Why is it that so often Christians will laud and promote a new ‘Christian celebrity’, only to find that he, or she, later falls in some spectacular way? Daniel Holland explores Mankind’s oldest enemy – his own pride ……
“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
“You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.
“By the abundance of your trading
You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.
“Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendour;
I cast you to the ground, (Ezekiel 28v 13-17)
This passage from Ezekiel concerning God’s judgements on the King of Tyre segues into a description of Lucifer himself. He enjoyed a significant position in heaven, some have posited that he was the worship leader (v13b). Though a created being, it is possible that Lucifer was only eclipsed in beauty and power only by God himself.
What kind of toxic lie could prosper in heaven, how did Lucifer fall from such grace? Could it be through pride, did Lucifer perceive his own beauty and want to be worshipped himself? Did the worship leader covet worship? Perhaps jealousy coiled like a snake in his heart as God created Man in his own image. Did Lucifer perceive his own position and power to be threatened? What is certain is that his exalted position fostered pride in his heart and precipitated his fall from heaven, taking with him a third of the angels (Rev 12v 4).
THERE’S NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN
This pattern is echoed in smaller ways a million times through human and even church history. Someone achieves or is given ‘greatness’, and as he accepts adulation from others, he starts to believe he is invincible. Soon he is gripped by pride and comes crashing to the ground, ‘How are the mighty fallen’ (2 Sam 1v 27a)
We see it over and again in Church history. We can all think of recent tragic examples. How can we prevent this maddening repetition? Are we too quick to promote people of beauty, talent and charisma, especially if they have ‘celebrity’ status? Do we celebrate gifting at the expense of character? Are we every bit as guilty as the world in using people as commodities? Wisdom requires us to be careful how rapidly we promote new Christians; without resisting or frustrating the anointing God has clearly put on them.
He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. (1 Tim 3v 6)
PRIDE VERSUS HUMILITY
Humility is one of, if not the most beautiful, of spiritual virtues. Most people, Christian or not, are attracted to it. But heaven puts an even greater premium on humility. It is the gateway of every good gift. Humility is essential to enter the kingdom of heaven; we must become like a little child (Matt 18v 3). In our discipleship thereafter every gift and grace enters through humility, and grows best from the same root (James 4v 6b).
Pride on the other hand is the entry point and launchpad for every evil act of rebellion, for every church split and every breakdown of order. Pride is in an absolute sense the highway to hell and the original sin. Pride started in Lucifer, continued with Adam and Eve and has wound itself around humanity since.
Do we sacrifice new converts, especially those with worldly fame, on the altar of our pride? Do we lament that our efforts seem to go without much recognition (except from God of course)? We want others to witness how effective we’ve been and bask in the reflected glory of a famous convert. Do we engender pride in the person we lift up and adulate, at a time when they most need to be surrounded by a Church community who love them for themselves. A family with no thoughts of profiting long term, and who nurture them sacrificially?
THE FICKLE OPINIONS OF MAN
Every passing hour people’s opinions of us change depending on what we are doing and how they are feeling themselves. Rarely will we get an accurate view of how we are doing in our discipleship from others, especially those who don’t know us well. We need to be very firmly rooted and grounded in Christ and His love for us, before we are unduly exposed to the fickle opinion of man. Praise can be a bigger test of our character than criticism. ‘a man is tested by the praise he receives!’ (Pro 27v 21b)
Leadership thrusts us into the spotlight, subjecting us to many opinions while carrying both huge privilege and great responsibility. It makes us equally the focus of criticism and flattery. We experience intense emotional, relational and spiritual pressure, alongside blessing. It is simply not fair or healthy to promote people too quickly; for their sake as well as for the people looking to them.
FALLING FROM GREAT HEIGHTS
Has your heart dropped as you heard of a ‘famous’ Christian leader or musician having a major fall from grace? The higher they were raised up the more catastrophic the fallout as they ‘crash and burn’. Many are stumbled by these massive failures of integrity and unbelievers rightly cast aspersions at the church. The gospel suffers ridicule because it is tied around the neck of the ‘falling star.’ Often the person disappears into the woodwork never to be seen or heard from again.
Or in some cases the ‘fallen’ minister continues in his mission without missing a step. A staggering denial of the harm and confusion they have caused! Pride is one of the most blinding things; there is none so blind as he who can’t see (himself).
IT’S SO MUCH EASIER TO APPOINT A LEADER THAN TO STAND ONE DOWN
Even Jesus with all his wisdom and grace spent a night in prayer before appointing his apostles (Luke 6v 12). In fact, appointing a leader is the most important decision a church will make. Each denomination and local church has their own process but the essential element is to hear God and appoint accordingly. In the absence of prophetic insight, we can choose ‘Saul’ instead of the less obvious ‘David’ – and pay a huge price for it!
Once a leader is appointed it is extremely difficult to stand him or her down; and if this is attempted because of sin or inaptitude it can cause untold disruption. It is worth taking a bit longer to make the right decision originally; and especially so if there is celebrity status. We can be so impressed with someone’s position, success or beauty that we throw discernment out of the window. Let’s be honest with ourselves and others about how easily we are swayed by external factors. God however is no respecter of persons (Acts 10v 34)
Heaven does not have a celebrity culture; only One is worshiped, God alone. Let’s break with our society’s superficial celebrity culture. We need to go deeper; God searches hearts and minds. Jesus taught us to inspect a prophet or leader’s ‘fruit’ (Matt 7v 16a). God is not in a rush and He painstakingly prepares a future leader, often in a place of anonymity and servanthood. Let’s humbly allow God to do the promoting in His timing and in His way (Psalm 75v 6-7). In so doing we deny the devil another opportunity to inculcate his pride into a rapidly promoted believer!
Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader. (1 Tim 5v 22a)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Daniel Holland is a UK missionary with Through Faith Missions. He wrote “Through The Tunnel – Free at Last” published by PUSH Publishing, as his personal testimony. His second book “Prophetic Evangelism – Kingdom Exploits in the Risk Zone” is due out in January 2021, via Christian Publications International.
Recent Comments