While sitting out one night under the stars, I was again impressed by the beauty of the universe and the order of the heavens which God created. In the Psalm 19 we read, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands”. And in Jeremiah 3 we read, “Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name”.
The stillness of the night, with constellations slowly passing by night after night, is an absolute wonder! The precise order is mind boggling and the peace is healing to the body! I think of Psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am God”, it is very easy to experience peace when we look at the grandeur and wonder of the heavens, Psalm 19 “the heavens declare the glory of God”. Would that the earth would finally be filled with the Glory of God, soon it will be. Psalm 72 “And blessed be His glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with His glory, amen and amen”.
But for now, we live in a world that is filled with chaos. In our modern era, everywhere we look, there is chaos, destruction and all sorts of evil. There is no order here on earth yet! While we are told in Hebrews 2 that God has put all things in subjection under Jesus’ feet, we are also told that for some reason that we do not yet see it, we do not yet see all things put under Jesus’ feet. We live in a world of chaos while the full plan of God is worked out. The goal of all of this is worth considering. Jesus helps us to understand this when He taught us how to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven”. That is the goal of God’s plan in the earth. We are to also pray that way, “Lord let Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven”. It will happen one day! God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. In the end, as it says in Isaiah 24, “the city of chaos will be broken”.
Some may ask, “why doesn’t God just come and end all the chaos on earth”? Many people who do not follow Jesus ask that. Romans 9 tells us this- “What if God, willing to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction? What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory—including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles?”. Paul tells us that God is patient with the chaos of the world and has a great willingness to show forth the riches of His glory through bringing many people, both Jews and Greeks into the Kingdom of God through repentance. Peter tells us the same thing in Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance”. While God could instantly fix the problem of sin, caused by Adam’s sin and the Watchers, He is choosing not to for a greater good. He is patient and allowing time for people to join His company, “That none should perish!”
While we live in this world with all its chaos, we understand that we are part of a Kingdom that is not of this world. Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world” and that is where our hope lies. We will have peace when we come to Him even in this world. We can have God’s peace as we walk through this very chaotic world that is filled with fear and evil. In John 14:27 Jesus tells us, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful”. Also in Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When the end comes, and God restores peace on the earth, we will all say “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation”. Isaiah 25:9
There has always been a path to being near to God. In the OT in 2 Chronicles 15:1-4, God tells us that “the Lord is with us, when we are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, if you forsake Him, He will forsake you”. Hebrews 11 tells us that “God is a rewarder of those who seek Him”. Proverbs 8:17 tells us “I love those who love Me, and those who diligently seek Me will find Me”.
To have the Lord with us- means that we must be with the Lord, we must choose His side and His requirements. And we must love Him and obey Him, He says that He loves those that love Him. It says that He will forsake those who forsake Him. What does that mean for us today.
In the case of our current situation with leaders who are falling into sin, or are covering sin, it is my belief that if there is no real repentance, they will fall into the category of Matthew 7:23 when Jesus says to those who have done things for the Lord, “Depart from me I never knew you”. It could be that many of those had valid things happen in the beginning of their ministry but for years have been running on hype and on the power of the soul. (Latent Power of the Soul– Watchman Nee)
We clearly see that in the OT and the NT that God can forsake us at some point if we are not careful. This is where my thoughts on Romans 11:29 come in. “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable”. This verse is about God’s call on the descendants of the man Israel, and that God will not change His mind on that. He was not talking about the nation of Israel, but as it says in Romans 9:1-8, “For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” this means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring”. He was talking about those descendants who come to God thru the faith that is portrayed in the life of the man, Israel. Jews and gentiles, that through Jesus have come to faith in Him. The “spiritual” descendants of the man Israel are the one who will be “as the stars in the heavens and the sand as the sea”, brought in from all the nations. That is God’s plan from the beginning.
God scattered the nation of Israel and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem forty years after they crucified Jesus! A horrible devastation. Not one stone left upon another. 2 Chronicles 15 “If you seek Him, He will be found by you, if you forsake Him, He will forsake you”. God forsook the nation of Israel.
