3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.” Matthew 26:3-5

The religious leaders were afraid of the people but they had no qualms about putting someone to death. Interesting morality. Twisted but interesting. How did they get to that point and conclusion about Jesus?

I’ll tell you how it happens. They begin believing that they and they alone are God’s gift to mankind. They follow and debate the finer points of the law endlessly and punish those those who question them. They are above the law and should be patted on the back for their obedience and sacrifice. They have no compassion for the needs or rights of others.

The root of their dysfunction is pride. They feign humility and brag about their humility and generosity to others.

We see it today in larger worldwide ministries. Some, not all. When “I”, “me”, or :my ministry” is 1st, 3rd, and 5th words out of their mouths in every sentence, you can bet the staff under them dread every minute of it. Their way or the highway.

And of course it’s not solely large ministries. I recall visiting a church where the pastor was the only one teaching at every event. No one else was permitted to teach. The church’s website featured his book on every page. Control and pride. Sure, it was a snap judgement based on two or three visits, but those were clearly red flags to me. (Just checked, someone must have put a bug in his ear that his book was blocking ministry).

Now, we are all pilgrims at different stages on this journey of life.

Is God working in those ministries? Probably.
Could He work more if they got out of the way? Absolutely.

Let’s bring it home. Could He work through us more if WE got out of the way?