a work in progress.

Politicians.

For some strange reason, I’ve always wanted to be a lobbyist.  I don’t know why.  Given time and relationships, I feel like I can sway most people to my side of things.  However, I realize I may be completely disconnected from my true-self when I make that observational statement–I’d like to think I can effectively sway people like that, at least.  Nonetheless, being a lobbyist and persuading the view of an individual in the political arena about something I believe in is something I’ve always wanted to try.

But aren’t the politics and “persuasions” of being a lobbyist, manipulative?

I think I speak for most pastors when I say this–If there’s something that wears me out about church leadership, it’s the politics.  I’m not talking about choosing the color of the carpet or whether there’s enough money to repave the parking lot.  The tangible, housekeeping things can be taken care of by the latest, sexiest business model.

I’m talking about the path or direction that God has specifically pointed you toward.  So many times, the board/elders (whoever makes the final call on direction) get so concerned about the few people who are completely against the idea, direction or philosophy that God has pointed you toward, that it completely wrecks the ship.  Then, once everything comes to a halt, the church leaders are expected to do unspeakable, outrageous and probably unbiblical things.  They are asked to become politicians to sway the vote of the members, hold town hall meetings and ultimately, manipulate the few.

God speaks, points us in a direction–completely righteous.  Then, we have to use our leadership (or power) to manipulate the few who aren’t on board?  That sounds completely unrighteous to me!

In the Old Testament, the prophets would go proclaim the message God had given them by speaking and doing some pretty outrageous things.  In the New Testament, Jesus gave a choice by extending the invitation to follow him or not.  Unfortunately, we know what happened to all of them…killed.  Throughout Scripture as a whole, there’s always a choice.

a) follow God. or,
b) don’t follow God.

I’ve never read anything in Scripture, from the Patriarchs through the Apostle Paul, that causes me to believe that “manipulation” was used as a leadership technique.  Actually, I’ve found that all of the scheming and manipulating was done by those who were anti-Kingdom of God.

Believe me when I say this, I’m an includer.  I want everybody to come along for the ride–I don’t want anybody left behind (no pun intended).  Actually, I lose sleep over people who aren’t following me in ministry and how I can lead them better.  But there’s something that doesn’t sit right in my soul when expected to be a sly, scheming politician in order to advance the Kingdom of God.

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  -Philippians 3:12-14

To the lay leaders, youth workers, elders, deacons, priests, pastors and church leaders:

How’s your heart?

Secretly, I’ve always wanted to share on this topic.  I’ve been saving it for a time that I could address church leaders but I don’t think that time is coming anytime soon.  So, this is my platform.   This topic has been burning in my heart for a few years–Actually, the title of this blog is one I’ve envisioned as the title of a book that I probably won’t write.

Now that I’ve given you some time to think about it, back to the question:

How’s your heart?

Seriously.

I have a friend who has shared a memory of his teenage years with me on multiple occasions.  One time, he broke curfew that his parents enforced.  When he got home–his dad was waiting.  His dad could have jumped all over him accusing him of many different things and being quick to punish, but instead he asked one question, “How’s your heart?”

I don’t know this for sure but it seems like my friend’s dad had this idea that the inside dictates what happens on the outside.  Perhaps, the disobedience of his parents was an outward expression of something that was dark in his heart, a place that needed searched and dealt with.  Maybe his dad knew that once he dealt with this darkness in his heart, the inside would eventually change the outside.

In Scripture, Jesus has the harshest words for the religious leaders of his day.  These were the people who knew the Old Testament inside and out and followed the Law to a “T”, the Pharisees.  Jesus always questioned their “heart.”

He questioned what’s happening on the inside of the Pharisees to the point of calling them hypocrites, blind and snakes.

In Matthew 15, Jesus quotes Isaiah and says,

“7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.

9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.”

And later on in chapter 23 Jesus elaborates a little more on this by saying things like:

“2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteriest wide and the tassels on their garments long;6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.”

Their hearts had become so prideful with following the right rules instead of living with a right heart, that it lead to a fake front.  Their outward expression was just a show and the inside was just as shallow.

So, how’s your heart?

What’s happening on the inside?  You can only hide it for so long until it begins to flesh itself out.

I think everybody should be challenged by the question raised at the end of this song by Leeland.