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We have a couple problems that have needed to be addressed for a long time, now. Jesus said, in John 6:38-40, that he was sent down from heaven not to do his own will but the will of God. He, then, stated the will of God, "And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing…" Now, we know that even Jesus lost one of his closest disciples (John 17:12). So, losing people will happen. We, however, are losing people at an alarming rate and barely raise an eyebrow. We need to get serious about addressing this.
Another problem we have, that needs to be addressed, has to do with what happens after we lose someone. Jesus asked a question in Matt. 18:12, "if a man hath an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?" Every time I read that, the thought goes through my mind, "Are you kidding?". Not only do we not go into the mountains searching for the sheep that is lost, we seldom even pick up the phone. No, almost no one is searching for that one, lonely lost sheep. Nor are we searching for those hundreds and hundreds of lost sheep. We stay with the "ninety and nine", hoping the lost one will find the way back.
So, both of these issues desperately need to be addressed by the church. Before we tackle why we aren't looking for the lost sheep, maybe we need to think about why we are losing them in the first place. Can our losses be cut down?
I'm sure there are many reasons why "found" sheep become "lost" sheep. One reason that I'd like to discuss can be found in the title of this article - power struggles. The struggle for power. When someone comes to Christ, they are so innocent. They just love everyone. They read their Bibles. They come to church. They walk around with a smile on their face, shaking hands and hugging others. All is right with their world.
Of course, this is often a short-lived state of utopia. Too bad. They think that the church is a safe place where people love each other and lift up each other. Then, before they know what is happening, they get caught in the dreaded power struggle, factions fighting over petty issues (like the color of the church carpet).
Sometimes, church folk are comfortable and they don't want that comfort threatened. They might have "positions" in the church and are afraid of losing their "position". So, they set out to protect their turf. New converts can threaten them. Maybe, the new convert won't vote for them at the next church election. Maybe, the new people will join the wrong side.
I was talking with a long-time pastor, recently, who was telling me about his former church. In this church, there was a man that had been there a long, long time. He was there before the pastor arrived and was revered by the congregation. After continually losing new converts, the pastor, finally, went to someone and asked them just why they left the church. To his astonishment, he found out that this "revered" man was working behind the scenes to run off new people. Apparently, he liked the church as it was, didn't want change, and wanted to make certain he didn't get voted out by a group of new people. So, he chased them off. Amazing!
Didn't this man ever stop to think about what he was doing? He actually would rather people die lost than take a chance on losing his position. How is he going to account of himself to God? Didn't he ever think about answering to his God? Some day, he will think about it. If not in this life, then when he stands before the throne.
This is just one story of hundreds. People have all kinds of reasons for wanting power. The thing is, why does anyone want power? To do good? Sometimes. Too often, though, they have deep-seated insecurities. They enjoy the adulation by the few who look up to them. They want their way, no matter what. They are controlling. Wanting control is an indication of fear. Being in control makes one feel safe. Whatever. The reasons for desiring power are many. The results can be disastrous. And, someday, we'll all give an account of ourselves to God.
I've been involved with a good number of churches. In most every church, there are struggles for control and power. Some churches have slight power struggles and some are crippled by power struggles. Often, the person with the money comes out the winner in these struggles. We can't offend those who pay the light bill, I guess. So, those who grow weary of such pettiness end up disillusioned with the whole thing. They can become victims of back-biting and gossip, themselves. Innocent people get hurt. They begin to get the idea that church is no different than the world. They see this stuff at their places of employment. They thought church was different. They may try to hang on and suffer through it, but they'll, more often than not, end up walking away from church, Christianity, and God. All because of pettiness. And, then, of course, no one goes and looks for them.
This must be addressed by church leadership. I've always been of the opinion that power struggles are a sign of leadership problems, whether in the workplace or in the church. Leaders must stop tolerating such behavior. We must stop losing Christians because of petty church politics or lust for power and control. To fail to stop it is to share in the guilt.
Carnality will kill the spiritual life of a church. And power struggles are carnal, evil by nature. So says Paul, "...whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal...?" (1 Cor. 3:3) and so says James, "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" (James 4:1). It was Satan's lust for power that brought him down and his angels with him (Isaiah 14:12-15, Rev. 12:9). Wanting our way is natural but carrying it to such lengths as destroying people and churches is Satanic. Lust for power and control must be sacrificed on the altar. If it isn't, then leaders must squelch it. If we can just eliminate this one prevalent problem, we'll keep more of our people, will have peace in the church, and have less lost sheep to search for.
Or to ignore.
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