Church Terrorists Series | Part 2 of 3
Scripture: Acts 13:8–12
Let me ask you something, church. Have you ever walked into a room and immediately felt like you didn’t belong?
Nobody said anything ugly. Nobody told you to leave. In fact, somebody might have smiled and said hello. But somehow, you knew you weren’t really welcome.
Maybe it was the way people looked at you. Maybe it was the conversation that stopped when you walked up. Maybe it was the invitation that never came.
And before long, you decided it was easier to stay away than to keep trying to find your place.
Church, that happens in the house of God, too.
Some people have been shut out of so many rooms in their lives that it takes everything they have just to walk through the church doors again. They’re looking for hope. They’re looking for acceptance. They’re looking for a place where they can encounter the love of Jesus Christ.
But instead of finding open arms, they encounter somebody standing in the doorway, deciding who belongs and who doesn’t.
I call that the spirit of a gatekeeper.
And when that spirit operates in the church, it can do tremendous damage to the body of Christ.
Today, I want us to look at three kinds of gatekeepers that threaten church unity. But I also want us to examine what lies beneath those behaviors, because sometimes the greatest obstacle to loving other people is a wound we’ve never allowed God to heal.
Our Scripture comes from Acts 13:8–12.
Paul and Barnabas were sharing the Gospel on the island of Cyprus when they encountered a man named Elymas, a sorcerer who opposed their ministry.
The Bible says:
“But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.” — Acts 13:8 (KJV)
Now, I want you to notice what Elymas was doing.
He wasn’t simply disagreeing with Paul and Barnabas. He was actively trying to prevent somebody else from receiving the truth of the Gospel.
He had positioned himself between a man who needed to hear God’s Word and the people God had sent to deliver it.
And church, that’s what gatekeeping looks like.
It happens when somebody decides that they have the authority to determine who gets access, who gets accepted, who gets an opportunity, and who gets pushed aside.
Not every gatekeeper is loud like Elymas. Some are quiet. Some smile while they’re closing doors. Some have convinced themselves that they’re protecting the church when they’re actually keeping people from experiencing the love of Christ.
But the result is the same.
People who are trying to come closer to God find themselves having to get past somebody else’s pride, insecurity, or personal agenda.
And that’s a problem we cannot afford to ignore.
The first kind of gatekeeper I want to talk about is the gossiping gatekeeper.
In Acts 13, Elymas tried to turn the deputy away from the faith by opposing the message Paul and Barnabas were bringing.
And one of the most destructive ways people interfere with the work of the church today is through their words.
You know how it happens.
Somebody joins the church, and before they can get settled, somebody else starts telling stories about them.
“You know why they really left that other church?”
“Let me tell you something about that family.”
“I wouldn’t trust that person if I were you.”
And just like that, a person’s reputation is being shaped by somebody else’s conversation.
Nobody appointed that individual to decide who deserves respect or acceptance. Nobody gave them authority over another person’s character.
But through gossip, they’ve made themselves the gatekeeper of somebody else’s reputation.
And here’s what makes gossip so dangerous: it doesn’t have to be true to cause damage.
“Gossip doesn’t have to be true to do damage. It only has to be repeated.”
Think about how quickly a careless word can spread through a congregation.
It starts in the parking lot. It moves into a telephone conversation. Somebody repeats it at a ministry meeting. Before long, people who have never even spoken to the individual have already formed an opinion about them.
And the person at the center of it may never know why people suddenly treat them differently.
Church, we have to guard our tongues.
James 3:5–6 reminds us that the tongue is a small member capable of causing tremendous destruction.
Before you repeat something about your brother or sister, ask yourself: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it loving? Does it build up the body of Christ, or does it tear somebody down?
We ought to spend more time repeating the Word of God than repeating somebody else’s business.
Because the words we speak can either open doors for people or make them feel like those doors have been slammed shut.
The second kind of gatekeeper is the controlling gatekeeper.
This person may not rely on gossip. Instead, they use their position, influence, or years of service to control what happens in the church.
Nothing moves without their approval.
No new ministry. No new idea. No new opportunity for somebody else to serve.
Everything has to pass through them first.
And sometimes, church, these individuals genuinely believe they’re protecting the congregation.
But I need you to understand something:
“Protecting the church and controlling the church are not the same thing. One serves the mission. The other becomes the mission.”
There is nothing wrong with having structure. There is nothing wrong with leadership, accountability, or making sure ministries operate in an orderly way.
But there is a difference between serving as a leader and appointing yourself the final authority over everything God wants to accomplish.
And there is a difference between helping people find their place in the church and making them feel they must earn your personal approval before they can belong.
Jesus made something very clear in John 10:9:
“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” — John 10:9 (KJV)
Jesus said He is the door.
He didn’t say the deacon was the door. He didn’t say the ministry president was the door. He didn’t say the pastor was the door.
He said, “I am the door.”
So why do we sometimes act like people have to come through us before they can get to Him?
Somebody may be walking into church for the first time in years. Somebody may be struggling with their faith. Somebody may be trying to find the courage to get involved in ministry.
And all they need is somebody to say, “I’m glad you’re here.”
All they need is a welcoming smile, a handshake, a hug, or an invitation to come back.
But when we’re consumed with controlling who gets in and who gets involved, we make people squeeze past our egos just to find a place in the body of Christ.
Church, we have to get out of the doorway.
The third kind of gatekeeper is the prideful and territorial gatekeeper.
This is the person who has forgotten that the church belongs to Jesus Christ.
They start talking about “my ministry,” “my department,” “my people,” and “my position.”
