. Luckily we know she did believe in Jesus together with at least two of her sons James and Jude. And so when we put up a family photo for God we should have not only Mary and baby Jesus but also Jude, Kamau, Li, Achieng, Sophia, Abdul, Jackson, Anya, Xavier… and all who believe in Jesus. They all join the family because of Jesus and there is no other way. But you need to ask yourself, if Mary needed to believe in Jesus to be in his family then on what ground will you be saved? If there was no exception for that “first family” then there are no other grounds to go to God’s home other than through Jesus. Only he can bring you in.

The Ministry of Encouragement

We live in a two-faced world that tells you, on the one hand, to be the best you can be. To go out there and conquer the world. Start that business. Take on that ministry job. Ask that girl out. Go to that frontier mission field. We will be together, they say. But on the other hand, a world that believes we cannot amount to much. A world that waits for you to fail. People who quickly say we told you so. Those who talk behind your back. The Sanballats and Tobiahs say our wall cannot withstand a fox. Unfortunately, it is so easy for Christians even “mature” believers to behave the same way. To look down on young people who have a zeal for the Lord. To sit back with the world and wait for that ministry to collapse. To be critical of new ideas instead of being supportive.

Part of the disconnect in our more mainstream churches is because sometimes young people want to do things differently but the older saints believe this to mere youthful zeal. Churches lose young people when they wait for them to grow up and conform. When we think what they advocate for cannot be done. We lose our future ministers when we tell them the old path is the only way here. We kill our Gospel workforce when we critic more than we encourage and mentor. It’s a sort of “godly” scorn that uses words like discipleship and maturity to cool down youthful zeal. This is crazy because, on the other hand, we complain that young people nowadays don’t want to serve the Lord. So how do we correct this trend? I think in this two-faced world we need more Barnabas, more sons of encouragement and fewer critics.  

We need More Sons of Encouragement

The ministry of Barnabas is one we can easily overlook but one I think was very important to the early church. Barnabas was one of the first disciples to sell off his property and lay it on the apostles’ feet, Acts 4:36-37. Most people today would wait and see what would become of these apostles’ ministry before spending their money on them. It was Barnabas who brought Paul to the church in Jerusalem, Acts 9:27. With Paul’s history many would be afraid to back him. Many would wait to see him become somebody trustworthy. But Barnabas was ready to support him. Barnabas would later bring Paul to Antioch where the disciples were first called Christians, Acts 11:25-26. Barnabas a mature believer could easily have gone for one of the other apostles or older believers but he worked with Paul. Barnabas would later even work with the deserter John Mark, Acts 15:37-39. If Barnabas ever thought of his status as an older and possibly wealthy saint he would have little to do with the likes of Paul and Mark. If he thought he knew best he would have expected those who came after to conform to his way and style. But not so with Barnabas. He was ready to work with anyone and ready to support those starting out in ministry. We need more men like these today.

We need to realize that anyone available for the work of the Lord is welcome however young and differently oriented they are to us. Those children in Sunday school, those naughty but energetic teenagers, those students, those new believers with new ideas are a needed workforce for the kingdom. We need them more than we think. Sadly, older saints think it’s their mandate to rain on their parade, to kill their youthful ideas instead of holding their hands. But imagine having a friend like Barnabas, one who is gifted and mature but ready to hold your hand. A friend who listens to your uncooked thoughts and tells you it can be done. One who doesn’t just say go for it but is ready to walk with you in the journey? One who is ready to support the work with their own resources? One who is available to hear your disappointments without saying I knew that would happen?

We are All called to be Encouragers

Whenever we think about God calling people to ministry we think of those going to plant churches. Those going to be missionaries. Those called to be Bible teachers, pastors and evangelists. But we forget a ministry that we have all been called to. That of encouragement. In truth, only a few people in a congregation can become pastors and frontier missionaries. The major role of the rest of the church is to support and encourage anyone wanting to take initiative for the Lord. To disciple and encourage those who will be future ministers. To encourage those serving the Lord in the corporate world. To encourage those who believe they have a calling among students. To encourage those raising children for Jesus. To encourage those who want to serve him through music. Those who want to start Christian institutions. Those seeking causes of justice. Those Christians going into politics. Those leading churches.

The Lord has called all believers to do his work. The whole church is needed for the whole world to hear the whole Gospel. But while some will take leadership roles and others go out from among us we have all been called to the ministry of encouragement. The world has enough critics as it is. And yes there are times we need to warn people of the dangers involved in each initiative. Sometimes we might need to tell people they need to take more time to prepare. Other times we need to help people see the bigger picture. As a church, we need to disciple more before we deploy. But we do this with a spirit of encouragement. We get excited when someone shares their vision. We walk with those young in faith ready to see them do more for the Lord. We disciple young students with a vision of them outgrowing and outdoing us. We need a posture that says I’m ready to work with you. More than that, I’m ready to hold you on my shoulders. I don’t just want you to sell my brand. I want you to do what the Lord is calling you to do. Where many look down on the new generation we need to see them as a great workforce for the kingdom. We need to listen to them and help them do exploits for the kingdom of God. We need more sons of encouragement.

