Sacrificial Lambs at the Church Alter

We hear about the sacrificial lamb of the Old Testament. It was instituted by God as an act of repentance. Or more bluntly put, it was offered up so that he would relent on judging sin. It is also meant to indicate a type of the Lamb of God who was to come. The nation of Israel was preserved and remained intact solely because God gave them this system. It was given to appease his righteous anger as an offering for the sins of a nation to preserve them. Today, mercy flows because of the Sacrificial Lamb who was crucified on our behalf.

In the church today there are also sacrificial lambs. The difference is, rather than God’s attributes being preserved and mercy flowing down to us as individuals, these lambs are sacrificed for the churches, leaders, or organization’s reputation and stature.

This doesn’t sound like the original intent of the sacrificial system God implemented, does it? No, far from it. Why do these innocent lambs get sacrificed today you might ask? On the ungodly alter of maintaining power, control, financial strength, reputation, and institutionalism.

For example, you have just been shocked with the news that your little boy or girl has been molested by someone in the church. You are devastated. What do you do? Well, the first thing you do is bring it to the church leadership. But because they are quite concerned of what might happen if this got out, you are counseled to keep quiet. They may tell you let them deal with it, don’t call the police. This doesn’t sit well with you, so you start asking questions. You’re so perplexed and broken-hearted for your little one. You feel so horrified that you couldn’t do anything about this. But you keep getting told you are now more the problem than the actual perpetrator themselves. So, you are gradually being led to the alter of becoming a sacrificial lamb.

A sacrificial lamb of the church. How does this make God feel? How can leaders do this? What motivates them to see the church, themselves, or an organization as more important than doing the right thing? What about some pastors speaking up on overbearing abusive authority from their superiors? Or speaking up when wrongs like the scenario above is being covered up? This leader can become a sacrificial lamb too. After all, he’s being a troublemaker if he won’t allow us to maintain the reputation of our church.

What about an instance where a couple has given their family and lives in the service of a local church for 20,30, even 40 years. These folks aren’t the most polished speakers, but they have been true leaders of their small group constituents. They were there when a family lost their child. They were there when a father died of cancer at the age of 40 and left his beautiful wife and three kids. They held these people, cared for them, arranged meals, checked in on them, fixed their appliances, arranged for their yard work to be taken care of. But guess what’s happened? There’s a new younger couple that has just moved in from another city. They’re both very sharp. He is an eloquent Bible teacher and can easily handle preaching on a Sunday if the pastor needs him. She is quite the musician, leading worship, doing church productions, etc. So, after 40years of laying their lives down, this loving seasoned couple gets told they are no longer gifted to lead the group. Especially since we have the “Slick’s” now. After 40 years, you have become a sacrificial lamb. Many lambs were sacrificed in this way. The devastation is massive.

The list of examples could go on forever. But what is the problem here? We don’t like to call

out the white elephant in the room. It is shocking to see what the church at large has come to. Many organizations have now become much more interested in preserving the power structure, finances, reputations, much more than an individual or family that may be a stain on their shiny glass houses. This has become more of a chess game moving people off the board and eliminating them. It’s much easier to make someone a sacrificial lamb rather than have the church or leaders exposed.

Whenever the decision is made to eliminate these little lambs from the herd they are left out in danger, lonely, hurt, frail, and in despair. Everything has been taken from them. Many have been devoured to this day.

When a church leadership chooses to minimize child molestation, eliminate pastors for speaking up about abusive authority, or simply replacing the faithful man and woman that served the church for 40 years over a young, eloquent, unproven, unknown rookie, we are sacrificing lambs. Not to appease God, but appease their own craving of self-reputation, power, and money.

Do my words sound harsh? Maybe so to the ones who have never been sacrificed. But to the ones that have been ship wrecked and left for dead, they scream, “why didn’t anyone else see this?” Many of these good people are so damaged, broken, and crushed now they may never make it back.

Why did I choose the three examples of sacrificial lambs in a church system? Because I saw and experienced myself the alarming truth behind these examples. There are many other examples I’m sure you can think of. Do you know what is more grievous to God? There is an ever-growing pile of slaughtered lambs.

God help us! These lambs are the ones shepherds are commissioned to tend, protect, and care for. But some of today’s shepherds, when problems arise in the church, will find the weakest of the sheep and offer them up to the alter.Preserving their own reputation and power.

The sacrifice system of the church today looks nothing like the redemptive heart God had toward his people. This looks more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. What does a wolf do around a herd of sheep? They prowl around looking to isolate the weakest link of the herd to pick it off. Sound shocking to compare this to what goes on in churches. Maybe shocked is what we need to be.

In the end we will all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. When He asks leaders, “did you tend my lambs?” What will you say? I believe all the lambs that were sacrificed on the churches alter will be standing around on that day when these leaders must give an account. What will those sheep that were expendable back when look like now standing with Christ as their protector? How will ungodly leaders give an account for this?

I wish that no leader would have to face that dreadful day. But what I wish much more, is that the modern cruelty of sacrificial lambs at the church alter would end.