Category: Ministry
Lying leaders inevitably hurt other Christians, bring reproach upon the Gospel, and bring both temporal and eternal harm to themselves. David Kowalski shares three major lessons he has learned from his exposure to lying leaders.
When we evangelize, we convert individuals from the world. When we secularize, we let ourselves become converted to the ways of the world.
To make complete disciples we must attend to the whole Word in scriptural proportion.
What was once a time for teaching has largely become more of a time of fellowship falsely labelled teaching.
One exhortation I would offer to my fellow ministers is to stop whining about how hard the pastorate is.
Unmerited favoritism toward relatives in hiring is common in the church, but should it be?
There are a few principles regarding comforting the sick that I think many, well-meaning, healthy people do not understand.
We both show and tell to shine the light of truth in the darkness.
Contextualization in cross-cultural ministry is a rather delicate thing that tends to resist hard and fast rules.
Kids matter to God just as surely as adults do. To minister to them we must be willing to enter their world and speak to them in ways to which they will listen.
If you want to influence people, love them.
Being an active part of a community of believers requires maturity.
Lying leaders will usually claim that any genuine activity of the Holy Spirit done through their ministry is God's personal endorsement of their character. The lying leader's effort to use God's gracious blessings as an endorsement of their character is an attempt to make the Holy Spirit a facilitator of their lies.
Lying leaders frequently cite David's decision to not touch the Lord's anointed as a model that teaches one must never question, disagree with, or disapprove of the leader's teachings or actions. They trust that their devotees will not study this passage with an open mind, for in it we find that David and his band were not in compliance with Saul. Saul, the anointed one, considered these men to be rebellious outlaws who would not submit to his discipline. David's choice to "not touch the Lord's anointed" was a decision to not kill Saul, not a decision to agree with everything Saul said or to mindlessly obey his every dictate.
As a liar tells more lies he or she becomes more of a liar at heart. The practice becomes an increasingly natural and dominant part of the person as their conscience becomes increasingly seared and the rewards of lying become increasingly appreciated.
