Is your pastor not biblically qualified? The situation then pleases the devil, while at the same time displeasing God.
But if your pastor is biblically qualified, you should know that Satan hates him. Respectfully, qualified pastors are a particular source of demonic wrath.
Ministries are spiritual warfare, and God-hating demons target the leaders of Christ's Church.
Consider a few lines in 1 Timothy 3, which refers to the devil's plan. In 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Paul tells Timothy about his qualifications for church leadership (called the 3:1 “overseer” which is synonymous with “pastor” or “elder”). At 3:6 the leader said, “You may not be a recent convert, or you may bulge into conceit, and fall into the devil's condemnation.” At 3:7, “He must be better thought by an outsider, so he may not be ashamed of the devil's trap.”
In the back-to-back verse, Paul mentions the devil, and this observation reminds us that idyllic ministry is a spiritual war.
According to 1 Timothy 3:6, the pastor should not be a recent convert. These days, converts lack the maturity and wisdom necessary for an idyllic ministry. Moral immorality is essential to qualifying for ministry, and such immorality becomes apparent over time. Converts can later qualify for ministry, but as long as the adjective “recent” is still applied, timing has not arrived.
Self-cents can grasp the minds of recent converts who are plunging into the responsibility of idyllic ministry. And the pastor may “fall into the devil's condemnation” (1 Timothy 3:6). What is the role of of here? Is this accusation experienced by the devil? Or is this some sort of accusation the devil gives? We know that the devil is blamed (Revelation 20:10), but we also know that this pastor is called the “recent convert” and that converts are not criticized by hell.
Perhaps this “denunciation” of The devil is “denunciation” from Devil, “Some accusative and defamatory activity against a pastor from the devil. Why does the devil act in a way that condemns him? To shame the pastor. And recent converts may be particularly vulnerable to snares of pride and conceit.
In 1 Timothy 3:7, the potential pastor must be considered better by the outsider. The requirement is “so that he will not fall into the devil's trap.” Looking at this statement of purpose, we see that “stigma” is a demon trap in sight. This compromised character leads to the pastor's disgrace if people outside the church can legally accuse of the pastor's character and show that he has not surpassed the accusation.
The devil wants the pastor to be disqualified and dishonored. Pastors live publicly, so the disgrace of a pastor has public influence. We've all seen the headlines of ministers with moral failures, but the aftermath is brutal. It is sad for pastors' families, pastors' churches, and those across the church as they begin to realize moral failure.
The devil knows that dishonorable pastors will discourage people, and disappointment is an important tool for enemy weapons. He wants people to consider the gospel untrue or at least helpless. He wants to wonder why they should plague the church when church leaders can be unreliable or hypocritical.
The devil also knows that a dishonorable pastor will blow away the enemies of Christ. Rather than being discouraged, some people grab every story of moral failure and use it for their own purposes. They love juicy gossip so you might want to spread it out like a wildfire. They may want to surprise doubts of organized religion. The pastor's dishonor is the fuel for demonic ambitions.
Ministries are spiritual warfare, and God-hating demons target the leaders of Christ's Church. Their snares of dishonor can cause widespread damage to the church and life of the people of Christ. Satan hates your pastor, so pray for your pastor.
That's what this essay was like It was originally published Dr. Mitchell Chase's subsack, Bible theology.
