Tag: reputation

Consider Your Reputation (Revelation 18:1-10, 19-20)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted:

“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’
    She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,
    a haunt for every unclean bird,
    a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
For all the nations have drunk
    the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
    and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”

Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

“‘Come out of her, my people,’
    so that you will not share in her sins,
    so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
for her sins are piled up to heaven,
    and God has remembered her crimes.
Give back to her as she has given;
    pay her back double for what she has done.
    Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
Give her as much torment and grief
    as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In her heart she boasts,
    ‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;
    I will never mourn.’
Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
    death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,
    for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

“When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
    you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour your doom has come!…’

They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
    where all who had ships on the sea
    became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’

“Rejoice over her, you heavens!
    Rejoice, you people of God!
    Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
    with the judgment she imposed on you.” (New International Version)

Much of the book of Revelation, also known as The Apocalypse of John, is related in symbolic language. The Apostle John had a vision – much like a dream – and saw things that were to come. Like the prophet Ezekiel, experiencing a vision from the Lord is hard to put into words once you’ve experienced it.

John sees and hears the fall of Babylon, that is, the city of Rome. He heard the angel proclaim the empire’s utter desolation and saw what the city would lose. It’s bad news for Rome but good news for the rest of the earth. Drunkenness and sexual immorality are metaphors for the Roman Empire’s crime of acquiring wealth and luxury on the backs of others through imperialism.

What’s more, Rome deceived the nations by causing them to think and believe this economic and religious imperialism was right, good, and needed. So, other city states and nations went to bed with them in this impure and unholy cause. Therefore, divine judgment was coming.

The Fall of Babylon, 15th century artwork

The Apostle John wanted his readers to make a clean break with the Roman Empire and everything it represents. Rome had a “good” reputation with many of the conquered and colonized peoples in the Empire. But, in reality, they had spread evil and encouraged others in their immorality. There was an awfully dark underbelly to Rome’s power and authority that the people of God were invited to see and repudiate.

The issue of reputation is an important one, because how we come across to others might be different than who we actually are.

One day at a parent-teacher conference, many years ago when my middle daughter was in second grade, the teacher told my wife and I about the class reading some Winnie the Pooh books. The kids were to talk about which Pooh character they liked the most and why. Since my sweet daughter is an outgoing and bouncy person, I was certain that she had said that Tigger was her favorite. But instead, she told the teacher her favorite was Eeyore, “because Eeyore reminds me of my Daddy.”

Ouch. I wasn’t ready for that one. Yet, as I thought about my daughter’s answer, I began to see that since I was working as a factory supervisor, going to graduate school at night, and being a part-time church pastor, I was continually drained and tired. So, my daughter experienced me as if I was Eeyore loping about the house with a pinned-on tail.  

Before that parent-teacher conference encounter, I never would have described myself as my daughter did. Obviously, my reputation did not match my self-perception – which leads me to ask a question for you to struggle with: What is your reputation with others? 

The question is not: What do you think your reputation is? That’s because the only way to know your reputation is to interact with other people. And their answers may be very different than what you think they might be.

If there is a clear disconnect between what someone or some group says about you, and what you think is true about you, then please do not dismiss their thoughts or opinions. You may not like what they say, but we need to weigh the words and glean as much wisdom as we can from them.  

Also, if it is a negative perception, or truly off the mark, use the information to help inspire you toward change. And if there are things that you know need changing, think about what kind of reputation you want to have and begin setting some goals for achieving what you want. Begin with the results you want, and then focus on the small steps you can do to gain what you are after.

There is yet one more critical question to ask, and the way you answer it requires the utmost honesty and vulnerability: What is your reputation with God?

As with others, your approach is to be the same, that is, ask God what God thinks about you. Read Holy Scripture and spend time with the Lord. No individual believer or faith community can ever hope to glorify God and have effective ministry unless they are genuine and urgent about where they stand before God and what their reputation is with people outside of church.

Let’s not assume that others do or should think highly of us, of Christians, or of the Church. Ask the questions of reputation. Use them to spawn the kind of interaction that is needed to help address what God wants for your life. 

I did not want to be Eeyore, so I reassessed my use of time so that I could be more fully present to my family. What will it mean for you?

Blessed Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus, help me to cultivate godly character, thereby building a good reputation. Deliver me from whatever will destroy my reputation. Save the leaders of your church everywhere from the enemy that seeks to damage their reputation. Protect and preserve them, O Lord. Amen.

Titus 1:1-9 – Effective Spiritual Leaders

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Exploring Church Ministry Blog, Year BLeave a comment

From Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I’m sent to bring about the faith of God’s chosen people and a knowledge of the truth that agrees with godliness.

Their faith and this knowledge are based on the hope of eternal life that God, who doesn’t lie, promised before time began. God revealed his message at the appropriate time through preaching, and I was trusted with preaching this message by the command of God our savior.

To Titus, my true child in a common faith.

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior.

