Fully Known

One of the difficult things that comes with leading in ministry for 20 years is that you sometimes get a front row seat to the downfall of many fellow leaders. It haunts me to think of all the good men I have led with over the years who, for one reason or another, have been taken out of the fight by their sinful decisions.

In the aftermath of every single one of these ministry casualties, though, the question is always asked, “How did it get to this?” And the answer is always the same: at the end of the day, these men were not willing to make themselves KNOWN.

Genesis chapters 1-3 show us exactly how this plays out. Man was created to be fully known by his Creator, by his wife, and by other people. But when Adam made the decision to pursue joy and personal fulfillment outside of what God had given him, he made a willing decision to hide from God, and pursue the empty pleasures of sin. The by-product was the formation of a physical, emotional, and spiritual barrier between man and everyone whose fellowship he had previously enjoyed.

This same pattern continues to play out in the life of every man and every leader. In our homes, in our ministries, and in our jobs, everyday we are faced with the decision to either trust and serve God or to pursue success, money, power, position, approval, or comfort before Him. Genesis 3 and all of human history tell us the result of the latter—rivalry, distrust, depression, emptiness, deceit, isolation, and death.

Thankfully, Christ came to show us a better way as men and as leaders. The way of being fully known.

“If anyone loves God, he is known by God” (1 Corinthians 8:3)

“We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

While we were yet sinners, chasing hard after the empty, destructive pursuits of the world in isolation, hiding from God and others, Christ loved us and pursued us. His love compels us to make Him our highest pursuit, and His blood shed on the cross allows us to be fully known by a holy God. And as those fully known by God, we’re given the freedom to live out our callings as men and leaders with authenticity and confidence. We have nothing to hide, nothing to fear, and nothing to lose!

We can walk in humility and courage making ourselves fully known to others around us. Knowing our sin and shame is covered, we can make ourselves known to the people around us, for “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Ask yourself, Are you known by God? The best hint Scripture gives us in answering this question is to ask yourself if you are authentically known by those around you. A real, authentic relationship with God is marked by a similar relationship with fellow man, and isolation, suspicion, and hatred toward man is indicative of a similarly frayed relationship with God (1 John 2:9-11).

Whether you lead a family or whether you lead a mega-church, the sum total of your life’s pursuit and ministry is going to amount to this: “Am I truly known?” The success or failure of every area of your life hangs in the balance of how you answer this question.

I can’t help but believe that if this had been the governing reality in the lives of my fallen ministry comrades over the years, they would still be leading alongside me today, arm in arm. Pursue the Lord above all else in your ministry, work, family, and marriage. Make yourself truly KNOWN.