Jerks For Jesus

Next month will mark my 50th anniversary in 
pastoral ministry.  I have been blessed to serve six churches over that time. In the first of the six I was associate pastor. In the next four I was a bi-vocational pastor in single staff churches. Then for 18 years I have served as a full time senior pastor in a multi staff church. Suffice it to say that it has truly been a learning experience - and believe it or not, - I am still learning.  I'll probably write more about that later this Spring.

 So as the son of a pastor/evangelist, and with 50 years in pastoral ministry myself, and a lifetime spent in Baptist Churches, I have a somewhat unique perspective.  Sometimes I feel like the guy my old friend and ministry colleague, Doug Virgin, was fond of quoting - "I've been to five county fairs and a goat roping and I've seen some stuff!"

I have a rough, unedited manuscript of a book I hope one day to have published. It's a compilation of many of those experiences, both good and bad that I have had as a PK and as a pastor, myself. I try to share Biblical truth and sprinkle in some humorous stories along the way. Unfortunately, there is nothing funny about some of those experiences.  In fact, some of them are downright heartbreaking and ugly.  Some of the instances show folks who claim to be followers of Christ as absolute jerks, and judging from the fruits they exhibit, likely unregenerate. 

My son and I have joked that there seems to be a large, but unorganized group of individuals who pop up in almost every church, and across all denominations. We call them "Jerks for Jesus" and there seems to be at least one or two in every church.  But it is really no joking matter.  One chapter of the coming book bears the title "Jerks for Jesus".  Don't worry - the names have been withheld to protect the guilty - but they are certainly known to our Heavenly Father. The truth of the matter is that they are not "for Jesus" at all.  They're just jerks. 

I can honestly say that the vast number of individuals in the flocks I have served are people whose lives have been changed through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Christians are certainly not perfect, but they do have the Spirit of the Lord dwelling in their hearts and they are seeking to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet no matter how hard we try, there will always be one here or there who have "slipped in unawares" and their true un-Christlike character eventually shows through.  Sadly, one of the excuses some people give for not attending church is because of "the hypocrites" who may be there.  Sometimes the offenders are open and their behavior is there for all to see. But sometimes the Jerks are more covert and insidious.

Most pastors I know have received some sort of hateful communications from anonymous sources at one time or another. The critics are quick to point out their grievances but too cowardly to sign their names.  Those of us who have been around for a while understand that this behavior just comes with the territory and is an occupational hazard. With most pastors, unsigned hate letters usually end up in the trash.  But there are times the hateful types of communications are directed to other church members - and that is truly sad.

In one church I have served, a member once showed me a letter they had received in the US Mail. It regarded a family member of the person to whom the letter was sent.  The letter referenced the family member who had earlier offered a solo in a worship service at the church. The writer was cowardly enough that he or she did not sign the letter.  The person who received the letter showed it to me - so I am not going by hearsay. I actually saw it. The message was hurtful to say the least. I noticed that the letter was printed, so the handwriting would not be able to be identified.  Here is what the text of the letter said:

(addressee's name)

          I hope (relative's name) is feeling better. It sounded like (he/she) was in pain.

          BTW - ask (him/her) what they did with the money (his/her) mother
          gave (him/her) for singing lessons.

          I know of a good ENT Doc if (he/she) is able to go see him.

                                                        (unsigned) 

I'll let you be the judge.  Is this the type of communication a brother or sister in Christ would send to another member of the Church family?

I think we can all agree it is not!  

Jesus tells us it is "from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks".  Someone who's heart is right with God would never think of being so cruel to "one of these little ones". The sender may have thought it was cute, and obviously intended it to be hurtful to both the recipient and the subject. Even though the sender was such a coward that he/she didn't sign their name, an omniscient God knows not only who wrote and sent it, but also knows the evil intent of their heart.  

I don't know if the writer was a member of that church or not, but they had obviously been there when the subject sang.  One can only pray that the individual who penned such a brief but hateful epistle has since come to know Christ as Savior.