When Saints Attack. A Field Manuel; How To To Survive Church Hurt.

“Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.” Jer. 10:19

Far to many times we can testify to having felt the words of Jerimiah somewhere deep within our spirit. My wound is grievous, but I must bear it. It is the lonesome inner plea within yourself to be strong and just keep going. It is the battle cry every saint of God must become familiar with if they intend on reaching a city who's builder and maker is God.

We are part of the army of the Almighty. Because of this, we often face attacks. We prepare ourselves nearly every day with a vigilant eye looking out for the roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, but often we, like Eve, are attacked by the subtle serpent. Not only does our enemy roar at the gate, but he often slithers his way into our midst and goes largely unnoticed until the attack has already been made.

Something I have learned trapesing the hills and hollers of West Virginia is that the Bible rightly labelled the serpent as subtle. Snakes seem to just appear out of thin air and almost always take you by surprise. I have been working in barns and around woodpiles for hours and suddenly out of nowhere there lays the subtle serpent in the corner. He slithered his way into where it was unannounced, unnoticed and unwanted.

My how many are the times and the ways that the spiritual world mirrors the natural.

Or maybe I got that backwards. Our world mirrors what is happening in the spirit so that we can better understand the invisible through the visible. We take notice of how Satan moves in unnoticed to gain access to us that he could never gain by being the roaring lion. He slithers and slides his way into our presence and strikes without warning.

How does he do this? How can the enemy of our soul gain access to the protected area around us? How do vigilant Christians wake up one day with the serpent at their feet? It's from a lack of vigilance. I know most of my readers are the people who have shunned every trick of the enemy to get into your lives by the film and music industry. Your not leaving the doors open to Satan by what your pumping through your cars radio, or entertaining yourselves with the unholy and ungodly on your television screens.

Some spiritual attacks are not caused by what we are letting near us but by who we are letting near us.

Now before you think I'm calling your inner circle a bunch of snakes (I'm not), let me explain. As followers of Jesus we are called to be with the people. There's no introvert clause in the Great Commission (I have looked). If we're going to follow Jesus, His path will lead us to people: the poor, the rich, the happy, the broken, the healthy, the sick. If we are about the business of the Father it will bring us in close contact and close proximity to people. You may try and physically distance yourself, but to do the work of ministry, there is no such thing as social distancing.

Because of our closeness to broken, hurt people we are always going to be vulnerable to the attack of the serpent. We can build the four walls against the roaring lion yet remain unprotected to the serpent slithering into our inner circle. Satan knows this and uses it to try and gain the advantage.

Before we continue, let me qualify my credentials to speak with authority on overcoming church hurt. I have grown up in the Church with some of the greatest people that God has blessed the earth with. The saints at Mabscott are some of the most Godly people you will ever want to meet. Their love for people has touched many in our area and we have become, through the years, a healing spot for many ministers and laity-people who have felt the full brunt of the strike from a serpent.

Much of the limited knowledge and insight I have gained is from observing people as they have navigated the challenges of dealing with church hurt and coming out on the other side still standing and not bitter. Much more have I gained by walking those painful miles personally. I know all to well what it's like to be blindsided by saint on the war path.

I recently joked with a fellow minister that because my mom was our Christian school principle for so many years, there's not a lot of things church people can say about me that I haven't already heard about myself. I can laugh now, but in those moments of attack when tears stream and doubts flood your mind they are no laughing matter. They hurt. They cause sleepless nights and cause confusion and drama in homes and churches that is the work of none other than that slimy, slithering, subtle serpent -- that old devil.

I have been hesitant to write this article because I am determined not to cause pain or inflict hurt back onto someone who hurt me. I will not write of specific incidents or describe instances so as to not incriminate people in your mind and to protect you from the trap of trying to figure it out. Just suffice it to say these were holy, sanctified, Holy Ghost-filled people who made mistakes in dealing with a young man. I have no ax to grind. It has all been buried deep under the Blood. I'm not writing for pity or that you may think something of me. This is simply someone who has walked that painful mile looking back and yelling with all the strength and influence I can muster, "You can make it!"

This is the voice of one who has dealt with bitterness, walked the mile of trying to "prove them wrong," and come out on the other side with insight on the journey. Let's look at a few key insights you will need to come through church pain.

