A few years ago, just at the new century was about to begin,
I received an anonymous letter promising to tell me the secret behind the "mark
of the Beast" mentioned in the Book of Revelation. That would be useful information to have, wouldn't
it? The catch was I had to call a “900-number" and listen to a message
that would cost $2.99 per minute. The letter
didn’t say how long the call would take.
Frankly, I equate those who take this approach with those
so-called doctors who claim to have the cure for cancer but refuse to openly
share it because the larger medical community has never appreciated their
genius.
Paul was privy to a great mystery, a mystery he was willing
to share with all. For Paul, it was a
matter of integrity. That’s behind what
he says in Ephesians 31-13.
Recently, I was reminded of Jim Bakker. Baker was at the heart of the televangelism
scandals a few years ago. He went to
prison for fraud. He had forgotten the
importance of integrity. Bakker, of course,
wasn’t the only celebrity minister involved in the scandal. Several a men and at least one woman were the
focus of media attention for months. But
I mention Bakker because he mustered the integrity to truly repent and
acknowledge his failure. He wrote a book
he called I Was Wrong. He had lost his integrity and then regained
it.
Not all of those
involved in the scandals did.
As a minister, when I think about those days, I have to
remind myself there may be a little “Elmer Gantry” in all of us?
As I look around
today, I’m aware we have by no means moved beyond the possibility of churches
becoming victims of ministers who have lost their integrity, of churches that
have become their pawns. Did you know
there are websites existing solely to publicize church scandals? I’m not going to name any of them because I
want you to keep reading but I’m sure you could find them if you wanted to.
In this passage, Paul reminds his readers that from the
beginning God intended to include the Gentiles in the blessings of
salvation. Doing so called for a
ministry marked by integrity.
How do you recognize such a ministry? I think the passage suggests several key
questions. Here they are.
DOES
THE MINISTRY POSSESS AN HONEST HUMILITY?
Although
I am less than the least of all the Lord's people,
this
grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles
the boundless riches of Christ…
Paul really saw himself as “the less than the least.” He didn’t believe he was the star of his
ministry. He rejoiced in being a
“servant.” Here the word means “a table
waiter.”
A few years ago, in response to the televangelist scandals,
Ray Stevens wrote a fun song that asked “Would Jesus wear a Rolex on his
television show?” It’s a good question,
thought-provoking, in fact. Remember how
just before the crucifixion we see Jesus wearing a towel and carrying a basin
to wash his disciples’ feet.
Paul has show we are all trophies of God’s grace (2:8-9);
those who minister with integrity had better not pretend to be anything else.
Yohana Omari, the first African bishop of Tanzania,
described what he wanted for his ministry.
He said: “I want to be like the
little donkey our Lord chose to ride on to enter Jerusalem. They laid their robes on it and shouted, but
the shouting was all for the Lord Jesus whom he was carrying.”
Without that kind of humility a pastor won’t be ready to
listen to advice from older pastors or older members within the church. Instead such pastors will insist their way is
the only way.
I’ve heard too many stories of young ministers going to
smaller churches but never really settling in because their eyes were on a
bigger prize—the big church, the prestigious pulpit, or even a denominational
post. Such a ministry is often a stranger to real humility.
DOES
THE MINISTRY PROCLAIM A CHRIST-CENTERED MESSAGE? ?
In
reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery
of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has
now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This
mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel,
members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ
Jesus.
Paul wanted his readers to know God was at work in Christ to
bring redemption and reconciliation. He
rejoiced in the privilege of sharing God’s secret—which wasn’t really a secret
anymore. His message was about Christ,
not about Paul. He wanted his readers’
hope to be in Christ, not Paul.
The Christian’s hope for the future is based on what Christ
has done, not what any minister has done.
A ministry’s integrity is in jeopardy whenever it becomes a personality
cult, when people idolize the preacher, when people won’t hear God’s Word from
any other preacher, no matter how faithful their message might be. It’s dangerous.
An old story tells of how D. L. Moody was walking down the
streets of Chicago when he met a man who was obviously drunk. “Hello, Mr. Moody,” the man shouted, “I’m one
of your converts.” Moody answered, “You
must be one of my converts, you can’t be one of Christ’s.”
Raise doubts about any ministry that asks you to put our
trust in human agents rather than Christ.
DOES
THE MINISTRY PROMOTE HARMONY?
In the previous chapter Paul talked of how the walls had
come down to create one new people of God.
He saw that as the great goal of his preaching, to bring people
together, Jews and Gentiles; as verse 13 indicates, he was even willing to
suffer for this new body of believers.
He would never think of driving a wedge between God’s people
(vs. 6). That refusal to harm the
church, to disrupt its harmony, was rooted in a genuine love for the
church. He would do nothing to create
factions or parties in the church.
Any ministry that attempts to turn the young against the
old, the educated against the uneducated, has lost its integrity. It may not generate a scandal but it should
be a warning.
