We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3)There is nothing a preacher likes to hear more than the fact that a church where he has labored is doing well.
And there is nothing that hurts him more than to hear that they are doing badly.
I suppose that, as a pastor, you have to realize that the church goes its own way. You can try as much as you want to, but when it comes down to it, the church goes its own way.
And some churches just have self-destruction built into their DNA. They are going to act foolish no matter how hard you try to teach them.
I heard bad things from a friend of a church I love. A man who had split the church and had ended up driving off two ministers, sending both of them out of the ministry, is coming back to the church. He even said that he had been “praying out” the former minister.
The man’s motives were bad, his heart was rotten and his wishes were to do things his way, the word of God and the will of God be damned.
He said he had prayed to his god. And his god answered him. The only thing was that this was not the God of the universe. It was the god of this age.
So what do you do? Nothing. There is nothing you can do. You left that church and that church will stand before God itself.
But it is a crying shame that they are such cowards that they cannot stand up to a church bully, one who has a track record of driving men out of the ministry. They have already lost some and will lose more and the church will probably come to a halt.
But, by his god, that man will have his way. And his way is destruction.
But it surely hurts.
