 2 Corinthians 6:3 Pastors and preachers are the chief offenders in the church! I was preaching one Sunday about speaking the truth. I started with this joke. Question: Why do scientists hate atoms? Answer: Because they make up everything. This humor spurred my preaching to what I thought was the most effective and engaging sermon. However, after the service, one of the members approached me to speak in private. Woman: I’m so offended by how you used me as an illustration in your preaching. Now, those who know me well are aware that I make a joke of mostly everything, even in the face of anger and threat. My unassuming husband believes it’s because I can’t make eye contact, but I think I’m just insensitive and too eager to make people laugh. I jokingly replied, “Why, are you an atom?” The woman was livid. She rebuked me and walked out, threatening she’d never attend the church again. It’s ridiculous how I often find my foot in my mouth. Intending to make someone laugh, I unintentionally banished someone from church, perhaps even away from God. I’ve repented and reached out to the woman, but my epic failure also got me thinking about the offenses that occur in the church. Let me explain the preacher’s perspective. Unless a preacher abuses authority by rebuking specific individuals in a sermon, the pulpit could sometimes be a stage for divine comedy. It’s not that the preacher is a stand-up comedian, it’s just the fact that a good preaching guarantees spiritual feathers to be ruffled. And, instead of being convicted, some Christians get offended. Remember that discomfort from conviction is what God wants His people to feel because it leads to repentance, but some Christians feel attacked instead.  Pastors might offend church goers even at the beginning of a service. How?
If a pastor fails to greet a member, he’s a snob. If a pastor welcomes a church member, the latter feels interrupted. If a pastor shakes one’s hand, the person says it hurt his arthritis. If the pastor hands out a ministry sign-up card, members feel he’s interested in tithes. You get the gist? The pastor can’t win if members wear their feelings on their sleeves. Like a pilot preparing for take-off, the poor pastor can’t account for every Tom, Dick and Larry who attends the service. As a chatty blind preacher, I personally long to have physical contact with people because I can’t make eye contact. Some folks are the same, but others get weirded out by a touchy-feely first meeting experience, especially most people can’t tell I’m blind at first glance. The following is another offender for some people. If a pastor requests help from volunteers, members may think he’s lazy. Some Christians believe pastors are called to do all church-related work even if they’re not paid. Surprisingly, this includes setting up and tidying up church areas, doing visitations and even evangelism. Yes, some church goers don’t evangelize because they believe it’s the pastor’s job, not theirs. On the contrary, Shepherds don’t produce sheep, he feeds them and raises up shepherds. Meanwhile, sheep produce sheep, so church members also need to spread the Gospel. If you’ve stopped going to church because you’ve been offended by a pastor or preacher, I encourage you to have a private conversation with your offender. If you’re too embarrassed to do so, please pray about the “F” word – “Forgive” and return to the flock. This is the worst time to be isolated from the fellowship. We need to be a part of the community of believers and strengthen our weakest link. After all, it’s one of the secrets on how to live longer. Reflection Questions Share an experience wherein you were offended by a pastor or preacher? If you’re a pastor or preacher, share how you’ve unintentionally offended a church member.  One Sunday we checked out a church. Driving through the parking lot, my husband observed several elderly people, and that the “disabled” parking spaces were full. Disappointed, I instantly assumed a stand-offish attitude made obvious by my raised eyebrows. “I don’t see myself in this church,” I resisted. I have a perennial senior moment about my age and my blindness so I’m always critical about these conditions. I prepared myself to walk into a loud worshipping congregation. Churches in theatrical structures usually play worship music loud enough to damage ear drums, so I keep several sets of earplugs in my purse, just in case. Take note, I also have a Google Pixel Pro earbuds, best for noise cancellation, which I flaunt when I’m around a younger group. This time though, in this particular church, I didn’t need earplugs. The church was in a small building, the music volume was just right and there was no earth-shaking base. The music instruments were traditional, and I thought it sounded “unpa-lumpa-ish”. The songs were old too. My eyebrows raised to a higher altitude thinking I won’t reach high worship. But, I unconsciously started to sing along with the congregation. In fact, I sang with vibrato when I heard the old lady behind me sing, as if to tell her, “I can do better.” I scowled when I heard an elderly man was going to preach the message. “An elderly preacher to match the congregation?” mocked my evil mind. He even possessed the shaking voice characteristic of the fire and brimstone preachers of yesteryears. But lo and behold, that shaking voice roused the fallow part in my heart that had been longing to hear about my resurrected Jesus who has all authority and power over everything. Unlike other contemporary preaching, this was not a gospel about a user-friendly God dispensing therapy to His anxious buddies with crippling depression. Nor was it about a Prince Charming Jesus who would save us from this evil world to live happily ever after in heaven someday. I really hate the thought that I need to die to be joyful. Don’t get me wrong, I want to go to heaven. But for right now, like Caleb, there are still mountains to conquer. (Take note Kaleb was 80 when he said this.) Neither do I need a holy emotional euphoria that will spur me to cry, laugh and scream all at once and then Monday will feel so-so, business as usual. The preaching was about Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, the Great I Am, who is anything and everything for my moment. The one who gives me reason to get up every morning to work alongside with Him on the Kingdom-family business. The one who spurs me to stand behind Him fighting giants hindering Kingdom progress. This old preacher God sent to us, an old congregation, threw me from denial to a complete surrender! I realized that I’ve bought in to the lie of this youth-oriented culture that espouses “planned obsolescence,” (please Google that for now) and ignored the vast wisdom and resources of elderly people like me. (gulp)  Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. But today I begin my journey to surrendering to God’s natural processes, aka growing old.
How do you feel about growing older? Please share stories how older folks have inspired you. |
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