The reason I left you behind in Crete was to organize whatever needs to be done and to appoint elders in each city, as I told you. Elders should be without fault. They should be faithful to their spouse and have faithful children who can’t be accused of self-indulgence or rebelliousness. This is because supervisors should be without fault as God’s managers: they shouldn’t be stubborn, irritable, addicted to alcohol, a bully, or greedy. Instead, they should show hospitality, love what is good, and be reasonable, ethical, godly, and self-controlled. They must pay attention to the reliable message as it has been taught to them so that they can encourage people with healthy instruction and refute those who speak against it. (Common English Bible)

Paul wrote his letter to Titus so that spiritually solid competent virtuous leaders might be appointed to guide the church on the island of Crete (located in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Greece). 

There was no ambiguity with Paul about the importance of leadership. The Apostle clearly laid out his expectations that church officials must have a good reputation – not bossy, quick-tempered, heavy drinkers, bullies, or dishonest in business. Instead, they must be friendly to strangers and enjoy doing good things. They must also be sensible, fair, pure, and self-controlled.  They must stick to the true message they were taught, so that their good teaching can help others and correct everyone who opposes it.

I find it interesting that very few biblical scholars view this teaching as an ideal to aspire – while many churches and believers think this is the case. There is neither any indication nor reason within the biblical text to think that Paul presented his expectations for the ideal leader, as if no one could really be this way. 

Furthermore, Paul did not provide his instruction as a strategy for getting apathetic people off their butts and into some form of service. No, it’s best to understand that Paul meant what he said. He knew that compromising on the character of leadership would erode and destroy the church.

“True leadership is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you.”

J. Oswald Sanders

The selection of church leaders is important because just one bad belly-aching non-virtuous apple can upset the entire apple cart. Good people provide good teaching and good wisdom. Selfish people with a self-centered agenda find ways to subvert or manipulate sound instruction to get what they want. 

Everyone in the Body of Christ is to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of God. They are to be wise to all the shenanigans of myopic persons through understanding the commands and instruction of Holy Scripture. This is yet another reason to immerse ourselves in the Bible so that we will lead with confidence.

If a church or faith community feels the need to overlook character defects to fill empty leadership seats, then Houston, we have a problem. Any short order cook worth his salt would never crack open a rotten egg and mix it in with the rest to make an omelet. And any group of people who throw a bad egg into their leadership team had better be ready to get sick and vomit when meetings are called to order.

It is imperative that spiritual leaders possess the following:

  • A good reputation
  • Faithfulness and fidelity to their families.
  • A clear-mind and consistent good behavior.
  • Self-control
  • The moral courage to speak truth with grace.
  • A spirit and practice of hospitality.
  • An ability to communicate well so that people are built up in their faith.
  • Sobriety
  • Humility
  • Respectability
  • Gentleness
  • Patience
  • Generosity
  • Compassion
  • Maturity
  • Sincerity
  • Honesty
  • Empathy
  • Purity

All these traits are needed for effective and godly spiritual leadership. Compromising on virtue will never end well. Upholding moral character brings blessing.

“The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power but love, not force but example, not coercion but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power, but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve.” 

John R.W. Stott

God calls and sets apart individuals for service. The Lord desires to reveal and manifest the divine presence among people through leaders who reflect God’s good attributes. Jesus Christ wants his church to be built up through faithful service. The Spirit seeks to sanctify and empower for effective ministry.

Nowhere do we find in Scripture that a leader’s main job is listening to complaints. That’s because God has a zero tolerance policy toward murmuring, grumbling, and ingratitude. In fact, the New Testament clearly says to do everything without complaining or arguing. (Philippians 2:14)

Neither will you find the church is supposed to operate just like an American form of democracy. Spiritual leaders are not representatives of the people to do their will. Instead, they are representatives of God to the people so that God’s will is done in all things. 

That all means prayer to God and outreach to the world is the major work for spiritual leaders. And it takes virtuous and ethical persons leading to realize love to all kinds of people. So, feel free to exercise leadership. Just make sure that leadership is grounded in the God of integrity and the Word of grace and truth.

Almighty God, the One who gives good gifts to people, may every grace of ministry rest on divinely appointed leaders. Keep them strong and faithful so that your church may prosper in peace. Grant leaders wisdom, courage, discretion, and benevolence so that they may fulfill their charge to the glory of Jesus Christ and in the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

How to Know What Your Reputation Is with Others

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment

Eeyore

One day at a parent-teacher conference many years ago when my middle daughter was in second grade, the teacher, as usual for such an occasion, told my wife and I about the things the class had been doing.  The class had been reading some Winnie the Pooh books and the kids were to talk about which Pooh character they liked the most and why.  Since my daughter, Charissa, is a very outgoing and bouncy type of person I was certain that she would immediately say that Tigger was her favorite.  But instead she responded with Eeyore.  Okay.  Not what I would have guessed.  Why?  Charissa explained, “Because Eeyore reminds me of my Daddy.”

