12 Dangers of Having Charisma Without Crucifixion by Joseph Mattera
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In today’s church culture, we are witnessing a troubling trend: the elevation of pastors, worship leaders, and Christian influencers based primarily on their charisma, stage presence, or communicative gifting. This superficial criteria for leadership directly contradicts the biblical standard, which emphasizes character, integrity, and maturity as prerequisites for spiritual influence (1 Timothy 3:1-8).
While charisma may draw crowds and energize movements, it cannot sustain godly leadership or foster lasting transformation. The tragic fallout from recent high-profile scandals has only intensified the growing distrust in clergy and church leadership. Unlike the entertainment, business, or political worlds, where moral failures are sadly expected, the church is called to embody a higher standard. As the apostle Peter reminds us, “judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17). If we are to be salt and light in a decaying world, we must return to the cross as the foundation of leadership.
Here are twelve dangers of exalting charisma without crucifixion:
Gifting Without Maturity Corrupts the Church’s Witness
Paul rebuked the Corinthian believers for their carnality, even though they were rich in spiritual gifts: “You are not lacking in any gift” (1 Cor. 1:7). Yet he also called them “infants in Christ” (1 Cor. 3:1–3). Their lack of spiritual formation made them a poor witness to the surrounding culture. They tolerated open sexual immorality (1 Cor. 5) and took one another to court before unbelievers (1 Cor. 6), disgracing the name of Christ. The presence of gifts does not imply the presence of godliness.
2. Scandal Follows Influence That Outpaces Integrity
When a person’s public platform grows faster than their private life is sanctified, it’s only a matter of time before they collapse. Scandal erupts when influence surpasses integrity. Without a deep interior life rooted in the cross, leaders are unprepared to steward the weight of public success. As one leader put it, “Your talent can take you where your character can’t keep you.”
3. Elevation Without Crucifixion Is Man-Made, Not God-Breathed
The pattern of Christ is clear: crucifixion precedes resurrection. Jesus humbled Himself unto death before being exalted (Phil. 2:8–9). Any attempt to bypass the cross for instant influence is self-promotion, not divine elevation. When leaders are lifted by platforms instead of shaped by suffering, their ministries are often built on sand.
4. Immature Leaders Reproduce the Pride of the Devil
Paul warned Timothy not to elevate a new convert to leadership, “lest he become puffed up with pride and fall into the same condemnation as the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). Pride in his gifting was Satan’s downfall. When charisma is not crucified, it inflates ego and invites demonic patterns of control, manipulation, and rebellion.
5. Only the Cross Can Kill Selfish Ambition
The flesh craves influence and applause, but only the cross can mortify these desires. As Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross” (Matt. 16:24). Uncrucified ambition in church leadership leads to empire building, not kingdom advancing. Leaders who haven’t died to self will use people to serve their vision, rather than serving people to fulfill God’s mission.
6. God Only Entrusts His Power to the Crucified
God can only entrust authority to those whose motives have been refined by suffering. The crucified life purifies intentions and aligns the heart with God’s. Without the death of self, leaders are prone to use spiritual gifts for self-promotion. But when a leader is crucified with Christ, their only agenda is obedience and faithfulness (Gal. 2:20).
7. Spiritual Leadership Must Be Earned Through Character
While salvation is by grace, spiritual leadership is for those proven worthy. Ephesians 4:1-3 outlines the character prerequisites for fivefold ministry: humility, patience, and a commitment to unity. Leadership is not a platform for the gifted, but a responsibility for the sanctified. The call to lead is also a call to suffer, serve, and sacrifice.
8. Charisma Without the Cross Is Self-Serving
Jesus, the most anointed man who ever lived, said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matt. 20:28). When leaders walk in true crucifixion, they reflect Christ’s servant heart. But charisma without crucifixion often results in self-centered leadership, where the leader becomes the brand, the stage becomes a throne, and the church becomes an audience.
9. The Cross Builds the Church, Not a Personal Brand
Paul warned against using spiritual gifts for self-promotion (1 Cor. 12:1–3). The gifts of the Spirit are given “for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7), not for platform-building. Leaders who are not shaped by the cross often hijack the church’s mission to advance their personal ambitions. They make disciples for themselves instead of for Jesus.
10. God’s Power Is Perfected in Weakness, Not Strength
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul describes a thorn in his flesh that kept him dependent on God. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). True spiritual leadership flows not from our strength, but from our weakness that has been submitted to Christ. Personal charisma exalts strength, but the cross magnifies dependency.
11. Charisma Without Crucifixion Breeds Performance, Not Authenticity
A charismatic leader who has not been broken by God is tempted to perform rather than be real. They fear vulnerability and hide behind their gifting. But the cross invites transparency. It allows leaders to lead from a place of authenticity—wounded healers who point others to the Savior, not to themselves.
12. Charisma Without the Cross Reflects Self, Not Christ
The apostle Paul declared, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). The ultimate danger of charisma without crucifixion is that people see the leader instead of Christ. Without the cross, ministry becomes a mirror of the flesh instead of a window into heaven.
God is not impressed by charisma. He is looking for crucified vessels—men and women who have died to themselves and live only to glorify Christ. The church doesn’t need more celebrity pastors or superstar worship leaders. It needs broken, consecrated, cross-shaped servants who can steward revival without being destroyed by it.
As judgment begins in the house of God, let us return to the biblical model of leadership—where the cross, not charisma, is the foundation of influence. Only then will we regain the trust of a watching world and reflect the radiant image of Jesus Christ to a generation desperate for the real thing.
© Joseph Mattera