And somewhere along the way, their assignment becomes their possession.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with taking responsibility for the work God has entrusted to you. We need faithful leaders who care deeply about their ministries.
But we must never confuse stewardship with ownership.
Look at Acts 13:2. The Bible tells us that while the believers ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said:
“Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” — Acts 13:2 (KJV)
Notice who did the calling.
It wasn’t the person who had been there the longest. It wasn’t the person with the biggest title. It wasn’t the individual who thought they knew everything about how the church should operate.
It was the Holy Spirit.
God was directing the work, and the church was called to respond.
So let me ask you a question: Who put you in charge of deciding what God can and cannot do through somebody else?
When we become territorial, we start protecting our positions instead of preparing other people to serve.
We become threatened by new ideas. We resist change. We hesitate to make room for the gifts God has placed in others.
And sometimes we’d rather see a ministry struggle than allow somebody else to help it grow.
Church, that is not the spirit of Christ.
“Are you serving the mission, or are you protecting your seat?”
The church has never belonged to any one of us.
We are servants. We are stewards. We are members of one body, called to work together for the glory of God.
And when God raises up somebody new, we ought to celebrate what He’s doing instead of feeling threatened by it.
Now, we’ve talked about three kinds of gatekeepers: the gossiping gatekeeper, the controlling gatekeeper, and the prideful, territorial gatekeeper.
But I want to go a little deeper.
Because sometimes these behaviors are symptoms of something that has been sitting in a person’s heart for years.
And that something is unforgiveness.
Somebody hurt you.
Somebody overlooked you. Somebody didn’t invite you. Somebody talked about you. Somebody made you feel that you didn’t matter.
And instead of releasing that hurt and allowing God to heal it, you built a gate around it.
You started protecting yourself by keeping other people at a distance.
You learned to control who could get close to you. You learned to guard your position. You learned to make sure nobody could ever make you feel powerless again.
And after a while, that wound became so familiar that you stopped recognizing it as a wound.
It just became part of who you are.
But church, God didn’t call us to spend our lives guarding old wounds.
He called us to be healed.
“When you build a gate around an old wound, you may end up keeping out the very people God sends to help you heal.”
There’s a medical condition called autoimmune disease. It occurs when the body’s immune system, which is supposed to protect it, mistakenly attacks healthy cells and tissues.
Think about that.
The very system designed to protect the body begins working against it.
And church, sometimes that’s exactly what happens in the body of Christ.
People who believe they’re protecting the church begin attacking the very people who make up the church.
Instead of welcoming new members, they question their motives.
Instead of encouraging new leaders, they undermine their efforts.
Instead of helping somebody grow, they remind everybody of that person’s past.
And before long, the body is fighting itself.
That’s what happens when unforgiveness and pride take the place of love and humility.
Ephesians 4:31–32 calls us to put away bitterness, anger, and malice and to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving toward one another, just as God has forgiven us through Christ.
That doesn’t mean the hurt never happened.
It doesn’t mean we ignore wrongdoing or abandon healthy boundaries.
It means we refuse to let yesterday’s pain determine how we treat the people God places in our lives today.
Now, after everything I’ve said about gatekeepers, I want to tell you about the One who truly has the authority to open the door.
His name is Jesus Christ.
And unlike the gatekeepers we’ve been talking about, Jesus doesn’t stand at the door trying to protect His own position.
He stands at the door offering salvation.
He welcomes the broken. He receives the rejected. He reaches for the people everybody else has pushed aside.
He doesn’t ask you to impress Him with your title, your years of membership, or your position in the church.
He calls you to come to Him in faith.
And the reason He can offer that invitation is because of what He did on Calvary.
Jesus went to the cross for you and for me.
He gave His life for our sins. He was buried. And early Sunday morning, He rose again with all power in His hands.
Through His death and resurrection, the door to salvation has been opened to everyone who believes in Him.
And if Jesus has opened the door, who are we to stand in somebody else’s way?
John 10:9 reminds us again that Jesus is the door.
Not you. Not me. Not any church officer or ministry leader.
Jesus Christ.
And at the foot of the cross, there is room for all of us.
I want to leave you with a challenge.
Don’t spend all your time trying to identify the gatekeeper sitting across the aisle.
Look at the person sitting in your seat.
Ask yourself: Have I ever used my words to make somebody feel unwelcome?
Have I ever stood in the way of somebody else’s opportunity to serve?
Have I ever treated a ministry like it belonged to me instead of Jesus Christ?
Have I allowed old hurt and unforgiveness to shape the way I treat people today?
If the answer is yes, there’s good news.
God is still in the healing business.
He can soften a hardened heart. He can heal an old wound. He can teach us to forgive, to welcome, and to love again.
But we have to be willing to let Him do the work.
Because the church doesn’t need more people guarding their positions.
It needs more people opening their hearts.
“The church doesn’t need more people guarding their positions. It needs more people opening their hearts.”
So let’s stop standing in the doorway.
Let’s make room for the people God is calling.
Let’s welcome the wounded, encourage the discouraged, and embrace the brothers and sisters who are looking for a place to belong.
And let’s remember that this is not our church to control.
It is Christ’s church to build.
May God heal our hearts, open our doors, and help us become the loving, welcoming body of believers He has called us to be.
Amen.
Church Terrorists | A Sermon Series
This article is Part 2 of a three-part series by Pastor Robert N. Lauderdale Sr. exploring the behaviors that threaten church unity and how we can build a healthier, Christ-centered church family.
Part 1: Church Terrorists — When Control Takes Over the Church
Coming Next: Part 3 — Church Terrorists: The Enemy Within and the Enemy Without