All my life I have heard people say that if a preacher falls into sin, he still has his spiritual gifts and power. I do not believe that, I believe that people have a soul power that mimics the Spirit and we cannot discern it. We are enamored with a “celebrity” status type minister, we are sucked in by the music and the hype.
Even Samson in the OT in Judges 16:20 “Did not know that the Lord had left him”. King Saul in 1 Samuel 16:14, it says “Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear”. King David in Psalm 51:11 “Do not cast me away from Thy presence, and do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me”. Should we be surprised at what Jesus said in Matthew 7:23 “Depart from Me I never knew you”? A man’s ministry may have started good, and they depend on those works at the end of the age, but they may have left the path of righteousness as they got older.
It is sin and disobedience that causes God’s Spirit to leave us. In our modern Christianity it is difficult to discern because there is so much “soul” power on display in our meetings. Hebrews 4:11-13 “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do”.
Discerning between what is Spirit and what is soul can only be done through the Word of God. The Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil”. Our leaders must abstain from every form of evil, if they do not, I believe that something gets projected through their teaching, out of their soul power, into those who follow them. We must abstain from evil! I can not stress this enough, so many ministries are functioning through the power of the soul.
A W Tozer saw it coming years ago when he said “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference”. This what we are facing today!
Please consider all of this, I may not have it all right but I feel there is enough evidence in the scripture to have this conversation.
In this age of political upheaval and divisive politics, the church has lost its uniqueness. The modern church is splintered, and it is difficult to even talk about the unity of the brethren. What we see in the church today is a mirror of what we see in the country. Our politics have bled into all areas of church life. The church divides over all sorts of issues including not only politics, but also over different ministries and beliefs.
There is a vast number of teachers, prophets, apostles and evangelists online that you can follow. I once saw a sign in front of a church that said “We have three kinds of worship- contemporary, traditional and blended. One Just right for you!”. There you have it! You can pick and choose who to follow online, there is “one just right for you”. What a twisted thing we have made the church.
When we look in the scriptures at the ‘last supper’, we see men who were radically changed by Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Think about it, you have Simon the Zealot and Matthew the traitor sitting at table with Jesus. Can you wrap your head around that?
The Zealots were a political movement in 1st-century Second Temple Judaism that sought to incite the people of Judea Providence to rebel against the Roman Empire and expel it from the Holy Land by force of arms, most notably during the First Jewish-Roman war(66–70).
The Tax Collector in the Roman world was an official that was often greedy, and usually took the position from love of money. They would frequently extort unjust dues, especially from the poor. Such tax-collectors were infamous among the Jews. As Cornelius a Lapide points out, the Jews “maintained that they, as a people dedicated to God, ought not to pay tribute to the Romans, who were Gentiles and idolaters: for this was contrary to the liberty and dignity of the children of God.” To associate with tax-collectors and sinners was considered sinful behavior for Jews. Tradition stated: “Let not a man associate with the wicked, not even to bring him to the Torah” (Mechilta).
The natural tension between Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector would be obvious! Matthew would have been considered a traitor and Simon would despise him. What happened to them that they were now sitting at table together in fellowship? Jesus happened!! Jesus and the Holy Spirit had a profound effect on them and changed them forever.
Jesus is the great leveler! The things of this world do grow strangely dim when we experience His love and forgiveness. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we become part of the ‘Kingdom of God’! This world loses its glitter! We have a greater inheritance, and Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. Let us live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord, preferring one another in love. And may God grant us a unity that is based on His love for us. We are to be unique in the world, not like the world! We are to be holy, that is- set apart, different, showing forth His attributes.
A.W. Tozer referred to worship as the missing jewel in the evangelical crown. I couldn’t agree more. My father often referred to Prayer as being preoccupied with our needs, Praise as being preoccupied with our blessings, and Worship as being preoccupied with God Himself. My father wasn’t discounting prayer or praise as everything has its time and place. Worship, however, is the first and foremost commandment of all, regardless of our personal state or struggles.
There is a biblical or scriptural reason why we begin our services with singing. Colossians exhorts us that in all things Christ is to have preeminence or first place. Having said that, we need to take very seriously how we fulfill or carry out that admonition.
I believe the book of Malachi provides us with great clarity as to how God sees or interprets our worship. After all, He alone has the right to reject or accept what we offer Him.
