Fighting the Ministry Killer

During the first missionary journey of the Apostle Paul and his friend Barnabas, an incident occurred that greatly troubled them and which could have destroyed their ministry, had they responded to it in the wrong way. The Bible says that, when they came "to Lystra and Derbe," they were "preaching the gospel there" (Acts 14:6-7, NKJV). Apparently, Paul and Barnabas were having trouble getting the message across to the people, and therefore, God chose to perform a miraculous sign to get their attention, as He often did in that time period to confirm the New Testament teaching that was being proclaimed. The Bible says, "And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, 'Stand up straight on your feet!' And he leaped and walked" (Acts 14:8-10, NKJV).

The goal of this healing was not simply to help this crippled man, but also to cause those who witnessed this miracle to recognize that Paul and Barnabas were truly representing God and proclaiming His Word. What actually happened was far from what this miracle was performed to produce. The Bible says, "Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, 'The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!' And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes." (Acts 14:11-13, NKJV). Instead of recognizing that Paul and Barnabas were speaking on behalf of the one true God, they began to treat them as gods themselves.

In the present, we have a completed New Testament that has long since been miraculously confirmed as the Word of God. And though we still see miraculous healings being performed by God from time to time, today's healings are not done in the same way or for the same purpose as those that we see in the New Testament. In our time, God has placed emphasis on people believing His complete and confirmed Word, which is the Holy Bible. Rather than miracles leading to someone believing God's Word, miracles now follow someone who has believed God's Word, and these miracles are usually manifested in the personal and spiritual change that comes over them. With that said, those of us in the ministry today might conclude that this problem that Paul and Barnabas faced could not happen to us now. But this is a dangerous conclusion that will leave a person open to one of the most insidious attacks on the ministry. This attack is a temptation of pride, through which the minister is offered the opportunity to be exalted and worshipped instead of God. Responding to this temptation in the wrong way is truly a ministry killer, and that is why we must learn to fight it.

First of all, to fight this fight, you must understand whether or not you are in the ministry. So many times Christians get the impression that only those who preach the Word of God are "ministers," but that is absolutely wrong. Every Christian is called to be a minister, to be someone who serves the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why, contrary to the teachings of many denominations, there is no such thing as a separation between clergy and laity. A clergyman and a layman, although they carry the different titles that they have given one another, actually bear one title in the body of Christ, which is the title of "minister." Every Christian is a part of the body of Christ and is meant to serve Him in His Church, doing that which God has gifted them to do. This means that every Christian has a ministry that Satan wants to destroy.

There will come a time when each servant of Jesus Christ will be patted on the back and given credit for what God actually did through his or her life. This is a natural response to God's work by people that are accustomed to living by sight rather than by faith. Instead of seeing what has been done as evidence for the power of God's invisible hand, it is seen as evidence for the power of human hands. Paul and Barnabas confronted this misconception without hesitation. The Bible records that "...when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out and saying, 'Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them...'" (Acts 14:14-15, NKJV). They reminded them that God is the Creator of everything, because, beginning with His act of creation, humans have always given credit to someone or something else for what God alone could have done. And in light of the healing of this crippled man, their point was simple: It is a blasphemous thing to give credit to man for what only God could do. That is why they tore their clothes in emotion over what they had been given credit for instead of God. Despite the strong response that Paul and Barnabas had to their audience's misconception of them, the Bible says, "Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them" (Acts 14:18, ESV).

Now in application, I'm not going to tell you to tear your clothes when you get patted on the back, nor tell you to accuse the one who is doing it of blasphemy. On the contrary, I am simply telling you to be very careful to give God the glory for what He has done in your life. When it comes down to it, if you have been a part of accomplishing something good and pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, then He ultimately gets the credit for it. Paul gave this advice from personal experience, saying, "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13, NASB). The point is that you are to be at work for God, demonstrating that you have been given salvation from Him, but also that when you set out to serve God in this way, He is doing His work through you "for His good pleasure." If something is done in your life that pleases God, He did it and you should gladly give Him the credit for it!

The alternative is to take the credit that God deserves and live the life of a false god among men. Not only is this the kind of behavior that got Satan thrown out of Heaven, it also carries with it the same limitations. The same people that put you on a pedestal can decide to remove you from that pedestal. Their worship and adoration of you will only be temporary. This is seen in the fickle crowd that wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas. At one moment they called them gods among men and the next moment they tried to kill them. In fact, they nearly succeeded in killing Paul. The Bible says, "Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe" (Acts 14:19-20, NKJV).

The Bible warns, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18, NKJV). Paul and Barnabas did not fall to pride, though they were tempted. And though many tried to destroy Paul, he was able to continue serving God until his work was done. All who honestly seek to serve God will be tempted with pride, because of the things that God will be able to accomplish with them. But to not resist that pride is to leave yourself susceptible to falling and being destroyed in the ministry. We have got to be fighting the ministry killer of pride, through giving God glory for the ministry that He is doing through us!

"Dear Lord, we want to serve You! We want to see more come to believe Your Word and experience the miracle of being born-again! Please use us and get glory through us, O Lord! Help us not to stand in Your place and receive the credit for what You have done! For Yours is the Kingdom, the glory, and the honor, forever and ever, Amen!"