Lose it to Gain it

One of the many paradoxes in life is the one taught below by Jesus. The Master Teacher had spent day and night for over three years with a group of men He chose to carry on His ministry. He took them aside and began to teach them about His destiny. After hearing Jesus clearly tell what was going to happen to Him, Peter goes into one of his patented "Foot in mouth" drills.

Mark 8:31

Jesus, then began to teach the Disciples that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this,

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his soul will lose it, but whoever loses his soul for me and for the gospel will save it.

As a pastor to pastors I can relate numerous stories about leaders who have lost their souls by working so hard to save them. These folks all started strong with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Their passion for God and His word led them to pursue "Full Time Ministry". Things went well for awhile but then they hit the wall.

The western models for a successful ministry are all distorted by capitalism and the Protestant work ethic. The only worthwhile way to prove one's Personhood in the Professional Ministry is to build a bigger barn, get more people in the barn and have them sacrifice their livelihood paying for the barn.

The pastor of a large church told me several years ago that his board was unhappy that they were no longer growing at the same rate as they had when they added two thousand people in a few years. He was scared and anxious. Fear of man filled his heart. He did not know who he was if he was not a success in their eyes.

When Performance equals Personhood burnout cannot be far behind.

I suggested that he needed to slow down and worry less about noses, numbers and nickels and concentrate on recovering his deep relationship with the Holy Spirit.

"But, I will be fired," he said.

He was to fearful of human disapproval and had no fear of God. It was not long before he came to me and asked for an anti-depressive medication. I suggested that he take a sabbatical and learn how to pray again. "Too risky," he said.

He may have thought it was risky but failure to connect with God after 40 is by far a greater risk. In fact, I think it is fear to face God that drives us to try to please men. But it does not work. When we try to save our soul through hard work, worry and weariness we are destroying our souls. Not eternal destruction but spiritual and emotional destruction today.

36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

What good is it to gain the pulpit of the largest church in town and lose your inner life of the kingdom? Who do you trust more? Your works or the Works of the Holy Spirit?