Let me address for a moment this truth that God would reject our sacrifice of praise or worship. King David, the great psalmist, made it very clear that not everything he offered to God was acceptable. Psalm 19:14 says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight.” The prophet Isaiah wrote, “I am sick of your sacrifices. Don’t bring me any more of them…” (Isaiah 1:11). Jesus told the religious people of His day, “You honor me with your lips, but your heart is far from me.” We see in the Old Testament that one of the roles of the priest was that of inspecting every sacrifice to make sure it was acceptable. Anything found to be torn, sick, or blemished in any way was immediately rejected.
Let me take you back to Malachi for a moment. In the first chapter, God, in His role as the Great High Priest, is examining the sacrifices His people are offering Him. Let’s listen in:
“A son honors his father and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?” says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name.”
God makes it clear throughout the remaining chapter that it was not the quantity but the quality of the sacrifices they were offering Him. They were bringing the blind, lame, and sick, thinking God wouldn’t notice, but He did and still does. God finally cries out, “Oh, that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar!” He continues, “…you bring what was taken by robbery, and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering. Should I receive that from your hand?” says the Lord.
Today, the Lord would be seen pleading with those controlling the sound system to cut the mikes, dismiss the singers and musicians, asking them to search their hearts as well as the words they are singing. If most of the worship set is about God’s love for me rather than my love for God, then I become the object of worship. Now, obviously, there is a place to thank God for His incredible love, grace, mercy, etc. However, we need to make the transition from praise to worship if we are to truly ‘worship Him in spirit and in truth.’
I personally believe the role of a worship leader is to ‘cast up a highway’ that enables the people to come into the very presence of God. I believe there should be as much time given to preparing the worship set as the pastor spends preparing his message for the people. After all, worship is what we offer the Lord, while the message should create a greater hunger for the Lord. If we spend less time in preparation to worship than we do to receive, then we are no longer giving Him preeminence!
Allow me to drill down a little further on our approach to God. God told His people Israel that whenever they built an altar upon which they would offer Him sacrifices, they had to build it of uncut stones. (Exodus 20:24-26) He made it clear that if they embellished the stones in any way with their own tools, they would immediately profane the altar and render it useless. Now, while we no longer build altars, the principle nevertheless remains. In other words, if I play or sing in such a way as to draw attention to myself, then I’m the one seeking the attention that should be directed to the Lord alone. If we have singers or musicians who love the limelight, then our sacrifice becomes unacceptable to Him. As the psalmist wrote, “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to your name give glory.” (Psalm 115:1)
One further word regarding the ‘worship set’. I would encourage those who feel called to lead to take whatever time necessary to prayerfully and carefully select songs/hymns that build upon each other. Just as the rungs of a ladder lift the person higher with each step, so likewise should the songs. To me, this principle separates a song leader from a true worship leader. Just choosing five or six unrelated songs that you enjoy is not the same as carefully choosing songs that relate to each other. For instance, choosing songs all having to do with the name of Jesus or the blood, etc., are far more effective than just unrelated songs that tend to zig-zag all over the place and tend to lead to nowhere. Forgive me if that seems cynical, but after sixty years of ministry in numerous countries, I can count on both hands the number of times I’ve really felt led to linger in the presence of the Lord; or in the words of the song “I stand, I stand in awe of Thee…Holy God to whom all praise is due, I stand in awe of you.”
If I’ve trodden on some toes, please forgive me. My goal is to prepare God’s people for the day when we will all unite together with the redeemed from all the ages and sing as one:
‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and praise.’ (Revelation 5:12)
PS. I’m aware that worship involves far more than just music, etc. Webster’s dictionary of 1823 describes worship as: “to honor with extravagant love and extreme submission.” Webster no doubt had in mind Abraham offering his beloved son Isaac as an act of worship. Notice also that Abraham first built an altar. We are not told that he embellished it in any way!
