Prayer for the Week of 3/6/2016: GRACE
Be compassionate — Consider what would happen if you got exposed.
“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.” — Galatians 6:1 (New American Standard Bible)
My prayer for pastors this week is for your redemption — how your congregation responds to you when (not if) you screw up.
As some of you know, I am the engineer and social media manager for the Ron Todd Show, a weekly radio program that airs every Sunday evening 6–8pm on the Praise channel at WorldwideCoreRadio.com. We’ve dubbed ourselves the most exciting two hours on internet radio because we work hard to cultivate a multifaceted, engaging experience wherein every segment produces water-cooler talk Monday morning and all week long.
We opened the the February 28, 2016 edition of the show with our Hot Topics segment, which was absolutely burning hot, as we discussed, among other issues, the plagiarism scandal (for lack of a better term) surrounding the ministry of Prophet Brian Carn.
Without delving too deep into the alleged details, my soul was grieved to the core, not by the scandal itself (because if everything reported is true, this wouldn’t be the first time something like this has happened), but by the reaction to it by the body of Christ.
I was so disgusted by this that I asked our host, Pastor Ron Todd, in a GroupMe conversation a few days before the show if I could come on the mic and speak my piece. I typically stay in the background and make sure the show is flowing properly, but I just had to say something on this topic.
The following clip is the conversation we had on this issue:
Whether all that has been reported is true or false, we missed a huge opportunity as the body of Christ to demonstrate the love of Christ in a compassionate response. Instead, we savagely gravitated toward the spirit of gossip like flies to a week-old carcass, and the stench of our actions extends far beyond the body of Christ. It’s embarrassing.
Pastors, fellow laborers in the vineyard, my prayer for you this week is that you would have a fresh and full experience of the grace of God that would cover the worst areas of your life.
Perhaps you’ve done something in your past that you’re not proud of and that you pray you never have to expose. Thank God that God saw it fit to not allow your screw up to be publicized. Extend that same grace to someone else, especially a colleague, who may find him/herself in a situation he/she may not want brought to the forefront.
May you resist the urge to succumb to the world’s pattern of doing things and begin trying to call out others (again, especially those also in ministry) for the sake of drawing attention to yourself, lest you forget from whence God has brought you.
I also pray, more importantly, that your people would similarly extend you grace when you mess up. All too often, critical individuals look to excoriate you over your mistakes, forgetting that even you, the Pastor, have less-than-great moments and are far from perfect.
Pastoring is by no means easy, but I understand that just how much easier it can be if you don’t have to worry about intense scrutiny every time you make a mistake (not involving a moral failure). There’s too much work for you to do and too much of a demand on your anointing for you get caught up in a firestorm of negative public opinion upon your every instance of humanity.
My prayer is that your people will understand that and extend you grace — the same grace they have needed or will need at some point in their lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A former pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Marcus A. Cylar is an editor, writer, digital strategist, and speaker. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit and is the author of Rebuild: A 12-Part Framework for Rejuvenating and Restoring the Burnt-Out Pastor. He is currently working on his second book, #PrayForYourPastor, to be released in 2017. Dr. Cylar and his wife, Chariece, are consultants helping churches, nonprofits, and small businesses organize more intentionally, communicate more effectively, and use technology with greater savvy.
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