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Number Eight, Other Nominations
April 1, 2001
The Eighth Deadly Sin Prayerlessness
I've seen it at times in my own life: Need a moving sermon on prayer? I can preach it. Need me to pray for you? I can clear my throat, put my hand on your shoulder and comfort you with eloquent words. Look me in the eye and ask me, "How's your prayer life?" and I'll put my hands in my pockets, shift my weight, look away, and skillfully change the subject.
A by-product of pride, prayerlessness grows when pastor relies on himself rather than God.
Running on your record
Past success can be a deterrent to future blessing. Pride can subtly incline me to rely more on my ability to make things happen rather than leaning persistently on Christ. The challenges of today require fresh, dependent faith today.
Faith by formula
I have longed for something easy to make my church to grow and my faith to deepen—a magic formula. God, apparently, is interested in growth and depths that occur in a different, more personal way.
And still I look for the formula.
Undervaluing others' gifts
I've seen this sin in the attitude toward the gift of administration. Management is treated as a secular function, a second-class ministry. As an associate pastor of administration, I object to the practice of passing these responsibilities to someone less "spiritual" because "giving it to someone with real ministry ability would be wasting them on administration."
Martyr complex
Pastors can get the idea that we work harder than anyone else. We think that everyone else has life easy, that they can do whatever they want whenever they want. It's easy to get a chip on our shoulder, to think that we're the only one who's really serving God.
Misplaced priorities
My biggest sin: time wasted on non-ministerial duties and personal agendas rather than focusing on the salvation of sinners.
Exclusivity
"It's not my program" and "That's not my denomination" are dangerous statements. I've spent the past few months building relationships with ministry workers and leaders from other churches, and I'm finding encouragement in our differences. No one church can fulfill the calling of the One church. We need a sense of teamwork to accomplish Christ's prayer that we would be one as he and the Father are one.
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