What
about Paul? As soon as he was converted,
he began to preach Jesus. But, we must
not argue from the exceptional rather than acknowledging the typical. Few are like Paul! Another salient point is this—even though he
began to preach immediately, his leadership of the church only began after a
period of seasoning. So, he practiced
what he preached.
To
be "puffed up with pride" in
the Greek literally means to be obscured in smoke—the smokescreen of
pride. Such a man is, “inflated with self-conceit and exaggerated ideas of his own importance,
he cannot see himself or others in the true light (1 Ti 6:4 ; 2 Ti 3:4 ).”[1] He thinks more
highly of himself than he ought. That is
the road to ruin.
This
is the hubris exemplified in those who built and steered the Titanic. Thinking it unsinkable—that not even God could
sink it—the tragic consequences are well known.
Our world is full of icebergs as the ship of the church sails these
waters. When a man relaxes his watch,
then danger is imminent. The
inexperienced are more likely to be caught offguard.
This
term makes me think of our expression, “blowing smoke.” There are a lot of preachers that do that—not
just the young, of course—but that is a particular weak spot for many novices.
“Ancient leadership ideology required leaders
to be tested in lower offices, to demonstrate their skills before being
promoted….”[2] If you want to wreck a company, put someone
in as CEO who is a young “hotshot,” gifted, yet inexperienced. They will likely become intoxicated with
power and their arrogance not tempered by maturity will be their
downfall—bringing down the company as well—or, at the least, setting it
back. Many a church has been damaged or destroyed
the same way.
A PRAYER
Ancient
of Days,
You know
all things—the end from the beginning.
You never get in a rush. As Your
Word declares in Ecclesiastes, there is a season for all things. For all the young men called into ministry,
let them be patient and “wait” on You.
May they give themselves to discipline to learn and grow until such a
time as they are ready to serve in leadership.
Help Your churches not pick green fruit, jeopardizing the potential of
the novice, and threatening the church itself.
For all Your mature men who have so much to share, stir them to invest
in young men. In Christ’s Name and for His Sake,
Amen.
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