Dislike or Envy?

If you've been in church more than a minute, you've heard these critical people (who think they have it all figured out) tear someone apart over a piece of fried chicken at lunch. Question: When did it become ok to criticize our brothers in Christ? Doesn't the world have criticism aplenty for Christians?  The topic I'm hearing most frequently lately are tv preachers. Look, I don't watch every tv minister out there on a regular basis and am somewhat neutral on them. Sure, some of them have their little quirks, like catch-phrases, habits, and funny mannerisms, but before you cast stones, did you ever stop and ask yourself what makes you want to throw stones in the first place? Could it simply stem from envy? Before you deny it, think about it. When's the last time you heard someone criticize that quiet little church down the street with 20 people in attendance on Sunday? Never. 

Who do people criticize most? Those in the public eye! The mega-churches, the satellite ministries, those who are having hundreds or thousands come to know Christ through their ministry. You might say, "yeah, but mega-churches are a new thing, and I'm not sure I agree with it" or "I heard they do this or that." First off don't believe everything you hear. Anything exciting usually creates a stir and with it misinformation and even gossip. Don't believe me? Remember in Jesus' time? There were all kinds of rumors circulating about him. Rumors that He was filled with devils and used the power of the devil to cast out demons. Ridiculous, right? Yet there were people who were fooled into believing those lies. People were so outraged that they wanted to kill Him, and who was leading the pack? The religious people! That's right the Sadducees and Pharisees were jealous of Jesus' ministry because He was essentially a walking mega-church. He had thousands that would follow Him and turn out to hear Him speak. He made a huge impact in every community He visited by healing everyone who was sick and oppressed of the devil. The Pharisees and Sadducees were ticked by Jesus' growing popularity and influence. Concerned that they were becoming irrelevant and ineffective, but rather than examine their own ministry (which was clearly lacking as Jesus had to cleanse the Temple) they decided it would be better to just kill Jesus and get back to business as usual. In reality, the religious folks' ministry had become ineffective and irrelevant. People who were not rich enough couldn't buy sacrifices, those who were sick were deemed unclean and shunned, and those who were sinful were outcasts and unwelcome. Sound familiar? Well, that's another blog for another time. Basically Jesus was reaching out to those that otherwise would never see Him. He wasn't looking for the perfect church-goer. It was as He said that the sick needed a physician. Jesus just saw a world of lost and dying people who had been overlooked by the church and reached out to them. It was that simple! 

Even in Jesus' time there were others who were going about preaching and baptizing. "And John answered him, saying, 'Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.' But Jesus said, 'Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part.'" (Mark 9:38-40 KJV) Just because someone interprets his/her Bible a little differently, doesn't mean that they are against us or un-Christian. Who knows? Perhaps if we were to study our Bibles a little more, we would find that there is merit in their differing points of view. The main thing is that they are preaching Jesus and salvation. Scriptures put it like this, "But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth." (II Timothy 2:23-25 NKJV)

Many times people criticize preachers who teach something they feel is incorrect. However, if we are being real with ourself we must realize that one will never completely agree on everything with anyone. Bottom line: People make mistakes and are not always correct. Perhaps a minister is in a bit of error on something in their own personal beliefs, perhaps you or I could be in error about something we never realized. Don't be as arrogant or naive to believe that you or your pastor could not be incorrect on something. If you suspect someone is incorrect about something, don't assume you are right. Study it out! If they are incorrect, pray for them, speak with them, and if they are a preacher, you can always not listen to their messages.

So rather than sit and stew because some ministry is growing faster and larger than your own, maybe start asking yourself, am I reaching out to the undesirable? The unclean of our community? Have I fallen into a rut by ministering to those who seem "saved" or " like me?" All I'm asking is that we stop trying to act like this is about another ministry when it's really about the fact that our ministries are not growing in the same magnitude as these and perhaps we're feeling just a little bit envious. 

While I personally do not attend a mega-church though I have before, I have seen members of my family saved at a mega-church, involved in ministry, attending church faithfully, and never been happier! Please understand I am not here to put in a plug for any ministry, and if after reading this you still completely disagree, that's alright. Different strokes for different folks. All I'm saying is let's not tear down those who are laboring and ultimately trying to win people to Christ. Peace. Love. Jesus. That is the message we bring.