MYTH OF PERFECTION
No one who has been called by God believes that ridiculous myth that because you are a person of faith, you shouldn’t have the normal problems that others face. Whether you are a pastor, educator, musician, or in specialized ministry, the myriad of issues and challenges of life that confront all humans are yours as well. It is not true that if you just had enough faith, these problems would fade away.
There is a subtle message, often reinforced by the prosperity gospel speakers, that faith will solve all your problems. Have trouble paying your rent; just pray about it and believe. Have marital problems; faith can resolve all things. Have conflict in your church; you must not be a praying church. Unlike Jesus and the early disciples, the belief is that if you have enough faith, your problems will dissolve and prosperity, success, health, etc. will be yours to enjoy. Not only in your proclamations, but in your life, you need to be a counterpoint to that destructive heresy.
NO INVISIBLE SHIELD
Even if you theologically agree that faith does not act like an invisible shield that protects you from all problems, still as religious leaders we feel the pressure not to allow others to see the effects of those challenges in our life. After all, we are to be examples that will inspire others. If we, as religious leaders are affected by stress, greed, egoism, lust, etc., how can we expect our people to resist these same forces in life?
REALITY TEST
So here is the reality test for you and the message for those who are influenced by you. Can religious leaders nurture the faith of the people if they have some similar faults that the Bible describes among the early disciples as well as the major figures in the earlier Bible stories? Remember, James and John had temper problems, Peter was always speaking before he thought and denied his Lord at a critical time, Thomas was filled with doubts, they expressed fear, misunderstanding, and lacked courage at critical moments, and the list goes on. Recall, also, that faith did not protect Jesus from harm or result in visible success in his mission. Prosperity was hardly a reward for his faith. If the Gospels are a faithful witness, Jesus faced fear, saw his closest followers abandon him, and even gave voice to doubt on the cross—”My God, my God, why . . .”
GOD’S MESSENGER
So if we are going to be vehicles through which God can work in this world, we have to learn how to confront the same problems and issues as other people, not expect perfection from ourselves or others, and learn, in the words of Paul, how God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. As leaders in the church, we should demonstrate how to face our problems, not deny that we have them.
In the next blog, I want to suggest a process that we can follow for confronting our problems. In doing so, we may develop a message that we can pass on to others.