Sin is Man’s Attempt to Save Himself

We all grow up with an idea of sin shaped mostly by our society. Religion talks a lot about sin but to many of us sin is merely bad behavior. It’s that thing that is frowned upon. Some sins we all agree on because they harm others. But what about those sins that don’t harm anyone? We can agree on stealing public funds being a wicked thing but what if we only take a small part of it? What if we use the rest for good of the society? We generally agree that adultery is not good. But what about lust? Who does pornography harm? We hate the excess use of power but if someone in power favours us we don’t really mind it. After all any other person in that position would do the same. In the eyes of society, therefore, sin can be controlled if we avoid excesses. Actually, if we make sure we don’t harm anyone in the immediate context then we can do whatever we want. So why is the Bible so obsessed with sin? Why are Christians always trying to control both our public and private lifestyles? Why does God keep us feeling guilty?

Now the quick answer from our religious friends is that God hates sin. God says it’s bad, the Bible has it printed out so don’t do it. But why is it bad, asks my curious friend? If I don’t harm anyone with my sexual preference and orientation, why am I judged? What does a little jealousy and gossip have to do with hell? Isn’t God overreacting? And true if you look at sin from the eyes of society it might seem like Christians are self-righteous people who want to ruin everyone’s life with their morals. But the Bible’s view of sin in Genesis 3 proves something different. It says that sin is not merely bad behaviour. Not something to be frowned upon but hated. Sin is both an act of rebellion against our maker and an attempt at personal salvation. Sin is man’s attempt to save himself.

Sin Says You Don’t Need God

Sin is not just bad because God says so in the Bible. Sin is not just rebellion but an attempt at salvation. An attempt that has proven to fail countless times but one we keep making. Sin is man’s attempt to be God so he can save himself. The Serpent makes this very convincing proposal in verse 5 of Genesis 3; that God doesn’t want you to be like him. He says this fruit is what stands between you and God. You are dependent on him now but if you eat it you’ll be invincible. In other words, you won’t need him. You won’t need his salvation because you’ll be able to save yourselves. At the heart of sin, therefore, is man’s attempt at saving himself. Like a little rebellious child, the man is saying to his Father, I don’t need you anymore. But while we focus on the rejection part I think we miss why man gravitates towards the serpent’s proposal. He wants to save himself and that’s what sin promises.

The rest of the Bible story shows us people making that same attempt time and time again. The people of Israel rebel against Moses because they would rather save themselves. God saves them from Egypt but a little change of menu has them wanting to go back to Egypt. They say at least there we had some fish, cucumbers and garlic, see Numbers 11:4-6. God promised the land of milk and honey, the land of freedom but they would rather go back to slavery than trust him. Now, when we read that we wonder, how could you want to go back there? Have you forgotten how bad Egypt was? But in truth, we are always confronted by this scenario ourselves that’s why we go back to the same sin over and over again.

Sin always presents us with the easier route to salvation albeit weak and filled with regrets. It says, take a little money from that basket and buy yourself something nice. You won’t harm anyone. But behind that small “innocent” sin is an attempt to save yourself instead of trusting God. And this happens all the time both in the world and in the church. A pastor who is struggling to make ends meet hears that small voice that tells him, to make his sermons more appealing to people’s wants. If you tell them God will bless them when they give you money, then giving will improve. Tell them to keep planting that seed. And after all, God has said he will do it. Then you move past your daily bread to wanting that church to grow, to build a bigger one, and to plant other churches…Every time sin tells you to save yourself by taking matters into your hands instead of trusting God.

Idols are Another attempt at Salvation

The idols of sex, power, money and fame are another way men make an attempt at salvation. Sex promises that regardless of what we are going through once we get the right partner or multiple of them we will save ourselves even if for a weekend. If not that at least that show on Netflix will do. Power says if you get me then you get control, you’ll be in charge and not need anyone. You will save yourself and direct your future. But then you realize there’s always someone above you so you need more power to save yourself. Money says if you get me you won’t need God or anyone else. Get enough of me and you’ll be saved. You think if only I have a million. I would be saved. Then again ten million, one billion for sure…But salvation remains a mirage with money. Fame says as long as people are speaking your name you’ll be invincible. Everyone will respect you, and whatever you need will come your way. You will save yourself.

But you and I know these idols never deliver what they promise. Sin and its idols always leave us wanting more, regretting what we have become and with a warped view of reality. So when the Bible says sin is bad it’s not trying to ruin your fun. God is saving you from this ugly master of sin. He is saving you from yourself. He’s protecting you from a path that promises much but never delivers. He’s saying clicking that site won’t save you. Taking that extra money won’t end your problems. That idol will not save you but I can. God in Jesus presents a path that is proven and tested. While sin promises much and delivers little, Jesus goes the full mile. He dies to save us. He says trust in me for your salvation and I can guarantee it. The question is will you walk the path that never saves or trust in the real Saviour? Next time sin knocks at your door remember it can’t save you. Knock instead on Jesus’ door and ask him to save you instead. To provide for you, to give you the joy you desperately crave, to take away your burden of sin and give you the assurance of salvation. Where sin fails Jesus saves.

