Tullian Tchividjian(pronounced cha-vi-jin) , grandson of Billy Graham, from Graham’s oldest daughter, succeeded James Kennedy as the Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Ft. Lauterdale, in 2009. His pastorate was not without controversy. James Kennedy’s daughter, along with some church members, petitioned early on for Tchividjian’s dismissal. Then last year he was asked to leave The Gospel Coalition. And now he resigned as he disqualified himself from the ministry due to an affair.
Forecasters issue storm alerts and warnings before the storm hits so that we can better weather the storm. Consider this a severe P.M.S. warning issued to all pastors.
Yes, your read correctly. P.M.S. Power. Money. Sex. Three temptations that men, including pastors, are not immune from.
” Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”
1 Corinthians 10:12
So what must you guard your own heart against so that you do not fall prey to P.M.S like Tchividjian?
“Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For from it flow the springs of life.”Proverbs 4:23
1) Guard your heart against pride.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God…”
1 Peter 5:6a
Pride was the downfall of King Uzziah.
“But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction.”
2 Chronicles 26:16a
And as a result, what was the legacy he left behind? What was he remembered for?
“And Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.”
2 Chronicles 26:23
Pride was also the downfall of King Nebuchadnezzar.
“All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.”
Daniel 4:28-33(emphasis added)
So how can you remain humble and not succumb to pride when ministerial success comes knocking on your door?
Answer. By not losing your awe of God. The term “awesome” has unfortunately become so commonplace. But there is only one who is awesome, God Almighty.
Have you lost your awe? Do you daily stand in awe of God? How do you guard from losing your awe?
Answer: From not losing sight of who God is. Praising Him daily in your prayer life for his attributes. Reading and meditating on portions of Scripture that highlight the character of God.
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.”Isaiah 66:1-2
Familiarity can cause you to lose sight of who God is and thus lose your awe and in turn become proud.
“We are frequently told, indeed, that the great danger of the theological student lies precisely in his contact with divine things. They may come to seem common to him because they are customary. The words which tells you of God’s terrible majesty or of His goodness may come to be mere words to you – Hebrew and Greek words, with etymologies, inflections and connections in sentences. The reasonings which establish to you the mysteries of His saving activities may come to be to you mere logical paradigms, with premises and conclusions, fitly framed, no doubt, and triumphantly cogent, but with no further significance to you than their formal logical conclusiveness. The very atmosphere of your life is these things; you breathe them in every pore; they surround you, encompass you, press in upon you from every side. It is all in danger of becoming common to you! God forgive you, you are in danger of becoming weary of God!”
B.B. Warfield(“The Religious Life of Theological Students” from an address delivered at a conference at Princeton Theological Seminary, Oct. 4, 1911)
In danger of becoming weary of God! That’s losing your awe. And once you no longer stand in awe of God, pride is on the horizon.
2) Guard yourself against an intimate relationship with another female other than your wife, especially during times of trial.
“I returned from a trip a few months back and discovered that my wife was having an affair. Heartbroken and devastated, I informed our church leadership and requested a sabbatical to focus exclusively on my marriage and family. As her affair continued, we separated. Sadly and embarrassingly, I subsequently sought comfort in a friend and developed an inappropriate relationship myself. Last week I was approached by our church leaders and they asked me about my own affair. I admitted to it and it was decided that the best course of action would be for me to resign.”
Tullian Tchividjian
Notice that he sought comfort in a female friend.
So, how do you guard your heart against this?
Answer #1: By cultivating your relationship with your wife.
Answer #2: By cultivating an intimate friendship with another man.
Answer #3: By seeking comfort from the Lord Himself.
“Deterioration is never sudden. No garden “suddenly overgrows” with thorns. No church suddenly “splits.” No building suddenly “crumbles.” No marriage suddenly “breaks down.” No nation suddenly becomes a “mediocre power.” No person suddenly “becomes base.” Slowly, almost imperceptibly, certain things are accepted that once were rejected. Things once considered hurtful are now secretly tolerated. At the outset it appears harmless, perhaps even exciting, but the wedge it brings leaves a gap that grows wider as moral erosion joins hands with spiritual decay. The gap becomes a canyon. Take heed, you who stand: take heed, lest you fall! Be careful about changing your standards so that they correspond with your desires. Be very cautious about becoming inflated with thoughts of your own importance. Be alert to the pitfalls of prosperity and success.”
Charles Swindoll(Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life)
