This past week it was confirmed that “family concerns” was the reason behind the still delayed “cause of death” report of the late pastor of New Destiny Christian Center, Zachery Tims.
The initial reports stated that investigators found a “white powdery substance” on Tims when his body was discovered in the W hotel in New York. Since that time, both members of his church and his fan base have done all they could to switch the conversation to the good this man has done. Even T.D. Jakes danced around the issue at Tims’ funeral with biblical analogies and references.
One man’s failure can be another man’s deliverance
Check out these numbers I found in a book I am currently reading: “Pagan Christianity? Exploring the roots of our church practices”
At the time of this writing, there are reportedly more than 500,000 paid pastors serving churches in the United States.’” Among this massive number of religious professionals, consider the following statistics that testify to the lethal danger of the pastoral office:
94 percent feel pressured to have an ideal family.
90 percent work more than forty-six hours a week.
81 percent say they have insufficient time with their spouses.
80 percent believe that pastoral ministry affects their family negatively.
70 percent do not have someone they consider a close friend.
70 percent have lower self-esteem than when they entered the ministry.
50 percent feel unable to meet the demands of the job.
80 percent are discouraged or deal with depression.
More than 40 percent report that they are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules, and unrealistic expectations.
33 percent consider pastoral ministry an outright hazard to the family.
33 percent have seriously considered leaving their position in the past year.’”
40 percent of pastoral resignations are due to burnout.’”
Tims’ tragic end could be just the right warning shot many of these pastors need to cause them consider their ways. But when we as the church continue to quickly bury these painful truths about ourselves and our departed leaders, we show that we are more concerned about maintaining the status quo than reaching those who struggling with secret sin.
I have both personally met and known Christian leaders throughout the years who are one way in public, but something completely different in private. And you know what? I am not the only one who has seen this. There are many (I mean, MANY) who attend a church, hear all the rumors about their pastor, but will defend that pastor to the death. They are too afraid to ask their pastor if the rumors are true, so they just fall in line and embrace the misquoted scripture “Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm…”. It is too bad that these church folks fail to realize that if they follow Christ, they are also part of that “anointed”.
I know of one church where amongst his many affairs with different women, one encounter took place right in the church. Many of the people know it, but yet they still support this man. I think what puzzles me is that many of these folks have a lot of sense, have degrees, and have their own families. But when it comes to their pastor, they just cannot bring themselves to confront that foolishness. We can call out the tea party, we can call out football players who are not playing at their optimum on the field, but why is it that we cannot call out pastor?
Bottom line, there is a whole world out there of folks who live in a perpetual masquerade ball. They always wear a mask to hide themselves from the rest of the world. The mask may always have a smile, but if you look at the eyes, these people are not happy. The mask is cracking and we are too afraid to ask what’s wrong. Why? Because many of us are also wearing the same mask. Those who name the name of Christ should not be one of this number. Jesus died and rose again to set us free from the bondages of sin and our screw ups. There is no way we can be perfect and win God’s approval and favor on our lives on our own. That is why Christ came to be the ultimate atonement of all of our sins.
Brothers and sisters, let’s move away from trying to impress one another with our level of biblical knowledge and move towards developing real relationships. Ask that brother or sister how are they doing…how are they REALLY doing. Be transparent as well and watch how God brings healing and restoration to the both of you.
Even venues like Facebook, a venue that prides itself in keeping you informed of those we care about is nothing more than the world’s biggest forest. Why? Because there are plenty places to hide the real you. You can present whatever image you want others to see. Behind many of those cryptic status updates are people who wish they can just tell it like it is. “My marriage sucks”. “I wish I could kill myself.” “I want to have sex with this person, but how can I get away with it with my wife and kids around?” “Why was it me who was molested and not someone else?” Man, people are jacked! But we see them playing Farmville and conclude that everything must be okay.
A friend of mine had this to say regarding the Tims’ situation.
“I mean we preach about the truth, tell the world about the truth, beat our kids for not telling the truth and yet we [Christians] are hiding the truth.”
Paul told the Corinthian church that they were living epistles (letters), seen and read by men. Those blotted out paragraphs in your letter could be the key to somebody else’s deliverance.