There have been a few questions about changes in theology over the last 20 years. Since I am now an older man, I have seen and experienced quite a bit of change over the years in my own beliefs, as you all are now experiencing. Let me first say, this is normal. As you all mature, have families and deal with issues, you change. “Your senses are being trained to discern good and evil Heb 5:14”. In my early days of coming out of the Jesus Revolution, we young people had an attitude toward older people. I did see these same things coming out of BRSM and FIRE. In our youthful zeal, we had the attitude God was anointing us as a new generation, WE had the anointing. I co-pastored a church in 1977 that was a charismatic church, I was 27 at the time. The average age of our congregation was 17 years old. It took me about three years to realize that I needed to sit under some older men that I knew, so I left the ministry to attend another church. Over the years I began having the realization that there were many men of God who were not charismatic and but had a powerful anointing. I was reading books by Leonard Ravenhill, Watchman Nee, AW Tozer and others. I stayed away from the current charismatic books that focused on the gifts of the Spirit, tongues, prophecy and other sorts of charismatic teachings. It did strike me, that after going to a Billy Graham rally, that this man had an anointing from God and was not charismatic. Charismatics would criticize AW Tozer because he didn’t have the Spirit. They would say, “Just think how powerful he would be if he had the Spirit”, Leonard Ravenhill called those people out saying, “Show me one charismatic preacher who could write a book like Tozer”. If you read Tozer’s books, he believed in the infilling of the Holy Spirit. I you read DL Moody’s book Secret Power, it is all about him receiving the Spirit, just not in the charismatic way. We must realize that all through history there were great men and great movements that were led by people who were not filled with the Holy Spirit in the same way that charismatic circles teach. People like Jonathan Edwards, Andrew Murray, DL Moody, William Booth, George Fox, Augustine, George Whitefield and the Wesleys all had a level of the Holy Spirit that gave them power for ministry. John Dowie had a huge healing ministry in the late 1800’s, long before the Azuza Street revival, and he did not embrace it. We need to ask the question; how did these men get power with God? Secret power comes from secret prayer. So rethinking your theology is a good thing, we need to mature as we learn to discern.
I would like to express some thoughts on modern praise and worship. These are thoughts that have developed over 54 years of being a Christian musician and songwriter, and being a praise and worship leader during that time.
Amos 5:23-24 “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream”.
It is a scary verse to come across, especially in our modern day where there is so much emphasis on music as worship. To realize that we too can offer songs unto the Lord that He is not pleased with, that we too can come to a point where God hates our gatherings (festivals v21), is scary. The songs, though possibly beautiful in melody, can lack the sincerity and righteousness that God requires. We tend to prefer the songs that align with our taste in music, rather than aligning with what God requires, or with the word of God. This serves as a reminder that praise, and worship must be heart felt and must be aligned with God’s will.
There is too much emphasis on the outward expression, and not enough on inward communion with God. Augustine wrote, “How many are loud in voice, dumb in heart! How many lips are silent, but their love is loud! For the ears of God are to the heart of man. As the ears of the body are to the mouth of man, so the heart of man is to the ears of God. Many are heard with closed lips, and many who cry aloud are not heard.”
I think of missionaries that I know in China, they cannot sing in their meetings for fear of being found out and arrested. They worship God at a different level, their commitment seems so much deeper than mine, I have not been tested in that way. Their outward worship does not make them the people of God, their inward worship does, trusting in His grace.
May we guard our hearts, all of us, but especially those of us who are musicians in the church. It is possible to be so focused on the outward expression of music, that we forget to have a real and obedient relationship with the Lord. If we offer just music to the Lord, it is not enough! Our lives must reflect our real relationship with the Lord. Praise offered from an obedient and loving heart will please the Lord.
Just the other day I was talking with a pastor friend of mine who made the comment that he had heard of 17 major ministries that had ‘fallen’ in the last few years. While this is nothing new, it appears that there is a growing moral problem that is more pervasive than any time in history. At no other time have we faced the temptation of being able to privately view ‘filth’ anywhere and at any time we desire on our personal phones. The porn industry is one of the largest industries in the world. Whoever gave it the name ‘web’ didn’t realize how prophetic they were in describing its power to grip its prey and not let go.
This generation came ‘out of the closet’ years ago and brazenly flaunted what previous generations had practiced but primarily kept hidden. All this to say we live in a sin sex-soaked society that no longer has any sense of shame in what they do or say. Unfortunately, many current leaders have had to battle with what is now a cultural norm.
