Trainers of church planters can easily rattle off the names of guys who, sadly, didn’t make it. Sometimes, unforeseen circumstances wreak havoc on the church plant. Often, though, the deficiency lay in the character of the planter.
When a planter’s character is lacking, God simply won’t honor his efforts. Instead, God lightly esteems the planter and his efforts.
In 1 Samuel 2, we see the story of Eli‘s worthless sons. Obviously, they were not church planters. They were, of course priests. Scripture says that they — as priests — “despised the Lord.” And because they despised Him, they were not honored by Him. They were, instead, “lightly esteemed” by Him.
“But now the LORD declares … ‘those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed’” (1 Sam. 2:30b).
How did they despise the Lord? The text tells us: They were worthless (v. 12a). They did not know the Lord (v. 12b). They were greedy and gluttonous (vv. 13-14). They abused worshipers for personal gain (vv. 15-16). They treated the offering of the Lord with contempt (v. 17). They were sexually immoral (vv. 22-24). They would not listen to their father (v. 25).
Therefore, they were lightly esteemed by the Lord.
It’s a sober warning for anyone who’s in any kind of spiritual leadership role. And it’s a warning to our church planters who desperately need the Lord to honor their efforts, rather than lightly esteem them.
This tragic story can lead us and our planters to seven self-examination questions that arise from I Samuel 2:
- Where and how have I become worthless — wasting time, money, and resources that should be spent on building Christ kingdom?
- How have I been failing to grow in my personal intimacy with the Lord — failing to grow in the true knowledge of God?
- Where and how have greed and gluttony crept into my life — unnoticed and unchallenged?
- How have I become entitled — believing that worshippers are there to serve me, rather than believing I am there to serve them?
- Where and how have I been handling holy things — the Word, prayer, worship, communion — in a casual and cavalier way?
- How have I become complacent and compromising regarding my moral purity and godly sexuality?
- Where and how have I have begun to resist godly accountability and God-appointed authority?
Eli‘s sons did not have good answers to these kinds of questions. We know the rest of the story. They lost their ministry. And they lost their lives (1 Sam. 4:11).
As trainers, let’s encourage, challenge, admonish, and equip our planters by asking the tough questions so that their lives will honor the One who said, “Those who honor Me I will honor.”
A prayer to pray: Lord, save me from any temptation, no matter how small, that might cause me to despise You by how I live and minister. Help me to be the kind of servant of the Lord who truly honors You. You deserve and desire to be honored — not just with my lips, but also with my life. Help me to take an inventory of my life to see where and how I may be despising You, even if it might be what some would think is innocuous. Keep me — and the spiritual leaders I know — pure before You and useful to You. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.,