Renewal of Your Mind

What Causes Preachers to Fall?

October 16, 2010 at 5:26 AM 1 comment

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By: Deryl S. Lampkin

When I Becomes Greater Than He

Jhn 3:30 He must increase, but I [must] decrease.

John the Baptist understood that his job was to introduce the star of the show then let the star shine. Once John introduced Jesus as the one everyone was waiting to see, he left center stage and went back stage.

The problem today with many preachers is that after they introduce Christ to people, they don’t leave center stage. In many cases, they take center stage and use Christ as a backup singer. The MC (the preacher) steals the show from Christ. They act as if they are the headliner and Christ is the opening act.

Though they preach Christ, they exalt and promote themselves more than they do Christ. They call more attention to themselves than they do to following Christ. They are out to make a name for themselves using the name of Jesus. But the pattern God has ordained is to focus on exalting Christ and then God will exalt you but not above measure.

Christ is the truth and the truth will lead you to God. But people get caught up in following and worshipping charismatic figures and the preacher becomes the wrong WAY and the partial TRUTH and the discontented LIFE that they follow. Jim Jones was a classic example of this. He got the people to believe in Christ, and then he and them exalted him above measure. He became blinded by his success and the glory and adoration the people bestowed upon him. This is what caused him to be lifted up in pride.

This is the same thing that happened to Lucifer. He wanted to be worshipped as God. He developed his own agenda to have the angels under his authority serving him more so than God. This is what happens to many preachers. The sheep that God gave them to nurture and develop, they begin to exploit and pimp them to gain wealth to consume upon their own lusts while the sheep go lacking. Satan tempts them by suggesting to them that he will give them great success if they will commit to following his way of self-serving and misusing people.

Conceit and Pride

Pro 16:18 Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

2Cr 12:6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say.

2Cr 12:7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. (NIV)

2Cr 12:17 Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent you?

2Cr 12:18 I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not act in the same spirit and follow the same course?

In the above verses, Paul made two important points. Firstly, that it is easy to become boastful and lifted up in pride when God blesses you with greatness. Secondly, he pointed out that you should not exploit the people of God.

A true servant of God is not self-serving. He does not use the things of God to accomplish his own will, but he uses them to carryout the will of God. It is when he decides to put his will above the will of God is what causes him to be lifted up in pride. Pride causes him to exploit the people and things of God. At that point, he becomes unfaithful to God because he becomes self-serving more than God-serving and this is idolatry. So as says the proverb, pride goes before destruction. God is not mocked, whatever a man sows; he shall also reap be it good or bad.

Entry filed under: Article. Tags: Christ, Christianity, Deryl S. Lampkin, God, Jesus, Jim Jones, John the Baptist, pimp preachers, Religion and Spirituality, Titus.