• The letter below was sent to CPC officers last June, then later used as a note to the congregation. I woke up thinking about it and wanted to send it to you again. It applies to all of us as we pursue God. In the opening quote from 1 Tim 3, Paul is conflating the work of the enemy and the decline of a man’s character and reputation. Our sin is the work of the enemy, yet it is still our sin.
Brothers,
“He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”
I have some concern the enemy is after you, constantly grinding on you as an officer, and you may not be aware of it. Your habit is to attribute certain difficulties in your life to relationships, difficult personalities, over-work, diet, exercise, health and so on. But the enemy is constantly working, and he’s working on you. The fact that you are tired, or distracted, or overwhelmed by other responsibilities when you try to read the Word or pray; the difficulty of fulfilling, or even thinking clearly about, your responsibilities as an elder or deacon; your occasional willful sin that distances you from God: Satan hopes to make you his means of battering the Bride of Christ.
Satan knows that to destroy the Church, which he dearly desires to do, he must first destroy you. So that’s his mission: to destroy you. Without healthy leaders there are no healthy churches. He may destroy you by making you lukewarm in your faith, by inducing you to see the Church as a burden that encroaches on your personal happiness, by thinking of the office as increasing your stature among men, by making you argumentative regarding certain doctrines or practices, or by convincing your wife to complain constantly about your service. He will attempt all available means. He hates Jesus Christ and the entire idea of a gracious Redemption. And so he hates you — with a kind of absolute, seething hatred that you and I cannot fully appreciate. If you don’t believe this, you’re just a casualty waiting to happen.
I encourage you to be on watch for signs: indifference about prayer, a disinterested mind and heart in worship, a contempt for certain people or aspects of the church’s life, assigning too much value to success at work, a growing interest in particular possessions, hobbies, or women besides your wife. Whatever the case, learn to ask yourself about any off-course actions or desires: “why am I suddenly so interested/disinterested in that?” Paul’s point in the text above (from 1 Timothy 3) is that a man’s fall is Satan’s work; and Satan’s work is a man’s fall.
What can you do when attacked? 1) Go to God. William Guthrie says that to put on the armor of God is to “put on Christ.” Go straight to Christ. Ask his help and strength. DO THIS FIRST. 2) Tell someone you trust the nature of your temptation or sin (Jas 5:16). Accountability is an incredibly powerful tool. Tell someone. 3) Preach the Gospel to yourself: by grace, you are a new Creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), not indwelt by the devil but by the Holy Spirit. He loved you BEFORE he cleaned you up. Remember that. 4.) When tempted, KNOW there is a way out. “… he will also provide the way of escape” (1 Cor 10:13). Say it to yourself: THERE IS A WAY OUT.
I don’t know where exactly the Lord will take this church, but I do know our health and survival in an increasingly hostile environment will depend on your love for, and fidelity to, Christ and his Bride: both grounded in his having first loved us. The night is far gone, brothers, the day is at hand. Our remaining time is not long. Let’s stay in this fight.