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This is taken from an article titled “The Gospel-Driven Organization” by James Tonyowich, PhD in the “Christian Leadership Alliance.” It is well-worth a slow read:
“We ourselves are broken. When God called Isaiah, he responded, “Woe is me! I’m ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips … ” (Is 6:5). Peter’s initial response to Jesus was, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man” (Lk 5:8b). St. Paul counted himself “the worst of sinners” (1T 1:16).
“The Gospel frees us to know the truth about who we are: broken, sinful creatures.
“As former Westminster Seminary professor Jack Miller used to quip, “Cheer up, my friend! You’re far worse than you think. And God is far more loving and kind than you ever dreamed or imagined.”
“If we do not have an understanding of our brokenness, it is an indication that we do not understand the Gospel and we and our organizations will probably do more damage than good.
“Not only are we broken, we work in a broken world filled with broken people — many of whom are Christians. Years ago, Richard Lovelace, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary professor and long time church renewal figure, taught me what I consider the most valuable lesson I have ever learned for ministry. “It is very difficult,” he said, “to tell the difference between wolves in sheep’s clothing and very confused, very broken, very angry sheep.”
I added the “bold” to the sentence that slapped me in the side of the head…