Lord, we only want the pastor you have for us. We are setting aside what and whom we want, and are instead asking You to send Your choice for us.Words that began the war.
We all live by our personal agendas that are driven by our character. In a church, when a task is assigned to more than one person, agendas--and the character behind them--start to emerge.
To give God permission to insert His agenda--when we secretly think we know best--is a step of huge and difficult intention.
Our opinion is the voice of our heart's agenda. A Jesus heart--one surrendered to God and driven by His grace and love--will seek God's agenda because Jesus always deferred to His Father. Voices in a church that move rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son (Eph. 4, Day 2) will have time and energy for the skilled servant work for which they are being trained.
Dissension invites us to spend that valuable time and energy on circular, non-fruit-bearing arguments and standoffs. It is a seduction not of God.
In Matthew 13:20-21, Jesus is explaining His meaning of the seed cast in gravel:
"...this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it."Soil of character will host roots in Christ: deferring to others, not taking self so seriously, displaying a servant's heart with no need for recognition. These roots meet difficulty with strength and preparedness.
Difficulty will always be the next event for a church. Bringing light to a dark world is to enter into near constant opposition. If there is no soil of character--if the voices (opinions) of the church are a cacophony of agendas--dissension is the result. Skilled servant work cannot get done. People stay wrapped in their words and their frustration.
Tomorrow: Why leadership (and its agenda) in a church matters.
