Traps of Preaching

I've been preaching for some 28 years. In that time, I've been around and met a lot of "good" ministers. I experienced some things and watched others progress or lack thereof. A "good" minister receives a lot of praise. He is fair, compassionate, a personality that one enjoys being around and sympathetic. He has a wonderful message each and every time. He is considered a good leader. People flock to him with all sorts of thoughts and struggles. Along with all the above comes something else, the power that goes with his reputation. A "good" minister doesn't ask for the power, it just happens. His looks may not attract but because of the qualities he possesses in dealing with people, he attracts people. Those who come to him are happy and well adjusted. They want his insight. Others are hurting, vulnerable and unhappy with lives filled with troubles. They all come listening, trusting and allow the preacher into their lives at very personal levels their own mates or closest friends may not know. Here is the trap: People who come to such a preacher open themselves to a person they may consider powerful and the preacher can be seduced by that power into sin if he is not careful. The "good" minister finds himself thinking more highly of himself than he ought and sin is waiting to take him down! This is especially true in those very vulnerable because of stuggling marriages and communication problems within that marriage.

The "good" minister is married to a "good" woman who knows each and every aspect of her husband. She love him but does not hang on his every word, does not see him quite as wonderful as others do, so the power and qualities others see, she is immune to. When he comes home, her heart does not become a flutter, her smile may not be lighting up the world and her eyes may be tearful, but that's because she has been peeling onions. She knows the weaknesses and struggles that exist in her husband and he knows she know. Here is the trap: The minister gives and gives so much to the people that he forgets she has needs. Because she does not bow down at his presence, not impressed by his following, she find herself on the "leftover" end of his life. She suffers and the children suffer, while the "good" minister never realizes where the sin of not loving his wife has taken him. He can take a wrong attitude toward his wife because she is not falling all over him like many do. What a tragedy! If one wants to really know the "good" minister, just ask his wife or children!

A "good" minister is under great pressure. People do not realize that. People and their expectations of him can tempt him into the very world of sin. That's hard for some to believe. "Good" ministers are not immune to sin and failure. We can be in danger as well as dangerous. The devil is looking for those to devour and some his greatest prospects are those "good" ministers who get duped into this power play and adoration of the people, forgetting that you are simply a servant, washed in the blood of the Lamb and anyone that comes your way, it's not about you. It's about the healing and saving power of the Lord and the strength of His might. That's the only way to avoid the traps of preaching.