Keep Your Head Down

The aftermath of a Gospel ministry in many a congregation is one of shock, unbelief, anger.  Such a ministry has sought to honour God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, albeit imperfectly. 

When a successor arrives in that same congregation, it appears that he is given 'sage advice' from church colleagues and senior administrators.  That advice is along the line of 'keep your head down;'  'don't rock the boat;' 'don't break any ice.' 

In other words, "Don't concern yourself about spiritual things, and certainly not about the spiritual condition of your congregation.  Even if Christian professors go to hell when they die, don't get too concerned about it.  It's their choice, after all.  Let them go on in their ignorance, in the false religion.  Your job is to keep the pagans happy; you are there to keep the church machine running well.  But don't task your ordination vows too seriously - that will only cause trouble in the church and also for you.  The last man took his sincerely taken ordination vows very seriously and look what happened to him."

That happens in evangelical churches in Northern Ireland today.  Passionate preachers are best placed to see sinners converted to Christ and built up in their most holy faith; but they are also best placed to annoy church members and church leaders and get himself into trouble.  Church Christians truly do not want that kind of minister, but true believers do.  Church Christians do not want clear Gospel preaching, but true Christians do.  Church people just want to keep the church running like a social club or a religious business.  The last thing they want is truth, Gospel truth, Gospel messages.

However, that attitude explains clearly the current state of the evangelical church.  She has in church membership many who are not even converted.  Unconverted people, especially if they are religious and hold office in the church, utterly hate the Gospel.  Religious sinners who do not know Christ or the forgiveness of sins, do not want to be told that if they are still unconverted they are not Christians.  They do not want to hear the Gospel. 

So what do they do to the Gospel preacher?  They oppose him, persecute him, undermine him, ridicule him.  They orchestrate all kinds of things in a bid to get rid of him.  They just do not want such a preacher in their church.  They want to listen to religious nothingness, because that causes no one any trouble - no one that is but the true Christian.  He wants the Gospel above all else.  However costly it is to him personally, he wants the Gospel.  That's how you know that a man is a true Christian - he wants the Gospel no matter what it does to him. 

Church authorities do a massive dis-service to the Gospel, to the Kingdom of God, and to the well-being of men's souls, when they advise ministers to go easy with the Gospel.  In fact, insofar as they engage in such evil activity they consign sinners to a Christless hell for all eternity. 

No true Christian will ever do such a wicked thing.