The church has seen the rise of “celebrity cult status” pastors who act like spiritual superstars.
In this article I define rock stars as those who act as little gods who believe they are above everyone else. They walk around with an entourage, body guards, and are inaccessible to family, friends, high-level staff and peers, and are unaccountable islands to themselves.
Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” The word righteousness in this passage is not referring to an individual’s right standing with God but to a nation that adheres to God’s righteous standards as found in His moral law. Notice it is not democrats or republicans who exalt a nation but righteousness.
Satan is the author of rebellion, which is the root of all sin. He rebelled against God’s rule and continues to rebel against God’s rule through willing people who rebel against spiritual authority. This is the major way churches are divided and even destroyed.
I was recently with a friend of mine (whom I will leave nameless for obvious reasons) who said that the reason his city is in such a mess is because “the pulpits are polluted”! When he said this, I immediately began to think and pray about the implications and reasons for this strong statement. Upon reflection, I found his statement to be true, based on conversations I have had with numerous leaders across the globe.
I have served as a senior pastor for over 30 years, and I have also worked extensively with political, community and business leaders over the past three decades. As my understanding regarding the Kingdom of God and marketplace ministry has evolved, I see church with a new lens and notice the frustration many young people and professionals have regarding their local churches. Many in these categories feel limited rather than celebrated and released into their callings.
As a lead pastor for more than three decades, I have observed that many people in the church have an orphan spirit. Not only that, but there are organizations and churches that function more like an orphanage than a life giving community. By orphan spirit I am referring to people who have a sense of alienation from their father and/or those who attempt to earn their father’s love through success.
As much as I feel uncomfortable with this, transfer growth (that is, numerical growth to a local church when people migrate from another church) is a reality pastors around the world need to plan for. I understand there are going to be some people assigned to our local church from other churches for various reasons. One of these reasons is that apostolic/prophetic people will be drawn to apostolic/prophetic churches modeled after the New Testament church, and in some cases these people may come to Christ in churches without that New Testament revelation.
It is evident there are many in the Body of Christ who attempt to integrate their Christian faith with the pursuit of happiness. Some have even gone so far as to have a theology of happiness, in which they obey or disobey Scripture based on what gives them the most happiness. Several years ago a prominent pastor in New York City divorced his wife and married someone else in his church because, he said, “God wants me happy!”
Through the past 37 plus years of serving and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, I have come to understand a very important truth. That the Holy Spirit is not only needed to heal the sick, preach with authority, and fill us with His fruits of the spirit, but to function as the greatest teacher and guide of the church.
The general axiom regarding leadership is: If your greatest goal is to please people, become an entertainer; if you want to be a great leader, expect to have continual opposition. Read More
