Animal behaviour in the Church

A Pastor asked me for help yesterday over a serial adulterer (he used to be a church leader and a missionary) who was now trying to convince his wife that this was God’s will for their lives. That God was giving permission for this because He understands his needs.

This is not unusual now. All kinds of behaviours are happening under the name of God and His apparent loving kindness towards us so that we can be whoever we want to be and do whatever we want to do. This is not outside the Church but within. On the back of so called ‘dreams’ or other messages from God, people are indulging in selfish behaviours, they defy spiritual authority so that Pastors are given no respect and (helped by the Message) they drag the glory of God into the mud of the earth.

We are in the time of Jude:-

“In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. ⁹ But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” ¹⁰ Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.” (Jude 8-10)

Jude uses a story not familiar to us because it isn’t in the Bible. We don’t know where the story comes from but Jude’s readers knew it obviously. He uses it to counter these false prophets who have slipped into the church and are defying the spiritual leadership. Archangel Michael would never have even thought to have rebuked the devil in his own name but only in the name of God. So these ‘ungodly people’ who think they can carry on living self-centred lives with no restraint and give abuse to any spiritual leadership who suggests they are wrong, stand in their own authority which Jude says is no authority at all, it is no higher than an animal.

If you have ever sat in such a meeting when the ‘ungodly’ are not only rejecting the Pastor or leadership of the Church but are pouring scorn on them, mocking them, hurting them simply because they no longer like the message being preached and the practices of the church, then you know something of what Jude is saying. He says Michael would not even speak to the devil like this but would say, ‘God will take care of you’. Jude says they do not understand. However, their lack of understanding is going to destroy them.

Last week I sat in a meeting where one man launched at his Pastor with such anger that I had not seen for quite some time. I actually had to raise my voice so that I could be heard in order to quieten him. It shocked me. There was the Pastor humiliated before me and badly hurt. I didn’t know whether to cry or hit the angry man. I figured the second option would make things worse so I sat on my hands. What was his complaint? He wasn’t being used within the Church the way he wanted to be used. However what was the real issue? I didn’t find that out until the next day when I discovered the angry man was involved in immorality within the church and incredulously so was his wife. Jude calls them ‘irrational animals’ and sadly their behaviour is destroying them and their destinies in God.

Not everything done in the name of God or heard in some spiritual dream is from God. Not every complaint is really about the complaint. Sometimes animal reactions come because of hidden animal behaviours.