The first thing to remember is Psalm 103:14: For he knoweth our frame and remebereth that we are but dust.

We can be really good at quoting this verse when we fail and need God to remember that we are operating in fallen flesh, and because of that sometimes we fall and fail. It's important to extend this grace outward and remember that those saints in the pews beside us are still but flesh and blood. Just like you, they were conceived in sin and shaped in iniquity and will be falling on the grace of God more often than not.

For me and many like me that I have watched deal with hurt in their lives, this can be a difficult principle to grasp. We often expect Holy Ghost-filled people to act like they have the Holy Ghost. Because my parents exemplified the fruits of the Spirit at all times, (at least in my eyes) during my childhood, I thought that was just how Christians acted all the time. Imagine my surprise when I discovered first hand that it only takes a moment of an unguarded tongue for a lie to spring out of the same lips you heard speaking in tongues last night.

We don't expect those things from saints and rightly so as they should not happen. But the fact is, sometimes they do. We are all walking in flesh and in need of our brothers and sister to remember our frames and extend grace and forgiveness in abundance. The line I heard from Anthony Mangun that I use and repeat often is: "I want to deal with others who have failed the way I would want someone to deal with my children."

Next we need to follow the lead of Jesus. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted,

Yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, So He openeth not his mouth.

More often than not, the best thing you can do is just be quiet. Follow the lead of Jesus and remain silent in the face of an attack. Obviously there maybe times when you must defend yourself if what has been leveled against you threatens to destroy your family, ministry, or church or has a criminal element that could lead to serious consequences. Sometimes you must speak out. But those are exceptional circumstances to the norm. More often than not, your ability to control your own tongue will be a key in protecting your own witness.

Don't feel the need to defend yourself. If you have been moral, if you have an established history of being of sound judgement and being a person of character, your defense has already been made. Your time spent being moral and ethical will become a hedge of protection to you. In the end, the people you worry about thinking less of you because of what someone has falsely said know you and know your life. They won't be persuaded away from you. As the old song says, "If I just hold my peace and let the LORD fight my battles victory shall be mine."

The final element we will discuss today is the most important. You have got to forgive them and move on. Luke 23:34: Then said Jesus, Father forgive them; For they know not what they do.

As the King of Glory hung beaten, bloodied, mocked, lied on, and awaiting His death, He prayed a prayer of forgiveness over those who had hurt Him. Jesus couldn't wait three days to forgive them on the other side of Easter because He could not raise victorious with bitterness in His heart. He despised the shame that Cross brought on Him, yet He didn't let it make Him bitter. Bitterness will steal your victory. Bitterness will keep you bound in the agony of your cross until you can pray the prayer of Jesus. Father forgive them.

Jesus didn't wait for His accusers to feel sympathy for Him and He didn't wait for an apology that was probably never going to come. I'm going to key you in on a secret only those who have been crucified by the religious know; Most of the people who put you to the shame of a cross think their doing the work of God.

Unless God moves on them they will, like the priest of Jesus day, ride off into the sunset unaware of the pain and damage they have caused. Forgive them anyway. They won't seek your forgiveness, but that can't stop you from forgiving, Forgiveness is a choice we make, and it is not contingent on anything your accusers can do. Either to bring it to pass or to keep it from coming to pass: the power to forgive rests in you.

I think we should take notice of Job 42:10: And the LORD turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends; also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

We cannot remain angry with people we pray for. It's just that simple. I have learned the quickest way to work forgiveness in my own heart is to pray for those that have despitefully used me and persecuted me. That is how you forgive, and that is the key that unlocks you from the captivity of bitterness. Praying for the people who have hurt you.

I also want you to read the story of Jesus' resurrection. After He had been resurrected, He is never recorded as going before the priest or the soldiers that placed Him on the cross. He simply forgave and moved on to be with the people who loved and cherished Him. It is ok to not return to the people who hurt you. Sometimes healthy boundaries are ok and even necessary. They can serve as a protection to both of you.

There will come a day when we will put off this fallen flesh and put on immortality. In that day, all things will be made known and we will have the opportunity to work out our differences at the feet of the one who saved us, but I doubt in that wonderful day the pains of this life will matter. If it will not matter in that moment, don't let it take you out in this moment.