Church planting leaders can easily rattle off the names of guys who, sadly, didn’t make it. Sometimes, unforeseen circumstances wreak havoc on the church plant.
Often, though, the deficiency lay in the character of the planter.
When a planter’s character is lacking, God simply won’t honor his efforts. Instead, God “lightly esteems” the planter and his efforts.
A Tragic Example
First Samuel 2 is the story of Eli’s worthless sons. Obviously, they were not church planters. They were priests. Scripture says that they — as priests — “despised the Lord.” And because they despised Him, they were not honored by Him. They were, instead, “lightly esteemed” by Him.
“But now the LORD declares … ‘those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed’” (1 Sam. 2:30b).
How did they despise the Lord? The text tells us: They were worthless (v. 12a). They did not know the Lord (v. 12b). They were greedy and gluttonous (vv. 13-14). They abused worshipers for personal gain (vv. 15-16). They treated the offering of the Lord with contempt (v. 17). They were sexually immoral (vv. 22-24). They would not listen to their father (v. 25).
Therefore, they were lightly esteemed by the Lord.
Seven Self-Examining Questions
It’s a sober warning for anyone who’s in any kind of spiritual leadership role. And it’s a warning to church planters who desperately need the Lord to honor their efforts, rather than lightly esteem them.
This tragic story can lead us and church planters to seven self-examination questions:
- Where and how have I become worthless by wasting time, money and resources that should be spent on building Christ’s kingdom?
- How have I been failing to grow in my personal intimacy with the Lord and in the true knowledge of God?
- Where and how has greed and gluttony crept— unnoticed and unchallenged— into my life?
- How have I become entitled — believing worshippers are there to serve me, rather than believing I am there to serve them?
- Where and how have I been handling holy things — the Word, prayer, worship, communion — in a casual and cavalier way?
- How have I become complacent and compromising regarding my moral purity and godly sexuality?
- Where and how have I have begun to resist godly accountability and God-appointed authority?
Eli’s sons did not have good answers to these kinds of questions. And we know the rest of the story. They lost their ministry. And they lost their lives (1 Sam. 4:11).
Church planters, let’s encourage, challenge, admonish and equip one another by asking the tough questions so that their lives will honor the One who said, “Those who honor Me I will honor.”
A prayer: Lord, save me from any temptation, no matter how small, that might cause me to despise You by how I live and minister. Help me to be the kind of servant of the Lord who truly honors You. You deserve and desire to be honored — not just with my lips, but also with my life. Help me to take an inventory of my life to see where and how I may be despising You, even if it might be what some would think is innocuous. Keep me— and the spiritual leaders I know— pure before You and useful to You. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.
Published February 26, 2020
