As this months "1 Minute Message" I am pasting in the text from the
writing of Joe McIntyre, President of the International Fellowship of
Ministries. This speaks rightly to the necessity of moral excellence.
"We will be an example to all of Biblical moral
excellence, staying far away from even the very appearance of evil. Our goal
is to be conformed to the image of Christ, while avoiding legalism and
recognizing that grace leads to holiness and displaying the fruit of the
Spirit."
Legalism - living by a rule book instead of by faith-
leads to religious self-righteousness. Learning to trust the Lord for all of
life brings us into a great dependence on Him and undermines our
self-reliance. Ambition is replaced by submission. As we learn to minister out
of the place of rest we accomplish more than we did with a mixture of His
strength and our strength.
Sometimes we forget that the gifts of the Spirit are gifts not
rewards for faithful service or holding to the right doctrinal opinion. Being
powerfully used of God tempts us to think highly of ourselves. Sometimes we
need to be brutal with ourselves to avoid the seduction of flattery. Be wary
of believing your own promotion material. We are all accepted in the Beloved
and have an equal standing before the Father. The Father has no favorites.
Moral excellence keeps this truth in perspective. While we militantly stand
against condemnation and abide in our gift of righteousness, we also
militantly guard our hearts from the corrupting influence of the praise of
men.
I once heard the British apostle, Roger Forster, speak. The
man who introduced him went on and on about what a great man of God he was.
When Roger got up to speak, he said, "I think we should begin with a time
of repentance. The man who introduced me should repent for his gross
exaggeration of my accomplishment and I need to repent for really liking to
hear it!" Every cult-like group began with a leader who only listened to
the flattering voices.
It is said that in his entire ministry, Billy Graham always
had someone else present if he was talking with a woman. Not only did this
protect him, it also closed the doors on speculative rumors that could
arise if he did spend time with a woman for the noblest of causes. He avoided
even the appearance of evil. I'm not suggesting a paranoid kind of legalism.
But realize that the enemy of our souls will use
anything to take us out of the race.
Robert Pearsall Smith, along with his wife Hannah Whitall
Smith (author of The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life), was bringing
revival in England with great success. A woman asked Robert if she could speak
to him privately. Robert ministered to her and laid his hand on her to pray.
It is not clear if anything inappropriate happened, but the rumor was that he
had somehow touched her inappropriately. All the doors for future ministry
closed in England and when he returned to America, the rumors had beaten him
there. All doors soon closed in America as well. He spent the rest of his life
as a depressed reclusive, barely hanging on to his faith in God.
When Pat Robertson was running for president, someone knocked
on his door. When he opened the door, an attractive woman grabbed him and the
flash of cameras hit him. Once the photos were taken, they all fled. Pat
commented that he wasn't aware how dirty politics could be until he ran for
office.
Politicians deal with temporal things. Ministers deal with
eternal things. Satan saves his most subtle weapons to use on us who serve the
kingdom of light. We are people of influence. If we fall, we will take
others with us. The target on us is larger that the average believer.
A final story; in a class in a Bible School, the professor
asked, "How many of you are sure you will never fall into sin in your
ministry?" 95% of the class raised their hands. "Statistically,"
the professor responded, "the 5% of you who didn't raise your hands have
a much better chance of not falling into sin than those who are sure they
won't."
Humility will guard us. Arrogance can kill us.
For additional information on Pastor Joe McIntyre, or the
International Fellowship of Ministries, visit:
Used with permission and our sincere appreciation.
