When We Fail
Bad news...heartbreaking news…it’s never easy to see a Minister fall especially in this way. The weight of this tragedy weighs heavy on my heart and I’m sure yours. You can read the story here.
We all have a gut response to this…some want to hurt him, to rage against his sin and that is understandable. How did he end up here? What goes through the mind when temptation is raging? I feel the sobering reality of the hour we live in. We are fast approaching a time where God is going to show up in a way like he has never before done. A time where the Church will become what she was meant to be and God is cleaning house.
It’s a time where the wheat will be separated from the tares; the real believers from the casual churchgoers and the billion-soul harvest prophesied would begin. In preparation God is shaking everything that can be shaken. While God does not publically expose sin he does give us many chances to humble ourselves, deal with our sin and repent. When we do not repent but continue on in the delusion we can hide it, the consequence of that is exposure.
Scripture tells us to in 1 Peter to “humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that HE may lift you up…” When we refuse to humble ourselves he is forced to do it for us through humiliation. I can’t think of a more horribly humiliating experience than for our sin to be publically exposed to the world. Eek!
This man had some pretty horrific sin in his life no doubt. But…we all have something we don’t want to face. Do we judge others, do we have nasty attitudes, and do we exaggerate? (AKA lie) Do we eat to excess, drink to excess; do we try to control others with manipulation? Have we slipped into casual Christianity…going to church because it’s what we think we should do, or we have always done?
God isn’t impressed with our dutiful actions and churchy lifestyles. He wants all of us. When we become a Believer it means giving our whole life to Jesus and living to obey his Word. Knowing truth without doing it is to not know it at all. Jesus said, “If you love me you will obey me.” We are deceived if we think we can be Christians AND live in sin because we feel like it. #ouch
The sign of God’s approval on our efforts isn’t big crowds, big budgets, state of the art services and great worship. Just because God seems silent about our sin is not a sign of approval. None of those things are wrong in and of themselves but the only things that move Gods heart are true repentance and obedience. We can have all of those other things and not have a pure heart and it’s all just wood, hay and stubble that will burn up in the end.
My heart breaks to see us as the Body experience a deep heart check; examine ourselves in light of God’s word and see where we come up short and make the needed changes. Let our hearts break for the things that break His heart. It’s time to let God purify us to our core. He’s coming back for a glorious church. To carry more of his glory we must be emptied of more of ourselves.
Maybe instead of judging this mans sin we begin to pray. Pray against the sins we so easily fall into. Pray for the awakening of America and the world to the Gospel. Pray for God’s will to be done and his Kingdom to come on earth AS IT IS in heaven….we have a world to reach and we have no more time to waste living so far below what God intended for us as the Church.