Have you ever looked up to a pastor or religious leader? Relied on a small group leader for intercessory prayer? Made the choice to accept Jesus into your heart after hearing a sermon by a celebrity preacher? I'm almost willing to bet that if you are reading this today, you have made the common mistake of putting people up on a pedestal. Well, talk solace in the fact that you are not alone.
Just this past weekend I made the same mistake. I was scrolling on Twitter while laying on my couch after a long weekend trying to relax a little when I came across a twitter thread from a Christian spoken word artist that I have been following for years. His thread started with the line: "I am not a Christian." Shocked, I spent the next several hours scrolling through his tweets, the comment section, and live streams trying to understand what would make someone that I looked up in the faith make this decision. In the past I have been around pastors that I once adored and honored only to realize that they weren't as spotless and clean when I got up close as they were when I was far away. Over and over again I would find myself in positions of being let down I placed in positions of power over me and over and over again the pain of disappointment never seemed to get any easier to handle.
The craziest part is that God never showed us a perfect person in scripture, except for His son, Jesus. Countless stories in the Bible, all people we still talk about to this day and none of them were perfect. Lets take a look at just a few of the people in the Bible that God still used despite them being imperfect.
Noah
Noah's story can be found in the book of Genesis chapters five through nine.
Noah was called by God to build an ark to carry two of each of His creations to safety during the time of the great flood, but Noah was also a drunk or alcoholic.
Abraham & Sarah
Abraham's story can be found in the book of Genesis chapters twelve through twenty-three
God made a promise to Abraham and his wife Sarah that he would give them a son and that their descendants would be as numerous as the stars. But they doubts God because of their circumstance and committed adultery to have a child out of wedlock.
Rehab
Rehab's story can be found in the book of Joshua chapter two
Rehab saved the lives of two Israeli spices in Jericho and is in the lineage of Jesus Christ but she was also a prostitute.
Gideon
Gideon's story can be found in the book of Judges chapters six through eight
Gideon was chosen by God to lead the Israelites into battle but he was also very afraid and although he does end up going into battle, he was fearful and doubted God.
Samson
Samson's story can be found in the book of Judges chapter sixteen
Samson was a womanizer but God still used him to defeat the Israelites enemies.
King David
David's story can be found in the book of First Samual chapter sixteen through thirty-one, Second Samual chapter one through twenty four and the Psalms.
David is one of the most popular kings in the Bible taking up multiple chapters and books. He was a worshiper after Gods own heart who played the harp and wrote poems, or psalms, that honored God. He defeated the enemies of Israel time and time again, his most famous being killing Goliath. David also ordered for one of his soldiers to be killed so that he could marry his wife.
Peter
Peter's story can be found in the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Acts chapters one and two, and First and Second Peter.
Peter was one of Jesus' best friends, and a part of the twelve disciples. Peter was one of the first leaders of the spread of Christianity after the resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 16:18). But Peter also had an anger problem that led him to be violent, he doubted his faith when walking on water, and he also denied Christ three times.
Apostle Paul
Pauls story can be found throughout the majority of the New Testament including Acts, Romans, First and Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First and Second Thessalonians, and Philemon.
Paul was one of the most influential people at the start of the spread of Christianity. He traveled around Europe, parts of Africa, and the Middle East to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. He also had a history of hating Christians and before he started his ministry would persecute any Christian that crossed his path.
Now, when you look at any of these stories do you see someone who is perfect? Do you see any scripture that states that these people God told us they were perfect? No, those lines in scripture for these leaders don't exist, but we still hear sermons preached using their stories.
We do, however, find several scriptures telling us who is perfect:
Hebrews 4:15 "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."
1 Peter 2:22 "He who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth."
1 John 3:5 "You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin."
Isaiah 53:9 "His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth."
2 Corinthians 5:21 "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
So when we set people pastors, religious leaders, spoken word artists, worship leaders etc. up on a pedestal we are setting ourselves up to be disappointed. It doesn't mean that God can no longer use people who have sinned for He built his church on people who were not perfect but it is a reminder to us that we are not to rely on the people of this world but to rely on Him and His understanding.
Next time you find yourself in the same position as I was on Sunday night, struggling with your faith because someone in leadership hurt you, remember that while we are held accountable for our actions we serve a God bigger than our sins, bigger than our questions, bigger than us.
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