Several times I have said from the stage and on this blog that someone has made me mad enough to want to punch them in the throat…and EVERY time someone sends in a comment about how a “godly” man would NEVER say something like that.
So I ask—is it ever ok for a pastor to be passionate…to use STRONG language—heck in some cases even to be offensive in what he says? Some people say no—and that is because their desire is for their pastor to be passive, wear sweater vests and listen to Clay Aiken.
HOWEVER, Jesus said in Matthew 11:12 that the kingdom of God is forcefully advancing…and FORCEFUL men lay hold of it. There are some times that the gloves have to come off and the vision MUST be communicated with passion…and in some cases it WILL be necessary to use strong language and offend some people.
Take a short walk through the Bible with me and see what I mean. (And PLEASE save your e-mails…I do not have the time to list every reference of forceful leadership. I know that after this some of you will desperately want to accuse me of using only a few passages—STOP IT!) :-)
How about Nehemiah? By far one of my favorite men in the Bible—a leader—a PASSIONATE leader! Take a look at Nehemiah 13 sometime, now there is a dude who GOES OFF when things were not in line with God’s vision. For example…
- In Nehemiah 13:4-9 he has a temper tantrum and cleans house!
- In Nehemiah 13:10-12 he CONFRONTED things when they were not being done right.
- In Nehemiah 13:21 he flat out threatens to whip some rear end if people kept ignoring the Sabbath! (I love this guy!)
- In Nehemiah 13:23-25 he completely loses his mind—cusses people out and PULLS OUT PEOPLE’S HAIR! (I actually think this is the first business meeting in the Bible!)
- In Nehemiah 13:28 he chases a guy away from him!
This guys was a flat out freak!
How about the apostle Paul? Was he a “godly” man? Did he ever use forceful words? Was he ever offensive? Let me hit one example and move…
How about in Galatians 5:7-12 (especially verse 12) where Paul is dealing with people who say that accepting Christ is NOT enough…you also have to be circumcised. (I am guessing this really cut back on the number of converts!)
By the way…don’t we do the same today? Many are teaching that not only do you have to accept Christ…but you have to do all sorts of other things…wow…we’ve really progressed in 2,000 years.
Anyway, Paul is ADAMENT about the ONLY way for a person to be saved as Jesus. AND there were actually people saying that they were better than just “normal” Christians because they were circumcised. It was like someone saying, “I in the A league—you are in the minors.” And basically Paul says in Galatians 5:12, “Hey, if you are in the A leagues now—why don’t you just cut the whole thing off and be an all star?”
Like it or not—that is what he is saying…YES, it’s strong! YES, it’s offensive…and YES, it needed to be said. If it had not been needed the I am sure the Holy Spirit would have NOT allowed it into Scripture.
How about Jesus?
Surely we can ALL agree that He is godly! :-) A simple look at Matthew 23 will prove the point—here He goes OFF on the Pharisees! He calls them hypocrites, blind guides, whitewashed tombs, serpents (which put them on the same level as the devil…every Pharisee KNEW what He was referring to—where is the first place in Scripture that a serpent appears? Genesis 3…the devil tempting Eve.)
Like I said—this is just ONE section—there are others. And I am sure if the bloggers had been alive back then that they would have posted how ungodly Jesus was because He actually had the nerve to offend some people.
All I am saying is this—there are times when a leader HAS to come strong—and many “churched” people just are not used to that. SO…as a result, when a pastor comes across that way he is labeled cocky and arrogant.
I don’t even fight that fight anymore. I can’t—it’s useless! BUT I have made God a promise that I will do what HE tells me to do and say what HE tells me to say. In my opinion there are WAY too many preachers out there who are freakin’ SCARED to do what needs to be done and say what needs to be said…and our churches ARE DYING because of it
Let me be clear about this…if someone IS cocky and arrogant then THEY take credit for everything. Folks, I am NOT SMART…I am a walking example of an Acts 4:13 guy…I made a 790 on my SAT, I dropped out of seminary…but what I do KNOW is God’s vision for our church—and I will do what He says to do and say what He says to say…and NO ONE will EVER stop that—EVER! He has set me on fire—and it’s just starting to get hot!!!
SO…that’s how it is. Call me cocky and arrogant…say that I am a control freak…say whatever, but NewSpring will keep on growing, lives will continue to be changed, families will continue to be put back together again, addicts will continue to find hope, the poor will continue to be served…and Jesus will continue to get the glory for it all! He reigns!!!