Ouch.  I wasn’t ready for that one.  Yet, as I thought about Charissa’s answer I began to see that since I was working as a supervisor in a factory, going to grad school at night, and being a part-time minister in my local church had left me drained to the point that whenever my daughter saw me it was as if I was Eeyore just loping about the house with a pinned-on tail.  Before that parent-teacher conference encounter I never would have described myself as my daughter did.  Obviously, my reputation did not match my own perception of myself.

You and I need to periodically struggle with the question:  What is your reputation with others?  Notice the question is not:  What do you think your reputation is?  The only way to know your reputation is to interact with other people.  And their answers may be very different than what you think they might be.

One way to get at your reputation is who or what you associate yourself with.  For example, whenever I have conversations with people who are not church attenders, I will often ask something like:  “So, what do you know about church?”  “Do you know any church people?”  “What is one word that you would use to describe the church?”  The answers to those questions usually reveal a great deal of what they think of me, a Christian and a Pastor – two major hats that I wear all the time.

What should you do if there is a clear disconnect between what someone or some group says about you, and what you think is true about you?  First, please do not ever dismiss another person’s thoughts or opinions, especially if you don’t agree with them.  Sure, you might not like what they say, but we need to weigh the words and glean as much wisdom as we can from it.  Second, if it is a negative perception, or truly off the mark, use the information to help inspire you toward change.  Third, if there are things that you know need changing, think about what kind of reputation you want to have and begin setting some goals for achieving what you want.  Begin with the results you want, and then focus on the small steps you can do to gain what you’re after.

There is yet one more critical question to continually ask:  What is your reputation with God?  The way you answer that question is paramount and requires the utmost honesty.  Your approach is the same:  ask God himself.  Pray.  Read Scripture, especially the Prophets, and the first three chapters of Revelation.  No individual Christian or church congregation can ever hope to glorify God and have effective ministry in their community unless they are genuine and urgent about where they stand before God and what their reputation is with people outside of church.  Resist the temptation of only thinking about or talking the subject to death; and, instead determine to set a plan of action.

Be brave.  Be vulnerable.  Be real.  Don’t assume that others, including your family, think highly of you.  Ask the questions of reputation.  Use them to spawn the kind of interaction that is needed to help address what God wants for your life.  If you don’t want to be Eeyore, do something about it.  For me, it meant completely reassessing my use of time so that I could be more fully present to my family.  What will it mean for you?

Reputation

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment

One day at a parent-teacher conference several years ago when my middle daughter was in second grade, the teacher, as usual for such an occasion, told my wife and I about the things the class had been doing.  The class had been reading some Winnie the Pooh books and the kids were to talk about which Pooh character they liked the most and why.  Since my daughter, Charissa, is a very outgoing and bouncy type of person I was certain that she would immediately say that Tigger was her favorite.  But instead she responded with Eeyore.  Okay.  Not what I would have guessed.  Why?  Charissa said, “Because Eeyore reminds me of my Daddy.”

Ouch.  I wasn’t ready for that one.  Yet, as I reflected on Charissa’s answer I saw that since I was working as a supervisor in a factory, going to grad school at night, and being a lay minister in my local church had left me drained to the point that whenever my daughter saw me it was as if I was Eeyore just loping about the house with a pinned on tail.  Before that parent-teacher conference encounter I never would have described myself as my daughter did.  Obviously, my reputation did not match my own perception of myself.

Every church leadership team needs to periodically struggle with this question:  What is our reputation in the community?  Notice the question is not:  What do you think your reputation is?  The only way to know a church’s reputation is to interact with those outside of your church.  And the answers may be very different than what you think they might be.  Whenever I have conversations with those in my community who are not members of my church, I will often ask something like:  “So, what do you know of our church?”  “Do you know any people in the church?”  “What is one word that you would describe the church?”

What should we do if there is a clear disconnect between what the community says about us, and what we think is true about us?  First, we ought to never dismiss what another says about our church.  Sure, we might not like it but we need to weigh the words and glean as much wisdom as we can from it.  Second, if it is a negative perception, or truly off the mark, use the information to help inspire you toward change.  Third, if there are things that you know need changing, discuss what kind of reputation you want to have and begin setting some goals for achieving what you want.  Begin with the results you want, and then focus on the particular tasks you might do.

There is yet one more critical question to continually ask:  What is our reputation with God?  The way we answer this question is critical and demands the utmost honesty.  Our approach is the same as asking persons in the community:  ask God himself.  Pray.  Read Scripture, especially the Prophets, and the first three chapters of Revelation.  No church can ever hope to glorify God and be effective in their community unless they are genuine and urgent about where they stand before God and what their reputation is with those outside of church.  Resist the temptation of talking the subject to death and instead determine to set a plan of action.

At your next leadership meeting or team meeting, be brave and ask the questions of reputation.  Use them to spawn the kind of interaction that is needed to help address what God wants for your ministry.