With that in mind this brings me to the recent scandals plaguing the Body of Christ. While I am not personally acquainted with most of these men, I am familiar with one of them having spent several years ministering in the same organization. While it is not my purpose to further comment on these individuals, I do want to address what I feel is a double standard when it comes to passing judgment on them.
Having watched numerous YouTube videos of spiritual pundits who seem all too eager to throw the first stone; I’ve concluded that these pundits show little brokenness or sorrow toward these individuals but rather seem to delight in having been provided with more fodder to keep their own ministry on the air. Let’s face it, without these scandals they would have nothing to talk about.
When it comes to addressing Church problems, one would profit greatly from the advice and wisdom of Dr. G. Campbell Morgan in his book ‘The Letters of Our Lord.’ In the first chapter dealing with the Church of Ephesus he wrote the following.
‘Is it more than likely that their very opposition to false men and doctrine partook of the nature of lack of love? I would speak very cautiously at this point, for the Lord commended these things, and they were right, but I am quite sure that there may be right things done in a wrong spirit. I seldom find men strenuously fighting what they are pleased to call heterodox teaching, and in bitter language denouncing false doctrine, without being more afraid for the men denouncing than for the men denounced. There is an anger against impurity which is impure. There is a zeal for orthodoxy, which is most unorthodox. There is a spirit that contends for faith, which is in conflict with faith. If men have lost their first love, they will do more harm than good by their defense of the faith. Behind the denunciation of sin there must always be the tenderness of first love if that denunciation is not to become evil in its bitterness. Behind the zeal for truth there must always be the spaciousness of first love if that zeal is not to become narrowed into hate. There have been men who have become so self-centered in a narrowness that they are pleased to designate as holding the truth, that the very principle for which they contend has been excluded from their life and service. All zeal for the Master that is not the outcome of love to Him is worthless.’
My father use to say that “Jesus wept before He whipped” I don’t see too many tears from these pundits, but their whippings seem endless. I wonder if these fallen leaders were family members if they would be so quick to judge them?
Now please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not trying to treat these things in a lighthearted manner -they are tragic for all concerned. I can’t imagine the pain and shame their wives and family must be going through not to forget their church family who are now wrongly labeled guilty by association. Nor can I imagine being a victim and having to suffer the pain and shame of being taken advantage of by a so called ‘man of God’.
Now here is where I’m having trouble. Do I believe these individuals should be quarantined or placed in the penalty box? Yes I do! The question is for how long? Most pundits seem to agree ‘forever’ is the right discipline. Here is where I’m struggling. God exhorts us in His Word to judge righteous judgment. If the ‘lustful look ‘is akin to adultery as Jesus clearly taught us, then 95% of all ministers should step down immediately and permanently.
In the case of King David’s adultery, deceit and subsequent death of Uriah God took the life of King David’s and Bathsheba’s firstborn. However, when David’s pride caused him to number the size of his army; God’s judgement cost him seventy thousand men! His sin of passion cost him only one life, his sin of pride seventy thousand. (Interestingly enough when David was confronted and acknowledged his sin with Bathsheba he stated “I have sinned against the Lord.” However, when acknowledging his sin of pride David said, “I have sinned greatly or exceedingly.”)
I personally believe that while the sexual or sensual actions of these men was sinful and without excuse their pride was even more hideous in God’s sight. You can’t tell me that leading a mega church or large successful movement, doesn’t cause one to fall prey to pride, then you are totally ignorant of how the enemy works. When the disciples returned from a day of casting out demons Jesus warned them not to brag about their accomplishments but rather rejoice in His work of grace in their lives alluding to the fact that it was pride that brought about Satan’s fall and could also lead to their own.
There is a very insightful message from Saint Thomas Aquinas who wrote sometime around 1550. “..in order to overcome their pride, God punishes certain men by allowing them to fall into sins of the flesh, which though they be less grievous are more evidently shameful…pride is the worst of all vices; whether because it is appropriate to those who are of highest and foremost rank, or because it originates from just and virtuous deeds, so that its guilt is less perceptible. On the other hand, carnal lust is apparent to all, because from the outset it is of a shameful nature: and yet under God’s dispensation, it is less grievous than pride. For he who is in the clutches of pride and feels it not, falls into the lusts of the flesh, that being thus humbled he may rise from his abasement.
