A few days ago I got an email from a friend that said two things: one, that he was enjoying the series on One-Eyed Jacks and, two, he has a One-Eyed Jack in his church who is causing him no small amount of grief; worse, this renegade is jeopardizing my friend’s job. My friend is the pastor.

As is usually the case, the problem is a power-struggle: my friend is the new kid on the block and is attracting a following; the One-Eyed Jack is old and firmly entrenched, resentful of anyone or anything that threatens his control over the local church. My friend is restrained by self-imposed (or God-imparted) integrity and humility; the Jack has no such limitations.

Now, if you were to ask any of my former pastors what it’s like to have me in their church, they would probably tell you that I am a headache and a pain a little lower, too. But I don’t think they would suggest that I am duplicitous (I need to find another word: I’m using that one to death) or intending to sabotage their leadership. I am a vocal opponent at times, but I am a loyal and faithful vocal opponent.

Pastors and churches need people like me - I heard Larry Crabb say it once, so it must be true - whether they like it or not. They do not, however, need One-Eyed Jacks that are trying to wrest control from the shepherd of the flock. I do not believe in a calling or that pastors are somehow anointed in the Old Testament sense, but I do believe that once a man has been put in the position of senior pastor he should be respected and obeyed. Disagreements should be handled biblically, graciously, and carefully.

Look in the mirror and remember what you see. If there’s so much as a hint or trace of a One-Eyed Jack, go to your pastor and confess. Repent of previous malicious, subversive behaviors. Ask him for forgiveness and ask how to be a positive, albeit at times critical, member of the body.

But, above all, stop being a One-Eyed Jack: although they seem to be everywhere, there’s biblically no place for them in the local church.



Namárië.