A missed opportunity
by Duane on October 9th, 2011 at 6:19 amThis past week it was confirmed that “family concerns” was the reason behind the still delayed “cause of death” report of the late pastor of New Destiny Christian Center, Zachery Tims.
The initial reports stated that investigators found a “white powdery substance” on Tims when his body was discovered in the W hotel in New York. Since that time, both members of his church and his fan base have done all they could to switch the conversation to the good this man has done. Even T.D. Jakes danced around the issue at Tims’ funeral with biblical analogies and references.
One man’s failure can be another man’s deliverance
Check out these numbers I found in a book I am currently reading: “Pagan Christianity? Exploring the roots of our church practices”
At the time of this writing, there are reportedly more than 500,000 paid pastors serving churches in the United States.’” Among this massive number of religious professionals, consider the following statistics that testify to the lethal danger of the pastoral office:
94 percent feel pressured to have an ideal family.
90 percent work more than forty-six hours a week.
81 percent say they have insufficient time with their spouses.
80 percent believe that pastoral ministry affects their family negatively.
70 percent do not have someone they consider a close friend.
70 percent have lower self-esteem than when they entered the ministry.
50 percent feel unable to meet the demands of the job.
80 percent are discouraged or deal with depression.
More than 40 percent report that they are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules, and unrealistic expectations.
33 percent consider pastoral ministry an outright hazard to the family.
33 percent have seriously considered leaving their position in the past year.’”
40 percent of pastoral resignations are due to burnout.’”
Tims’ tragic end could be just the right warning shot many of these pastors need to cause them consider their ways. But when we as the church continue to quickly bury these painful truths about ourselves and our departed leaders, we show that we are more concerned about maintaining the status quo than reaching those who struggling with secret sin.
I have both personally met and known Christian leaders throughout the years who are one way in public, but something completely different in private. And you know what? I am not the only one who has seen this. There are many (I mean, MANY) who attend a church, hear all the rumors about their pastor, but will defend that pastor to the death. They are too afraid to ask their pastor if the rumors are true, so they just fall in line and embrace the misquoted scripture “Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm…”. It is too bad that these church folks fail to realize that if they follow Christ, they are also part of that “anointed”.
I know of one church where amongst his many affairs with different women, one encounter took place right in the church. Many of the people know it, but yet they still support this man. I think what puzzles me is that many of these folks have a lot of sense, have degrees, and have their own families. But when it comes to their pastor, they just cannot bring themselves to confront that foolishness. We can call out the tea party, we can call out football players who are not playing at their optimum on the field, but why is it that we cannot call out pastor?
Bottom line, there is a whole world out there of folks who live in a perpetual masquerade ball. They always wear a mask to hide themselves from the rest of the world. The mask may always have a smile, but if you look at the eyes, these people are not happy. The mask is cracking and we are too afraid to ask what’s wrong. Why? Because many of us are also wearing the same mask. Those who name the name of Christ should not be one of this number. Jesus died and rose again to set us free from the bondages of sin and our screw ups. There is no way we can be perfect and win God’s approval and favor on our lives on our own. That is why Christ came to be the ultimate atonement of all of our sins.
Brothers and sisters, let’s move away from trying to impress one another with our level of biblical knowledge and move towards developing real relationships. Ask that brother or sister how are they doing…how are they REALLY doing. Be transparent as well and watch how God brings healing and restoration to the both of you.
Even venues like Facebook, a venue that prides itself in keeping you informed of those we care about is nothing more than the world’s biggest forest. Why? Because there are plenty places to hide the real you. You can present whatever image you want others to see. Behind many of those cryptic status updates are people who wish they can just tell it like it is. “My marriage sucks”. “I wish I could kill myself.” “I want to have sex with this person, but how can I get away with it with my wife and kids around?” “Why was it me who was molested and not someone else?” Man, people are jacked! But we see them playing Farmville and conclude that everything must be okay.
A friend of mine had this to say regarding the Tims’ situation.
“I mean we preach about the truth, tell the world about the truth, beat our kids for not telling the truth and yet we [Christians] are hiding the truth.”
Paul told the Corinthian church that they were living epistles (letters), seen and read by men. Those blotted out paragraphs in your letter could be the key to somebody else’s deliverance.