More on Choosing Ministry Team Leaders

In Part 1 & 2, I talked about the need to screen out arrogant or prideful individuals when choosing ministry leaders.  In this part, I want to caution you about people who may be too broken to serve but whose brokenness is not immediately apparent.

At the other end of the spectrum from those afflicted with pride and a genuine sense of superiority are those who deeply struggle with a sense of worth and are looking for ministry roles that make them feel significant. Those who project abundant confidence or superiority to cover up deep feelings of inadequacy far outnumber those who truly sees themselves as superior.  These individuals may also be prime real estate for a Jezebel spirit. They want others to see them as gifted and mature and constantly seek the validation of others so they may aspire to leadership roles for the sake of significance rather than service. 

These individuals may not have a true confidence that Jesus will work though them which is essential in freedom ministry.  Believers that possess humility know who they are in Christ and have faith that Jesus will work through them when facing the enemy or when needing wisdom.  Those who struggle with self-worth aren’t sure who they are and fear that Jesus won’t work through them when the they face difficult situations or face the enemy.  They will not weather criticism or disapproval well and will blame others for their shortcomings.  In a ministry in which they encounter many broken and demonized people, they will sooner or later feel the rejection of some of those individuals. Their response to the rejection may be damaging. If they have no emotional resilience, they will crumble.   If you feel the need to correct them, they may begin to see you as their enemy.

The extremely insecure may also present themselves as more gifted, mature, or knowledgeable than they truly are and may set themselves up for failure because they take on more than they are ready to handle.  These individuals will not readily be transparent about weaknesses and, as a result, will not be able to grow in those areas of weakness.   Because they feel the need to present themselves as always having the answer or always “having it together,” he or she may not seem as approachable as they should to those who struggle with imperfections.  Approachability is essential as a group leader or a mentor.  If gifted, they may use their gift as a way to impress others more than a way to love others. Both the arrogant and the very insecure can hurt ministries if put in a role of leadership but they may also hurt themselves. 

Now…let’s be honest.  Nearly all of us struggle with pride or insecurity at some level and enjoy the affirmation and approval of others.   However, we need to be in a place where we recognize it, acknowledge it, usually manage it, and have others hold us accountable if it starts to get the best of us. You will have no perfect people on your team, but you are looking for people in a healthy emotional and spiritual range. That is a obviously a subjective measure but it is one you will need to assess through prayer, conversation, and the observations of others.

Spend time getting to know people who want to join your team.  Speak to others who know them.  Talk to leaders in other ministries with whom they have served.   If patterns of relational or emotional brokenness emerge or an unwillingness to submit to spiritual authority is apparent, those will be red flags and you may want to postpone their involvement in your ministry.

Another thing to consider is simply where a person is in his/her life at the moment and how spiritually stable or relationally stable that person is at the time they are wanting to serve.   Freedom ministry tends to put a person in the crosshairs of the enemy a little more than usual.  A struggling marriage, an out-of- control child, a person fighting old addictions or someone struggling with grief or depression may not be in a season when they need to serve.  Be prayerful and patient when adding team members.  

It is always painful to have to ask someone who is on the team to step down when you discover that they are not spiritually or emotionally ready to lead. Of course, we will need to explore issues we see with them and give individuals a chance to acknowledge those issues and change, but some will not acknowledge their shortcomings.  Sometimes they will attempt to damage the ministry on the way out, so be sure to follow Paul’s counsel to Timothy not to be hasty in laying hands on someone.  It is better to delay a bit than to place the wrong person in a position of leadership.  If we can be honest with those individuals about our concerns, we will be giving them a chance to grow or heal and they may become effective members of our ministry team at a later date.

Take it from someone who has not always acted with wisdom, when you are developing a ministry, you are building a foundation for the future.  Taking your time to build a solid foundation of leadership, processes for selecting and developing new ministry team members, and even processes for removing someone from a leadership role in rare instances, can pay huge dividends down the road. It’s worth giving time and energy to develop those processes.  Having a small subset of your most mature leaders act as an evaluation team to help choose new leaders or deal with problems that arise can also be invaluable.  Those decisions should not fall on one person.

You won’t have the answer or a process for everything that pops up, but having some things thought out and in place ahead of time may keep the enemy from taking advantage of a ministry that is reactive instead of proactive.  It will also remove the impression that one or two individuals in the ministry are acting out of their own impulses or acting arbitrarily instead of following biblical processes governed by biblical values.

I hope this short series has been helpful for those beginning or reviving freedom ministries in their church or area.  The enemy will not be unaware and will not let you grow without challenging you so please be prayerful, thoughtful, and engage some people who have already been down the road that you are beginning to walk.  Blessings in Him.

Jezebel Spirits

In Part 2 of this series, I introduced the need to be aware of any division or divisive person that is affecting your ministry and the possibility that a Jezebel spirit may be operating.  This spirit obviously carries the name of Jezebel of the Old Testament – the wife of Ahab who was one of the most wicked kings in the history of God’s people.  One of the reasons he was so wicked is that his wife manipulated him into even greater sins than he would have committed on his own. This spirit operates with the same characteristics that were displayed in Queen Jezebel. It creates a hunger for power and influence in an individual that achieves its goals through manipulation and seduction.  There are often components of haughtiness and witchcraft as well.