The Preacher Matters

One of the best and most challenging pieces of feedback I have ever received in my preaching journey is to be myself. A friend listened to one of my talks and said everything I expected them to say except this one. They thought the sermon was faithful to the text though I could have gone even further. It engaged with the audience although it could always be better. The state, point, explain, illustrate and ground the text route was followed. But they didn’t feel like the Peter who was preaching was the Peter they had spent the previous evening cracking jokes with.

Now, for most of us who recommend expository preaching that doesn’t sound like where we want to start. To counter the culture where false teaching and glorified MoGs (men of God) take centre stage my reaction is always to say preach the word brother. Let your structure and content be shaped by the text. Read it like ten times and read around it to be very familiar with it. Make sure your nose is in the text and that people leave hearing from Paul or Nehemiah not you. Better still, make sure to move out of the way of the word. We even make that prayer, don’t we? God please use me and help me not to be a barrier to your people. It, therefore, sounds almost unfaithful to say that the preacher, his unique personality and temperament matters too. To say that people should yearn to hear from the preacher not only because of the text in mind but because of their unique personality.

But the more I have thought about this the more I’m convinced that the preacher matters too. Haven’t you listened to someone preach and wondered if that was the same person you knew? You know that’s Josh but he sounds like that other televangelist. Or worse, their personality is so removed that they sound like a robot. I would say there are three boxes we need to tick off before we stand to preach. One, the word has to be in the driving seat. The word matters otherwise you shouldn’t call yourself a preacher of the word. Secondly, people matter, especially the people you speak to regularly. You need to know how they process information, what ticks them and what they are struggling with so that you can bring the word to bear in their lives. But that’s not all. The preacher matters too. The reason why God has given you that opportunity is so that you can speak his word to his people but as a person, not a robot. Your unique personality matters too.

Who is this Imposter?

My friend loved the sermon I gave. They thought it spoke to the people to some extent but he was unsure of the man behind the pulpit. To him, he was an imposter, not the man he knew. Now, you would think that’s okay, after all God’s people heard what God wanted to say. But I would actually say that to some degree the preacher is unfaithful when that happens. Why? Because he leaves the impression that we come to God’s word not as ourselves but as our imagined better or mostly boring selves. It leaves those aspiring to be preachers thinking they need to copy someone else in order to preach God’s word. And for those who know us, it leaves them confused about how to relate with us. Should they deal with me as the Peter they know who is free with them or the Peter who stands before them to preach and is all serious and inaccessible. I would think when God gives us an opportunity to serve his people he doesn’t require us to completely overhaul our personality. It needs to come out in our preaching. Yes, different passages will need us to check our tone but we never need to change our personality.

Just think about the more than forty different authors of the Bible. It’s easy to assume only God’s voice and his audience matter. That it’s all about what God has said and what his people hear. But then again he uses Moses one time, then he goes to David another time, then Isaiah, Ezra, Micah, Luke, Paul, Peter, James, Jude… Now imagine reading Paul’s epistles but he sounded like David writing the Psalms or Moses with Deuteronomy. The Bible would be one boring book. Actually, there would be no need for human authors. God could easily have spoken from heaven and had Moses record everything for all generations after him like the Quran.

Be Yourself

But no, God spoke over time using people with their unique personalities. Actually, when you read the Bible carefully you can’t help but see how the individual authors come across. You need your thinking gear when reading Romans. You prepare your heart when reading the Psalms. Your philosophy is challenged when the preacher in Ecclesiastes is speaking. Hebrews turns your world upside down and you move quickly with Mark in his Gospel. You enjoy the narratives in Exodus. You love John’s depth in his Gospel. Your mind is blown away by the prophecies of Isaiah and you can relate with Nehemiah. But none of these are devoid of the human author’s unique personality. The truth is most of the time the genre is shaped as much by the audience as it is by the author. Imagine if it was Paul writing the Psalms. Or Peter with Revelation. What about Moses writing Romans. Or Isaiah with Song of Songs. The message could still be upheld to an extent. The people would still hear something from God but it wouldn’t come across the same way. Like my friend, they would wonder who this imposter was and that would affect how they received the word. Thank God that he used these people with their unique personalities. Praise him that his own son took a human personality and he was always himself.

So as you prepare to preach do all you can to understand the text. Be faithful to the word. Do all you can to know and relate with your audience. Be faithful to the people. But as my friend advised be yourself. Yes, John Piper makes for a good preacher. Tim Keller too. Don’t you wish you could be Spurgeon or Martyn Lloyd-Jones? Maybe Dick Lucas or Philip Jensen. But you can’t and you shouldn’t be. Instead, use the route they follow but remain yourself. Be faithful to the word. Faithful to your congregation. But also be faithful to yourself. Preach the same word with vigour but as yourself. If God didn’t think the preacher matters then he wouldn’t have called you. He would have had Moses record all our sermons and our churches would merely be synagogues where the word is read but not explained or applied by unique preachers to specific congregations. Preach the word. Feed the Lord’s sheep. But do it with all you have. Be the man they know and relate with not the man you wish was their pastor. God has called you. Be yourself.