DON’T FALL INTO THIS DEADLY TRAP
People have often asked me, “Pastor Mark, after serving your churches your entire adult life, devoting yourself to God’s people, investing your life in tens of thousands of people, how are you still going on for the Lord, after the catastrophic way you were betrayed and the horrible things they’ve done to you and your family?”
My answer to this question is of the greatest importance. It is imperative you understand it. The failure to do this has been the downfall of a great number of Christians.
The answer—I never made the church my idol. Christ and Christ alone is my “idol”! I’ve built my life on the Rock that is Christ, not on the shifting sands of people and relationships.
I have watched over the last 50 years as many people I’ve known had their faith crumble and fall apart when Christian relationships they trusted failed them, when their church or church friends or church leaders hurt them and let them down. They became disillusioned and fell away. Many Christians fall into this deadly trap and they don’t even know it.
Friends, many Christians, whether they realize it or not, have made people their idol. They actually love and worship the church, and their Christian friendships more than they love and worship Christ. It is easy to understand how this could happen. You show up every week, year after year, gathering with people for your church service. You spend time with other Christians, serving, sharing, singing, learning, and praying together. You can actually see these people with your eyes. You can feel them give you a hug each time you see them. You experience things with them in real time. You laugh, you cry, you encourage each other, you’re involved in each other’s lives. You’re striving to love each other as Christ commanded. All these things are good and commendable things.
However, for many Christians, their real faith priority is not Jesus Christ and time spent with him. It’s not in daily deepening their genuine relationship with God and worshipping him alone. Their faith priority is all about their Christian friendships and their church activities. They are consumed with relationships. They have inadvertently replaced God in their life with the idol of friendships, giving them the preeminent, sacred place that only God deserves.
This is a recipe for disaster. People will absolutely fail you. People will let you down. Even those you think you can trust the most may actually betray you in the greatest ways. Certainly not always, but many times it can and will happen.
Please don’t misunderstand me. Christians are wonderful. Christians can be a tremendous blessing and encouragement to your life, as they have been to mine. I do not regret for one moment giving my life in the service of God’s people, loving them, teaching them, and investing in their lives. I sincerely mean that. I knew that in doing so I was actually serving Christ, my Savior. I still remain devoted to serving God’s people through this Strong Disciple ministry.
For those wondering, yes, it was emotionally devastating to have people I loved so dearly betray me so terribly, and lie so horribly about me. The pain was the deepest, the most intense I’ve ever experienced. Their wicked actions broke my heart. It’s taken a tremendous toll and much of the damage will remain with me the rest of my life.
But the truth remains—I am only going on for Christ today after all that happened to me because the church was never my idol. I did not build my hopes, my dreams, my life, and my faith on people and relationships. I built my life, and continue to build my life on Christ and my relationship with God! He. Is. Everything!
Be sure to save yourself now from ever falling into this deadly trap!
So let us know, Let us press on to know the Lord–Hosea 6:3
Let Him who boasts, boast in this: That He knows and understands Me–Jer. 9:24
You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God– Is. 43:10
Do not put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there– Ps.146:3
Look how far you have fallen from your first love!—Rev. 2:4-5
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