From this indeed the gravity of pride is made manifest. For just as the wise physician, in order to cure a worse disease, allows the patient to contract one that is less dangerous, so the sin of pride is shown to be more grievous by the fact that, as a remedy, God allows men to fall into other sins.”
Now back to my dilemma. Does sexual sin in a leader result in his permanent forfeiture of all future ministry? Is sexual sin a type of some unpardonable sin? If upon genuine remorse, repentance and restitution a leader is forever banned from ministry then his forgiveness is only partial and not complete. This would be akin to the prodigal joining the other servants but banned from every wearing the best robe, sandals and ring etc. If pride is overlooked as some minor issue but sexual sin results in total banishment from ministry, then we have failed to judge righteous judgement.
I have to ask myself, would I rather sit under the leadership of some successful pastor who has never fallen, but inwardly relishes thinking “I thank God I’m not like that man” or would I gain more by listening to another’s story of Amazing Grace from a truly repentant leader who walks with a limp? Just a thought!
Just the other day I was talking with a pastor friend of mine who made the comment that he had heard of 17 major ministries that had ‘fallen’ in the last few years. While this is nothing new, it appears that there is a growing moral problem that is more pervasive than any time in history. At no other time have we faced the temptation of being able to privately view ‘filth’ anywhere and at any time we desire on our personal phones. The porn industry is one of the largest industries in the world. Whoever gave it the name ‘web’ didn’t realize how prophetic they were in describing its power to grip its prey and not let go.
This generation came ‘out of the closet’ years ago and brazenly flaunted what previous generations had practiced but primarily kept hidden. All this to say we live in a sin sex-soaked society that no longer has any sense of shame in what they do or say. Unfortunately, many current leaders have had to battle with what is now a cultural norm.
With that in mind this brings me to the recent scandals plaguing the Body of Christ. While I am not personally acquainted with most of these men, I am familiar with one of them having spent several years ministering in the same organization. While it is not my purpose to further comment on these individuals, I do want to address what I feel is a double standard when it comes to passing judgment on them.
Having watched numerous YouTube videos of spiritual pundits who seem all too eager to throw the first stone; I’ve concluded that these pundits show little brokenness or sorrow toward these individuals but rather seem to delight in having been provided with more fodder to keep their own ministry on the air. Let’s face it, without these scandals they would have nothing to talk about.
When it comes to addressing Church problems, one would profit greatly from the advice and wisdom of Dr. G. Campbell Morgan in his book ‘The Letters of Our Lord.’ In the first chapter dealing with the Church of Ephesus he wrote the following.
‘Is it more than likely that their very opposition to false men and doctrine partook of the nature of lack of love? I would speak very cautiously at this point, for the Lord commended these things, and they were right, but I am quite sure that there may be right things done in a wrong spirit. I seldom find men strenuously fighting what they are pleased to call heterodox teaching, and in bitter language denouncing false doctrine, without being more afraid for the men denouncing than for the men denounced. There is an anger against impurity which is impure. There is a zeal for orthodoxy, which is most unorthodox. There is a spirit that contends for faith, which is in conflict with faith. If men have lost their first love, they will do more harm than good by their defense of the faith. Behind the denunciation of sin there must always be the tenderness of first love if that denunciation is not to become evil in its bitterness. Behind the zeal for truth there must always be the spaciousness of first love if that zeal is not to become narrowed into hate. There have been men who have become so self-centered in a narrowness that they are pleased to designate as holding the truth, that the very principle for which they contend has been excluded from their life and service. All zeal for the Master that is not the outcome of love to Him is worthless.’
My father use to say that “Jesus wept before He whipped” I don’t see too many tears from these pundits, but their whippings seem endless. I wonder if these fallen leaders were family members if they would be so quick to judge them?
Now please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not trying to treat these things in a lighthearted manner -they are tragic for all concerned. I can’t imagine the pain and shame their wives and family must be going through not to forget their church family who are now wrongly labeled guilty by association. Nor can I imagine being a victim and having to suffer the pain and shame of being taken advantage of by a so called ‘man of God’.
