Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. - Acts 6: 1-5 (ESV)
For those who do not know, Mark Driscoll is the lead pastor for Mars Hill mega-church out of Seattle Washington. There are 14 different sites, including sites in California, Oregon and Arizona. We have dealt with several issues surrounding Pastor Driscoll and the various problems he has created for himself. They include:
* Referring to people who disagree with him Driscoll once famously preached that there are a "pile of dead bodies behind the Mars Hill bus and by God's grace it will be a mountain by the time I am done."
* He demands covenant agreements from members and in one instance wrote a letter to his congregants about how to ostracize and no longer associate with an expelled member.
* Recently it was revealed that Driscoll took over $200,000 of tithe monies to cheat his way onto the NY Times Best Seller List, potentially profiting himself in excess of 1.5 million dollars. When caught, he lied about not knowing what the money was going to be used for and never has apologized nor replaced the tithe monies.
There are other offenses as well. In fact there is an entire website created by former Mars Hill victims, both staff and congregant. Just this week it became public that he just fired a pastor who refused to sign a "unity of mission" statement, which essentially is a non-compete clause. This means that the signing pastors agree that their next church will not be within a ten mile radius of any of the 14 Mars Hill sites. I assume because in Driscoll's Bible it says to go preach the Word in concentric circles of no less than 10 miles. The only purpose for having such signatures is to threaten legal action should someone disobey, which of course would be equally unscriptural. The point today however is not this latest controversy as there will be plenty written about that. Instead I think it is time to examine Mark Driscoll himself and see the danger the sheep at Mars Hill are in. Because throughout all of the scandals there has been one consistent thread. There has been only one victim and his name is Mark Driscoll. To him these are coordinated attacks against him as opposed to taking responsibility for one's own actions. The true problem however is it is clear there has been no repentance, and these are sin issues, because you do not repent if you think you are the victim. Now this negative attention has apparently guided Driscoll to preach his victimhood. Because he is a gifted orator he is somewhat subtle about it. Never referring to himself per se. But considering the onslaught of media attention it becomes obvious when he preached recently about the difference between sin and mistakes for example that he was in fact preaching about himself. In that sermon he actually offered the notion that Jesus Himself while sinless, surely must have "made mistakes." Mars Hill administration moved quickly to edit out that portion from the archived podcast. For today however let us turn to the sermon he preached just this past Sunday to see the lengths he will go to to preach his own victimhood. Here is his message entitled: "Equipped by the Holy Spirit to Face Wolves."
http://marshill.com/media/acts-chapters-6-11-empowered-for-jesus-mission/acts-14-8-4-25
He preaches here for over an hour on the stoning of Stephen. His essential outline is that Stephen was a shepherd and the wolves attacked him and killed him so they could then more easily attack the sheep. He goes to great lengths to make this point. He repeats it over and over again for the entire hour. Wolves, wolves, wolves. Those questioning Stephen were packs of wolves. Their leader, Saul, was the Alpha wolf. Stephen was the shepherd willing to lay his life down for his sheep. Once again, considering the recent events this week and the reports that people are leaving Mars Hill in droves, this topic seems awfully self-serving. Driscoll is nothing though if not clever. He is very covert in that he does not speak the direct comparison to himself but it is implied throughout this "sermon." That just like Stephen is attacked Mark Driscoll is being attacked and you should be scared because you're next! He states early on that wolves seek to discredit the pastor and thus destroy the church. He claims that Satan always does it this way. Really? Driscoll goes on to say that they bring charges against him that do not hold up so they lie. Really? He says that whoever is attacking the shepherd is the wolf. Really? Before we debunk these fanciful notions let us first examine the foundation of this fairy tale for what it is - unbiblical.
Beloved. Stephen was not a pastor. He was not a shepherd. The key verses spell out quite clearly what he was chosen for. It was the twelve who decided they should not stop preaching to "serve tables." So they appointed seven people, one of which was Stephen. At best, this is the first selection of deacons or elders ever. But even if that is accurate, that does not make Stephen a shepherd. The entire premise of Driscoll's sermon is simply a distortion of the truth. As a result the claims made within it ring equally untrue. No where in Scripture does it say that wolves seek to discredit the pastor as a means to destroy the church. What does the Bible say divides the body of Christ?
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. - Romans 16: 17-18 (ESV)
False doctrine causes division! Like a Pastor who tries to manipulate the Word of God to save face and look better. Like a Pastor who likes to brag about piling up the dead bodies of those who disagree with him behind his church. What about the line saying that they bring charges against the shepherd that do not hold up so they lie? It is true for the story of Stephen but not for the story of Mark Driscoll. There have been no lies told about him because the truth convicts him anyway. The charges are real and unrepented of. Lastly, his claim that anyone attacking a shepherd must be a wolf is ludicrous in light of the countless Scriptures warning believers to be on our guard against false teachers and prophets. The comparisons were drawn for a reason. To plant in the minds of his congregants that anyone talking badly about Mark Driscoll must be a wolf. He concludes by bragging about how Mars Hill does not criticize any other church. Yet another thing that makes Mark Driscoll simply unfit for the office he holds:
For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. - Titus 1: 7-9 (ESV)
A pastor or overseer must not only know sound doctrine but rebuke those that contradict it. Stephen, while not a pastor was technically an overseer and in that role he sharply rebuked the Pharisees and Scribes. Driscoll essentially admits that he does not follow Stephen's clear example here. Ironically, Driscoll refers to Acts 20 where Paul warns the Ephesian elders:
I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. - Acts 20: 29-30 (ESV)
Our prayer is that Mark Driscoll sees the error of his ways and repents truly for the sins he has committed. God is always willing to forgive. For if he continues down this self-serving path of twisting Scripture to try and play the victim of his own schemes he will become the wolf he so passionately preached against this past week. Drawing people to his cause instead of Christ's Gospel. God help his flock if that is the case.
Rev. Anthony.
