Lay Hands Quickly on No Man

We are in a short series that began as a two-part series but has developed into a four-part series aimed at those who are beginning freedom ministries (or other ministries) in their church or community.  One of Paul’s warnings to Timothy, as a pastor, was not to be hasty in laying hands on others. (1Tim. 5:22). The “laying on of hands” could have two connotations in Timothy’s ministry and both apply to freedom ministries…especially in the developing stages.  When a leader laid hands on someone, he was either symbolically transferring authority for a leadership role or was imparting a spiritual gift…or both.

Paul’s admonition is a caution to delay designating leaders or imparting spiritual gifts until you know the person well enough to be confident that their character, emotional health, or spiritual maturity can bear the weight of the leadership or the gift.  I tend to say “yes” too quickly to people who want to serve in our ministry and have learned the hard way to slow down the process.  I have also learned to involve other people on our team who have strong discernment gifts.  Once someone is on the team, it is a messy process to remove someone whom you discover is not spiritually mature or emotionally healthy enough to be leading.

We should always remember that not only does God draw people to ministries, but so does the enemy.  We shouldn’t be paranoid about designating new leaders and team members but we should be wise and maintain a view for the long-term health of the ministry.  In the early stages of developing a ministry, we are typically desperate for other leaders and spiritually gifted people to be part of our team. We are looking for someone to carry the vision of the ministry with passion and excitement.  We are looking for spiritual gifts that strengthen the ministry.  When a person shows up that apparently has those qualities, we may rush to add them to the team.  Sometimes we’re glad we did so and sometimes, six months down the road, we regret the invitation. The regret sometimes is related to damage that was done to the ministry, but sometimes we regret damage that was done to the person we invited to be on the team.

Team members, especially in freedom ministries, need to be people who have a genuine grasp of their limitations and a genuine dependence on the Lord.  They must be quite willing to submit to others in roles of spiritual leadership because to have authority we must be under authority.  At the same time, those individuals need to have a healthy sense of who they are in Christ and confidence that Jesus can do and will do significant things through them.    

Occasionally, you will encounter genuinely arrogant or prideful people who will want to serve in your ministry…especially if it is impacting the church you serve in and is gaining some notoriety.  The danger is that those individuals always feel that they know better or are more qualified than current leadership.  It may be because they have exceptional spiritual gifts … prophecy, discernment, or a seer gift that peers into the spiritual realm.  Unfortunately, we have discovered that highly gifted people do not always have the character to govern the gift.  They may even have a “spirit of pride” or arrogance that fuels the fire.  In Part 1, we discussed the need to maintain a genuine humility in freedom ministries.  A few spiritually arrogant people on your team can mark the whole ministry.

Arrogant people will always be offended when they are “overlooked” for roles that that they see as significant.  With that mindset, they will either consciously or subconsciously seek to undermine other leaders in an attempt to elevate their own standing in the ministry.  They feel that they should be in charge or, at least, have significant influence, and so they subtly or not so subtly will seek that position. Unfortunately, position and praise tend to simply confirm their own view of themselves that they should be in charge because they are always the smartest, the most correct, or the most spiritual person in the room. 

Jezebel spirits may attack ministries through those men or women  and create division by suggesting that current leadership is not adequate, just as Absalom did in the days of King David (see 2 Samuel 15).  Arrogant or prideful men and women are prime real estate for Jezebel spirits whose primary function is to create division and to undermine leaders through gossip, inuendo, and even sexual sin. A Jezebel spirit will inevitably show up in a freedom ministry, so keep an eye out for the signs of that particular spirit. 

In Part 3 we will talk more about a Jezebel spirit and its impact on ministries as well as choosing other ministry team leaders.