Now here is where I’m having trouble. Do I believe these individuals should be quarantined or placed in the penalty box? Yes I do! The question is for how long? Most pundits seem to agree ‘forever’ is the right discipline. Here is where I’m struggling. God exhorts us in His Word to judge righteous judgment. If the ‘lustful look ‘is akin to adultery as Jesus clearly taught us, then 95% of all ministers should step down immediately and permanently.
In the case of King David’s adultery, deceit and subsequent death of Uriah God took the life of King David’s and Bathsheba’s firstborn. However, when David’s pride caused him to number the size of his army; God’s judgement cost him seventy thousand men! His sin of passion cost him only one life, his sin of pride seventy thousand. (Interestingly enough when David was confronted and acknowledged his sin with Bathsheba he stated “I have sinned against the Lord.” However, when acknowledging his sin of pride David said, “I have sinned greatly or exceedingly.”)
I personally believe that while the sexual or sensual actions of these men was sinful and without excuse their pride was even more hideous in God’s sight. You can’t tell me that leading a mega church or large successful movement, doesn’t cause one to fall prey to pride, then you are totally ignorant of how the enemy works. When the disciples returned from a day of casting out demons Jesus warned them not to brag about their accomplishments but rather rejoice in His work of grace in their lives alluding to the fact that it was pride that brought about Satan’s fall and could also lead to their own.
There is a very insightful message from Saint Thomas Aquinas who wrote sometime around 1550. “..in order to overcome their pride, God punishes certain men by allowing them to fall into sins of the flesh, which though they be less grievous are more evidently shameful…pride is the worst of all vices; whether because it is appropriate to those who are of highest and foremost rank, or because it originates from just and virtuous deeds, so that its guilt is less perceptible. On the other hand, carnal lust is apparent to all, because from the outset it is of a shameful nature: and yet under God’s dispensation, it is less grievous than pride. For he who is in the clutches of pride and feels it not, falls into the lusts of the flesh, that being thus humbled he may rise from his abasement.
From this indeed the gravity of pride is made manifest. For just as the wise physician, in order to cure a worse disease, allows the patient to contract one that is less dangerous, so the sin of pride is shown to be more grievous by the fact that, as a remedy, God allows men to fall into other sins.”
Now back to my dilemma. Does sexual sin in a leader result in his permanent forfeiture of all future ministry? Is sexual sin a type of some unpardonable sin? If upon genuine remorse, repentance and restitution a leader is forever banned from ministry then his forgiveness is only partial and not complete. This would be akin to the prodigal joining the other servants but banned from every wearing the best robe, sandals and ring etc. If pride is overlooked as some minor issue but sexual sin results in total banishment from ministry, then we have failed to judge righteous judgement.
I have to ask myself, would I rather sit under the leadership of some successful pastor who has never fallen, but inwardly relishes thinking “I thank God I’m not like that man” or would I gain more by listening to another’s story of Amazing Grace from a truly repentant leader who walks with a limp? Just a thought!
For a long time, scriptures have been used to promote a certain person’s own agenda. I remember years ago, and on many occasions, seeing how scriptures can be misused. It all started when a certain pastor was wanting to build a bigger church. He used Proverbs 29:18 to guilt people in to giving more money, “where there is no vision, the people perish”. Many who were not mature, and many who were, were sucked in by it. They were “sold” the “vision” and bought in to the hype that went along with it. I encourage you all to study that verse and look at the various translations.
I discovered there were Christian leaders who were “taking God’s name in vain” and very few people saw it. (Not that I am anything special) When a man twists the scripture to make you do something, that is “taking His name in Vain” because he is not doing it for the Lord, but for himself or for the “vision” for the church. Many prophetic words were given over Brownsville, BRSM and FIRE. Most of all those “words” never came to pass. I remember Past Cho from Korea proclaiming that the Brownsville revival would last until Jesus comes, everyone went crazy! Keep in mind, the command to not “take His name in vain”, was given to God’s people. So, when an unbeliever swears, it really doesn’t apply to that. It was given to the people of God; we are the ones who risk “taking His name in vain”. Some leaders can, and do, use scriptures to their own end, albeit not by the Spirit.