A Jezebel spirit does not always seek the primary leadership role in a ministry or a church but can simply want to be the “power behind the throne” and be close to those who have primary leadership roles. This spirit will create division by trying to discredit the primary leader or other leaders in the ministry as he/she attempts to gain more influence. This spirit tends to set leaders at odds with each other and can also use sexual seduction as a tool which can devastate a church or ministry.  

This spirit can operate in men or women but seems to operate in women more frequently.  It is not always easy to know whether a person is being motivated by a spirit or just a need to feel significant or a prideful belief that he or she should be leading a ministry.  Any source of division needs to be managed immediately using Matthew 18:15-17 as a template – gently at first, but then firmly when needed.  When a spirit is operating you will probably not see godly sorrow or repentance but will likely see anger and rebellion and an attempt to get other church leaders on his/her side.  Good communication with other leaders will be imperative to determine what is actually going on.  

A person demonized by a Jezebel spirit will not always be open to acknowledging the issues or to deliverance. This spirit often enters into a person when he/she is very young – especially one who has experienced a great deal of rejection or loss.  The spirit will provide comfort and feign friendship at first.  The demonized individual may see this spirit as a friend or even a mother figure and protector.  Letting go of that spirit will not feel safe even for an adult. Since deliverance with the individual’s cooperation may not be possible, making declarations and praying against this spirit will be essential as well as asking the Holy Spirit to make that person aware of the spirit and its damaging effects on the person’s life and relationships.  

In the meantime, the individual needs to be removed from the ministry and, at times, even from the church.  Division is such a powerful weapon of the enemy that Paul commanded Titus to deal with divisive people quickly.  “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned” (Titus 3:10).  Dealing with people in such a way is difficult, especially if you have a mercy gift or a gift of compassion, because you fear damaging them or adding more rejection to their lives.

However, a lifestyle of creating division is sin and can’t be ignored.   It is critical that you respond to that issue biblically as well as any other persistent sin issues that show up on your team, since each one opens the door for the enemy to get footholds in your ministry that will eventually become strongholds. In our “don’t judge me” culture, we have typically laid aside or watered down the biblical commands to exercise church discipline, but to exercise discipline is best for the unrepentant sinner as well as for the body of Christ. Any discipline must be motivated by love and concern and should be an intentional process rather than a reactionary moment of anger or frustration.

A Jezebel spirit is one of the most difficult spirits to deal with so you may want to get some help from those who have health successfully with it before. Robert Morris (Gateway Church) has a very helpful teaching on dealing with this spirit that you should be able to find on YouTube.

Part 4 will discuss other issues in choosing leaders for your ministry team

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.

Recently we have had the privilege of working with several parachurch groups and churches that are wanting to launch freedom ministries in their area.  These ministries are full of hope and potential for setting people free and increasing the health and power of the kingdom of God by doing so.  But they are also vulnerable to the strategies of the enemy.

When a ministry is beginning that specifically focuses on healing the brokenness of people and setting them free from demonic oppression, you know that Satan will give that ministry special attention.  If Satan cannot keep individuals from being saved, he will then work hard to limit their effectiveness and fruitfulness in the kingdom.  Keeping them in bondage to fear, anger, distrust, depression, self-hatred, and a bevy of addictions is his ongoing strategy to limit the impact of the kingdom on planet earth.  Freedom ministries confront that agenda head on so we need to be especially aware of his schemes when we serve or lead ministries in those areas.

In this blog and the next, I want to make you aware of a few of the schemes that need to be prayed against, trained against, and sometimes confronted so that those ministries are not weakened or eventually fail.  

Spiritual Arrogance

First of all, there must be an environment  of genuine humility in every freedom ministry.  I have visited with more than one senior pastor who had a bad experience with such ministries in the past and who was not interested in developing a new freedom ministry out of fear of having the same experience.  Their experience was that those within the ministry had begun to see themselves as spiritually superior to those who were not involved or “in-tune” with deliverance, inner healing prayers, words of knowledge, spiritual authority, and so forth. That arrogance damaged relationships and created division within their church.

It’s tempting to slip into a sense of spiritual superiority because freedom ministries are typically bringing something new to the church that people are excited about. It may be the only ministry in the church that is consistently experiencing the supernatural power of God. Suddenly, the “freedom ministry team” knows about spiritual truths that no one else seems to know about.  

In that environment, the flesh is quite willing to feel superior, but that sense of superiority will create division in the church, especially when ministry team members accuse anyone who questions or criticizes them of  “having a demon” or being “spiritually immature.” James 4:7 declares that we can resist the devil and he will flee from us, but the verse before it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Submit yourselves, then, to God.”  Unless we humble ourselves before him, he will not empower the ministry and failure will inevitably occur.

