Thought of the Day 04.23.09

Whenever a Christian leader has his ministry destroyed by scandal, most people are shocked, but I don’t personally find it so surprising. Here’s why.

Can a woman be beautiful and yet have a heart very far from God? Can a man be incredibly skillful at building a business, yet still not love God? What about a sports superstar? A musician? A filmmaker? A doctor? A person can do any of these to great effect without having a relationship with God.

So then, is it possible for someone to master a body of knowledge, apply excellent communications skills to it, and bless people presenting it from a pulpit without really knowing God himself?

We needn’t speculate. The Bible itself tells us that a man may have all knowledge and still lack love (1 Cor 13) or even do amazing ministry works without even knowing Jesus (Matt 7). So both those who are listening and especially those of us who are speaking must never make the mistake of thinking that a thriving ministry is the same thing as a thriving faith.