Jump Start # 3950
Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
The special Saturday men’s class on leadership had ended. Most of the guys had left the building. A few of us were walking around changing the clocks because the next morning the time changed. As I walked down one hallway, I spotted a snake. I immediately knew it was plastic. The folks here know how much I hate snakes and many times I found plastic snakes in my office and other places. I bent over to pick it up and the tongue went in and out of its mouth. It wasn’t plastic. It was real. Our building almost got a new door in the hallway because I was about to go through a wall. One of the guys with us picked it up and carried it out to the woods in the back of the property. How it got there? How long as it been in the building? This was on a Saturday morning. I can only imagine the screams we may have had the next day if someone saw it. The snake was small and rather lifeless. The brother picking it up said it was cold. I reminded him that there was a very warm place that all snakes need to go.
As I thought about this a little later, what a classic line, “There’s a snake in the church.” For others, it might be a “wolf” is in the church. And, sadly, that is the condition of many places today. Something has snuck in that doesn’t belong. Few notice. Before long, things are upside down and sideways with that church. A snake got in.
Our verse today, written to the shepherds at Ephesus, the elders. The elders who are apt to teach. The elders who are not new at this. The elders who are able to refute things that are not right. The apostle told the elders to watch out for yourselves. Don’t assume that your position grants you immunity from the devil. Don’t assume that you are too smart, too strong, too good for the devil to rattle your faith. You are not. And, that spiritual arrogance is all it takes to not notice the snakes that come into the church.
There are layers of lessons here:
First, why is it that snakes want to come into a church? For my slithering real snake, it was cold outside and the church building was warm. I never actually asked him, but that seems fair to conclude. I don’t have conversations with snakes. But, for spiritual snakes, they are not content with a growing, successful, powerful church. Jealously. Tired of the old and fascinated with the new and different. Believing that they have found something that no else has ever found and that new discovery has to be shared with others.
Spiritual snakes, like my real snake, don’t make an obvious entrance. Few notice. A few people are selected to receive emails and texts. A few are invited over for special Bible studies. And, with that the poison begins to spread throughout the congregation. Shepherds don’t notice. These things are under the radar and are kept very secretive and selective.
Second, often by the time a spiritual snake is discovered, there is a whole group that has embraced and been convinced of the poison spread through the fangs of the snake. The leadership is thought to be untrustworthy. The direction the church is going is considered to be wrong. A mutiny is planned. The seeds of discord and division have been planted and now the crop is ready to be harvested.
Third, it is amazing all the trouble one little snake can do. I talked about my snake encounter at the end of a sermon recently. No one remembered much about the sermon. They were all talking “snakes.” I had emails and pictures and stories of snake encounters. The most asked question was, “how did it get in?” And, that’s exactly the question the righteous ask when a spiritual snake has gotten into a congregation. How? These days, about anyone can say anything on Facebook or X and most do. Even within our fellowship, there is a lot of junk being said on social media that Biblically isn’t healthy, right or profitable. One can spread poison throughout his network of brothers and sisters even though he is states away. Snakes get into the church because we don’t know how to use spiritual filters. We assume if someone is connected to a good congregation then what they say is legit. Many times it is not legit. And, while that person may never step foot into our church building, they are in our church building because of social media connections through the members. And, just like that, snakes come into the building.
They surface in Bible classes, with comments, “I’ve read somewhere…” Or, “I saw a different way of looking at that passage…” and without Biblical backing, evidence or proof, the snakes slither in. It’s up to the shepherds to be watching. They must be alert. They must know how snakes get in. They must be willing to deal with snakes.
Snakes in the church—that shouldn’t be.
Roger