One of Satan’s primary strategies is always division, whether in a nation, a family, a church, or a ministry.  Where division exists, love is not operating as it should.   Where love is not operating as it should, spiritual gifts will not be operating as they should.   Division will be spawned by anyone who feels that they are God’s elite in a congregation or community.  Those individuals always see themselves as being right, being more mature than others, and being more approved by God that others.  Criticism and a subtle or not so subtle attempts to undermine other  leadership will be part of the fabric of that elitist mindset.  Obviously, those attitudes reflect the character of Satan, not of Jesus.  When they show up in a ministry, they must be dealt with and corrected immediately.  If those attitudes are displayed in the ministry from day one and demonstrated by core leaders, the corrections will be easier.  You must also maintain the realization that freedom ministries are not for everyone even if they desire to be part of the ministry. 

Freedom ministries are exciting and impactful, but are no more necessary or spiritual than children’s ministry (I would rather face demons any day than two-year old’s), host ministries, worship, or the cleaning crew.  God has called everyone to a ministry and we are simply to be faithful in what he has called us to do while being cheerleaders for those he has called to other things. That attitude must permeate the leadership in any freedom ministry . Division will open the door to the enemy more quickly than anything and pride or arrogance will always create division.  

Next Week…Lay hands Quickly On No Man

There is an axiom in spiritual warfare circles that says, “Whatever or whomever you agree with,  you empower.”  When Adam and Eve aligned their thinking with the serpent’s suggestions about the character of God and eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, in some way they submitted to his authority.  By agreeing with Satan, they joined the ranks of the cursed.

One of the rules of debate is that you never allow your opponent to establish the premise upon which the debate will be argued. If the premise is faulty, there is no way to arrive at the truth. When we agree with Satan, we have inevitably accepted one of his premises that God is not good, that God does not have our best interest in mind, that God is not true to his word, or that God does not have the power to protect us from the enemy. Think about the people you know who have abandoned the faith, and you will recognize that they came into agreement with one of those premises. When Adam aligned his thinking with the serpent’s, he gave up his position as God’s representative ruler over the earth and Satan became the prince of this world.  Agreement matters.

Have you ever seen a child who got a cut or scrape on his hand while playing?  He cries and screams as if he is dying until Mom comforts him and puts a band-aid on the cut.  It’s not long until he is absorbed with other things and forgets all abound his terrible wound…until he notices the bandage again and then, suddenly, he is once again in terrible pain and needs emergency care from his mother.  When he noticed the bandage again, he came into agreement with the idea that his life was in mortal danger from the “terrible wound” he had suffered. The pain that was unnoticeable for a while, suddenly was empowered and became unbearable when he came into agreement with the idea that he was injured.  

It’s not that the child did not have a legitimate wound or did not feel some pain. Agreement simply gave the scratch more power over the child than was warranted. If he had not focused on the band-aisd, he could have conti ned to play and enjoy his day. His focus and his belief about what the band-aid represented side tracked his play time and took him back to a place of fear and pain.

The principle of agreement is found in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Paul reminds us that there are many things the enemy will throw at us that argue against the truths that God has revealed in his word.   But we are told to take hold of our thoughts and make them obedient to Christ.  That is another way of saying that we must make sure we align our thoughts and words with the truths and promises of God and not with the lies and inuendoes of the enemy.  Like the boy with the band-aid, we must keep our eyes on the promises of God rather than the problems we encounter.  If we focus more on the problem than the promises, we give the problem power in our lives.  If we focus enough, it will begin to have absolute power over our lives. For every problem and every challenge, Jesus and the promises he has purchased for us with his blood are the answer.

Remember when Moses sent the twelve spies into Canaan to check out the land they had been promised by God and were preparing to invade.  Ten came back overwhelmed by the size of the inhabitants and the walled cities in Canaan.  They came into agreement with fear and I’m sure the doubt that Satan had been whispering in their ears.  There words reflect their agreement with the problem and the whispers of the enemy. “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes and we looked the same to them” (Num.13:33).     Joshua and Caleb declared that with God’s help they could surely take the land.  The ten never entered the promise-land while Joshua and Caleb were honored by God for their agreement with him. They entered the land and took possession of it.  

We are certainly facing challenges right now – Covid19, divisive politics, racism, a nuclear Iran, and a controversial election that threatens to splinter America even more than it already is.  Every headline and every news report is leavened with fear and hate.  Too many believers are believing the headlines rather than the promises of God.  

If we spend more time watching CNN or browsing social media than we do meditating on the promises of God, we will find ourselves in agreement with the world and the prince of this world rather than being in agreement with God. Our lives will be infected with fear and hopelessness rather than faith and courage.  If there ever was a time that we need to make every thought obedient to Christ, this is that time. I see believers shrinking back in fear, seeing themselves as grasshoppers when the word of God promises us his presence, his protection, and his provision.  Mediate on his promises and thank him for who he is for us.  If you have come into agreement with fear and anger, repent.  Change that today.  Psalm 91 and Romans 8 are two great places to live right now.  You might begin and end every day by spending time in those passages.

As the writer of Hebrews declares: So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. Heb. 10:35-11:1