That brings me to “love believes all things”. I have heard it a few times in these posts. When a person must use that scripture to convince you of something, it is wrong. And then to point out that you are not loving if you don’t believe that person, that is wrong. The scriptures should never be used by a person to prove his innocence, to validate his “vision” or anything else for that matter, that is the flesh. May we all continue to learn from these things.
I recently went to a church where very few people in the congregation were singing. In many of the churches that I am familiar with, that is the case. The musicians are basically playing songs that are somewhat unknown to the congregation, so they just all stand there and listen, like they would at a concert. Then there is some light applause after each song.
Have we have lost our way? The purpose of having a time of praise and worship is to allow the congregation to lift their voices in one accord unto the Lord, to exalt His name. We are to be “filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father”. It is a participatory event that is both God-ward, and meant to encourage your brothers and sisters in the Lord. In many churches that is not happening anymore. I remember hearing from a British pastor years ago, “the musicians have hijacked the worship”. Boy was he right!
Praise and worship leaders have lost their way. They have lost it by focusing on the music, on the groove they can create and the vibe. It is all about the latest popular praise songs on the internet and in many cases created for one reason, that reason is to create a hit song, just like the world. We have pushed the Spirit out out and replaced it with a hit. No wonder no one is singing, it is more like a concert than a praise and worship service.
Praise and worship leaders have to get back to singing songs that the congregation knows. They are to lead the congregation, not perform for the congregation. That might mean singing an old hymn or simpler songs. They have a responsibility to make sure the lyrics of the song are theologically correct. It is not just about being a musician. Too many times a church picks a musician just because he is talented. What about the spiritual maturity of that musician? Getting up and leading praise and worship on a Sunday morning can go to your head. It can be exciting to be on a stage, believe me, it can go to your head. The concern has to be, bringing the congregation to a time of praise. Making the congregation lift their voices to the Lord in one accord, God is worthy of that. That is what a leader should do! Play songs that the congregation knows, play songs that are theologically correct, playing songs that are easy sing and easy to follow. People in the congregation need that. The congregation is filled with people who can sing and with people who really can sing very well. Some are musical and some are not. Some can sing on key, others can not. As praise and worship leaders, we need to be sensitive to all of that. I ask you all, please take heed to this!!!
Is it possible to know God? We are far removed from the days when Jesus walked the earth. It would have been wonderful to see Him, to see Him having mercy on people and healing them. And His wisdom when He spoke would have been unsurpassed. And to see Him after He rose from the dead, that would have been amazing. It would have been much easier to believe in Him then than it is now, in our troubled world. In John 20 when Thomas still doubted, he saw Jesus risen from the dead. Jesus told Thomas to put his hand in His side and Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God”. What did Jesus say then? Verse 29 says “Because you have seen Me, have you now believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed”.
It is a prophetic word to our generation, to all of us who did not see what Thomas saw, “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed”. For those of us who have believed in Jesus without seeing Him in the flesh, Jesus has pronounced a blessing, a blessing on us! We are blessed when we come to know Him.
How do we really know that we have come to know Him? This how we know, if we accept Jesus and obey His commands set forth in the scriptures. 1 John 2:3-6 says “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever follows His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says that he remains in Him ought, himself also, walk just as He walked”.
When I came to know Him, the way that I walk changed! I used to walk to please myself, doing whatever was good for me. When I came to know Him, I wanted to walk as He walked on the earth. We are to keep His commandments. If we keep them, that is how we know that we have come to know Him. In our hearts, we desire to be like Jesus. It is a hard saying, “If you say you have come to know Him but do not obey Him, you are a liar”. Those are His words, not mine. It is possible then to have some religious beliefs and not really know Him. There is a kind of Christian religion that embraces some of the moral aspects of the teachings of Jesus, but in reality does not fully obey Him. Matthew 7:21 says “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter“.
We should search our hearts and seek to know Him better thru understanding His words. And we should work toward being obedient to those words. Let those words of Jesus spread in to all areas of our lives, and live in a manner worthy of the calling that He has on us.
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