Gospel preachers proclaim God’s message of forgiveness. If we are not pointing people to the cross and extending an invitation to salvation, then we have forsaken our calling. Yet, we dare not only proclaim this as our message, but must present it as a model. Preaching forgiveness is easier than practicing it!
As I have pastored for over four decades, I have been wounded many times—most severally by church members. Sometimes, they have been akin to Judas—kissing up to your face, while betraying you behind your back. Lost sleep, many tears, depleted energy, and such have come from the wounds of critical words. I could tell you some horror stories, but if you have been a pastor for very long, you have plenty of your own.
The real issue is—what do we do about it? Will we flee at the first sign of criticism? Will we fight fire with fire and seek to incinerate our enemies from the pulpit as we rage against them? Will we fester with bitterness that infects our ministry and poisons productivity?
Christ’s answer is to forgive. We are to consider how much He has forgiven us and then forgive those who have done much less to us. We may say, “I don’t deserve this!” True enough. What we deserve is hell! Anything less than that is grace—amazing grace. We preach it. Let’s practice it. Leave the critics to God. He can handle them much better than we can. Do not let your enemies live rent free in your head.
There is a reconciliation process provided in Matthew 18:15-20. Maybe you have preached on it. Have we practiced it? Have you made every effort to reach out in love to your enemy? If that has been tried and rebuffed, have you sought someone else to mediate the conflict as Scripture commands? When all efforts have been exhausted, have you then placed the matter before the church? What if you have attempted it, and the church has refused to take the final step and call the unforgiving party to repentance and being willing to discipline them by removing them from the assembly? If that be the case, shake the dust off your feet and move on to another ministry opportunity!
A pastor who will not forgive forfeits his right to preach forgiveness. Bitterness will be toxic to our ministry. Anger and a vengeful spirit will light a fire that will burn everything down. Yet, a church that allows such without confronting the unrepentant—whether it be the preacher, the member(s), or both—is not a church, but merely a social club.
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