Something happened. Pastoral ministry done right has always been spiritually grueling and emotionally taxing, but several years back it was almost as if a switch was flipped. Whether it was the rigors of the pandemic or something else, the ministry got exponentially more difficult because people seemingly got exponentially more “grumbly” (if that’s a word).
Sadly, it seems that whatever is going on in the world, it eventually seeps into the church. Whether it is just a trickle of worldly wisdom, or a tsunami of sinful ideology, the church-at-large has not stood strong on biblical truth. In recent decades, we have witnessed countless churches, denominations, seminaries, and organizations who were once orthodox, acquiesce and succumb to cultural pressures.
Whether it be in the form of Critical Race Theory, the embrace of sexual perversion, abortion, same-sex marriage, egalitarianism, or any other distortion of truth, the snowball has gotten bigger and bigger as it continues to roll down the hill.
As a result, one such phenomenon that has seemed to take root almost across the board is what has been dubbed, “cancel culture.” This is the idea that if folks don’t get what they want or what they think they deserve, they will “cancel” their relationships and move on. And while this seems to be the new cultural norm, it doesn’t square with scripture (Mark 12:30-31; Ephesians 4:32, 5:21).
Relationship Reset
What seems to have escaped the minds of many Christians today, is that God has established a certain order in our relationships. At the forefront of every human institution that God has ordained, He has done so with an authority/submission principle. And it starts with our submission to Him (James 4:7). Unless we are instructed to sin against God and His Law, we are to honor Him by being in humble submission to those whom He has placed in authority over us (Acts 5:29; I Peter 2:13-14).
Consider His family construct. Children are to submissively honor and obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1-3; Colossians 3:20) and wives are to willingly place themselves in subjection to their husband’s leadership in the home (Ephesians 5:22-24; Colossians 3:18; I Peter 3:1). Husbands are to lovingly (and understandingly) lead their wives and their families in the same manner that Christ loves and leads His church (Ephesians 5:25-33; Colossians 3:19; I Peter 3:7).
In the workplace, employees are to submit to their employers, even those who are unreasonably harsh and difficult to deal with. And employers are to treat their employees with respect, fairness and dignity (I Peter 2:18; Ephesians. 6:5-9; Titus 2:9-10).
As it relates to governing authorities, citizens are not to be rebellious, but submissive (Romans 13:1; I Peter 2:13).
This same principle carries over to the church as members are to be in willing submission and obedience to their elders (Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 5:1-5).
God covers all the bases in His Word as to how we are to do relationships, but there appears to be a growing disconnect.
Grumbling and disputing are sins that have somehow gone unconfronted (Philippians 2:14). Christians instead are to “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven [us].”
While love does not equate to tolerance of sin, it has certain characteristics that are to be put into practice. “Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (I Corinthians 13:4-8).
Ministry Reset
Earlier this month, my wife Kathy and I embarked on our first ever two-week vacation. Our plan was to get away and visit family and friends while exploring various places we had never been before. It was fun. We traveled some four thousand miles through nine different states, saw a hundred or more people that we hadn’t seen in a long time, and while we were busy, we rested.
God instituted rest. In fact, in the account of His creation recorded in the book of Genesis, we are told that after God created the world in six literal days, on the seventh day, He rested (Genesis 2:2).
With the hustle and bustle of life and ministry, it is good to get some rest. It is good to take the time to “count our blessings and name them one by one.” It is good to take a careful look at our own lives as opposed to always being quick to look at the lives of others. It is good to hit the reset button.
And it is good to be reminded that Christ offers rest to all who come to Him. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Heart Reset
It makes sense why, but the older I get, the more I realize that life on this earth is short. Time really does have a way of flying by. Interestingly, while we were “resting” on our trip, I felt a little bit of discomfort in my chest. It crossed my mind that maybe I should go to a hospital to get it checked out. But it quickly dissipated, and I feel fine now. All of that to say is, sometimes it seems that we are more on heightened alert about our physical condition than we are our spiritual condition.
Rehearsing the truths of our Lord and examining our hearts should be a regular practice in the life of the Christian. We all need a spiritual checkup from time to time. And while we are doing just that, let’s be careful not to embrace the worldly practice of cancel culture, but earnestly seek to love and minister to people even if they don’t agree with us. After all, life is not about us, it’s all about Christ and others (Luke 10:27; Galatians 2:20; John 15:12; I John 3:16).