Man of God Pt. 4
These are intriguing, interesting, uncertain and providential times. On the one hand it seems as though biblical Christianity is fading from the African-American cultural landscape. That’s not to say that the trappings of the faith have disappeared only a good deal of its substance. It appears to matter little to ask if individual black folks believe in God or have ‘a personal relationship with Jesus Christ’.
For many belief in God is synonymous with belief in the mayor or the governor or the president. It is a simple acknowledgement of fact not a commitment to pursue God’s agenda or publicly identify with and follow Him. On the other hand these are exciting (although I’d prefer not to use that word) times for the promotion of authentic biblical Christianity. African-American culture is undergoing an tectonic shift that is affecting our view of life, God and church. Along with this are the usual and unusual pressing challenges on the church. If that weren’t enough God’s men still have the responsibility to lead God’s church to disciple into a worshiping, obedient relationship with Jesus Christ.
How should those called to lead God’s church respond to such circumstances and calling? What skills should we employ to connect with and ’reach’ this generation at this time?
Paul warned Timothy of the troubling times that would come on the church. These changes have already hit the church and others like them (apostate ministers, grossly heretical and destructive theology) will continue to challenge her until the return of our Lord. One of the temptations men of God will face during particularly turbulent times is the lure to exchange the calling to character for the allure of charisma. More than likely the apostate ministers Paul warned Timothy of were extremely charismatic and persuasive. They could draw a crowd, skillfully twist the Scriptures, make appealing arguments, gather a following and even start ministries and churches. But these men weren’t interested in developing character and that’s exactly what Paul tells Timothy to focus on even while he opposed them and continued to serve the church.
Paul moves through this section of the letter and stresses to Timothy the value of training for godliness. Godliness has great value for our lives, the church we serve and the community around us. Think through that for a moment. We live in a time when godliness is viewed by many (even in the church) as passé. Many don’t see godliness as necessary for advancement and for much of our society it is not. But men of God see great value in godliness for the sake of godliness. Why? For one we’re not interested in just gathering a crowd, advancing for the sake of advancement, making a name of ourselves or getting wealthy. Nor do we evaluate the ‘success’ of our ministry by the number of people in our church, our annual budget or how well we’re admired by others. For us the measure of ministry is the constant pursuit and growth in godliness. Another reason we pursue godliness is because we’ve publicly and vocationally identified with God who is absolutely holy and separate from sin. We therefore agree with the apostle John who wrote that those who claim fellowship with the God of light must themselves strive for godliness.
Another blessing of godliness is for our own relationship with the Lord. Pursuing godliness reinforces the reality that God has called us from sin for the purpose of enjoying a thriving, joyful relationship with Him. We all know that though the Lord is pleased to use us, He doesn’t do so because He’s dependent on us. God has called us to Himself so that throughout eternity we can be the recipients of the unsearchable riches of His gracious kindness in Jesus Christ. Pursuing godliness allows us to taste the Lord’s goodness, rich kindness and beauty now while we wait patiently to experience the fullness of His presence in the age to come. For us to continue in sin is to say to our family, those we serve and our community that the pursuit of godliness is a waste of time.
One other effect of godliness is its bearing on the personal witness of the man of God. In the book ‘Adam Where Are You’ Why Some Black Men Don’t Go To Church author Juwanzaa Kunjufu compiles a list of the top 25 reasons why many black men don’t go to church. The top of the list. Well I can tell you that it wasn’t irrelevant worship or boring sermons. The main reason most of the black men refused to step into a church was the complete lack of character of the pastor. This lack of character was evident in the way pastors mistreated and used women for sex. Brothers how can we speak to our communities about issues of pride, anger, sexuality, selfishness, integrity, injustice and greed if those are the very sins we traffic in?
How do men of God respond in challenging, troubling and providential times? Do we look for the next wave of breakthrough moving worship, hone our communications skills so we can present scintillating speeches, think of new daring ways to connect with the culture or go back to the drawing board and create a church for this generation? No we trust the Lord that He will use our pursuit of godliness to enrich our lives, families and bless our ministries.
For Christ, the Church and the Truth
LL