I’ve had it up to here with all the lying.
In fact, it’s getting to the point where I don’t know who to believe anymore.
Allow me to explain.
I’m currently reading a biography of a famous sports figure. This superstar had an agent who had represented him for 8 years. When the superstar wondered how hard the agent was working on his behalf, the agent spent an entire day with his client, spreading mounds of relevant documents on the dining room table. At the end of the evening, the superstar hugged his agent.
Not long afterwards, the superstar fired his agent … and then began to “spread the word that he was an ineffective, immoral, pathetic, snake of a man.”
One by one, nearly all of the agent’s famous clients dropped him. With his reputation in tatters, the agent’s career was finished. He eventually lost his home, sold most of his possessions, and contemplated suicide.
All because of a lie.
Lies are powerful things. For some reason, people are quick to believe bad news about someone … especially someone in a position of power.
CEOs, executives, and leaders of all types are routinely lied about … and that includes pastors. You wouldn’t believe the lies that have been told about me … or maybe you would.
But aren’t God’s people to be purveyors of truth? Isn’t Jesus our Lord the One who said, “The truth shall set you free?”
Yes and yes.
But when a major conflict invades a church, some people start lying. Peter Steinke, in his book Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times, writes that when a conflict “regresses to a forceful competition,” then:
“Lying increases, taking many forms – half-truths, withholding information, inflating statistics and bloating claims, fabricating events, releasing publicly that [which] was to be private, double talk, and false attributions.”
But why would any Christian lie?
To get their way. To win a conflict. To defeat their opponents.
But isn’t lying wrong for a Christian?
Yes. The ninth commandment (“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor”) stands for all time. Since God does not lie (Titus 1:2), and 1 Peter 2:22 reminds us that Jesus never lied (“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth”), God’s people are expected to be people of truth – even if the rest of the world lies.
But in all too many cases … when Christians want to win and make somebody else lose … they resort to lying.
I’ll give you an example. I know a man who pastored a large church. Some conflict began to surface inside his congregation. This pastor told me that a woman wrote a letter to everyone in the church stating that the pastor did not believe several essential doctrines of the Christian faith. The woman’s statement was 100% false, but the pastor ended up resigning … and a Christian leader (whose judgment I trust) told me that this pastor is among the best Christian leaders in his part of the country.
But he never pastored a church again.
While God cannot lie, Satan routinely lies. In Jesus’ words, the devil is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). The very phrase “devil” means “slanderer.” It’s Satan’s nature to lie.
When truth permeates a congregation, God prevails. But when lying becomes prevalent, Satan prevails.
Let me make a strong statement: when people in a church lie to get rid of their pastor, they are inviting Satan to take control of their church.
Such people no longer trust God because they no longer trust truth. They can’t push out their pastor unless they lie about him … so they lie … and unfortunately, all too often, the lies work.
Why? Because Christians are naïve and gullible?
Maybe. But the main reason that Christians believe lies is because they are unwilling to check and see whether the statements about the pastor are true or false.
Let’s say that I attend First Church and that after a year, I become a member.
One day, I hear a rumor from a friend that the pastor has stolen church funds, and has used those funds to build an expensive cabin in the mountains.
What should I do with that information?
I should not instantly believe the rumor. Instead, I need to ask some questions:
*I need to ask my friend, “Who did you hear this from? How reliable is the source?” I need to be skeptical at this point. There may be another agenda at work.
*I need to contact both a board member and a staff member and tell them, “I’ve heard this rumor about the pastor. What light can you shed on this for me?”
*I need to contact the pastor and say, “There’s a rumor going around that you’ve stolen church funds and have used those funds to build a cabin. Is this true?”
If I just take my friend’s word for it, then my friend controls me. If my friend leaves the church over the rumor, then I may contemplate leaving. If my friend jumps on the “push out the pastor” bandwagon, I will be tempted to do the same.
So I need to gather facts from others as well. Even if my friend seems credible, I need to contact several church leaders – as well as the pastor – to find out if the rumor is true.
Proverbs 18:17 says, “The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him.”
You can’t believe the first thing … or the first person … that you hear. Why not?
Because you may be believing a lie.
If Satan assigned ten big liars to every church, but every Christian checked out the veracity of the lies before believing anything, the liars would all leave in disgrace.
But if all the liars have to do is float a lie … and it’s instantly believed … then Satan wins, and at least in that church, Jesus temporarily loses.
Seymour Hersh is a famous (liberal) journalist who laments the fact that government officials and journalists in America continually tell lies. In a recent interview, Hersh said, “The republic’s in trouble, we lie about everything, lying has become the staple.” We live in a culture full of lies, and sometimes it’s hard to know who’s telling the truth.
I don’t like to be lied to, and I will never support any politician – of any party – who lies to me. Lying may work in the short-term, but it erodes trust over time. But we almost expect politicians to lie, don’t we?
But God expects that His people will be people of truth … even when there’s a conflict involving a pastor.
Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us that there are seven things that God hates, including “a lying tongue,” “a false witness who pours out lies,” and “a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”
Did you catch that? God hates lying and division among His people. Do we hate lying like He does?
Sometimes I wonder.
Nearly 40 years ago, I knew someone who served on the staff of a church. From all indications, he seemed to be a good man.
This staff member wanted to get rid of someone in the church that he didn’t like. Sadly, the staff member resorted to lying to get his way.
When the pastor did some investigating, he called the staff member into his office … asked him some questions … and caught the staff member in a lie.
The pastor said to him, “You know what to do.”
The staff member instantly resigned.
That’s the way we used to handle lies in the church. There was always a price to pay.
But today? In all too many cases, when professing Christians lie to remove someone … especially a pastor … from office, nothing happens to the liars.
And in almost every case where an innocent pastor is forced to resign, you can trace the campaign against him back to Christians who lied about their pastor.
If we’re going to advance the kingdom of God in our generation, Jesus’ church needs to be characterized by truth. We need to adopt a zero tolerance policy about lying … especially about pastors.
And if we catch people lying about pastors … because the consequences of such lies can be catastrophic for the church’s future and the pastor’s career … we’ve got to come down hard on the liars. They need to repent … even in front of the entire church … if we want God’s blessing.
But if we coddle the liars … and make excuses for them … and let them into key leadership positions … God help us.
Years ago, I decided that I want 5 words to summarize my ministry: HE TOLD US THE TRUTH.
May every follower of Jesus have that same desire. As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:25: “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”
Not two bodies … one.
Restoring Kingdom Builders 