Hi all,
I’ve shown the Lord’s intent when a leader falls, to expose a leader’s lust, revealed in them acting on that lust. We’ve also covered a church response, how and why things are handled as they are.
Paul wrote in what was a private letter to Timothy who was overseeing the dozens of home based churches in Ephesus: “Do not entertain accusations against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so the rest might have fear.” I Timothy 5: 19-20
The fear is the fear of God, and fear for their own walk, that they keep themselves from similar sin. The NIV words it as ‘a warning’.
And that’s the first response for us all
When a brother or sister’s sin reaches the point it becomes public knowledge, our response should not be amusement. It should not be confusion. We should look at our own lives, to be sure we are not throwing stones at fallen leaders while hiding our own ‘secret sins’.
“Lightness” concerning the things of God
“Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams and tell them to all, which causes my people to err by their lightness. They don’t help my people at all.” Jeremiah 23: 32
The word ‘lightness’ is also translated as ‘recklessness’ and ‘extravagance’. The Father says He is against those who treat Him and the things of Him with a casual, nonchalance attitude. The error is they pass on that lightness, that casual attitude about the things of God, to others.
We see a casualness in so many leaders in the auditorium church culture – a lightness about the things of God, a recklessness about speaking in the name of God. They exploit His grace while ignoring His holiness. A lightness, a casual attitude towards God and the things of God, is from a lack of revelation. People ask ‘Where is the fear of God?’, and that answer is – the fear of God requires a revelation of God. To know Him is to fear – have reverential respect – for Him and His ways.
Claiming ‘God showed me’ or ‘God gave me this dream’ or ‘God told me’ are very serious things. This lack of the fear of God in leaders leads to long held lust in the hearts manifesting in grievous sin. When the priest Korah led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, Moses replied in Numbers 16:9:
“Is it a small thing to you, that God has separated you to bring you near to Himself to serve in the tabernacle…”
Korah and his followers were driven by ego, the arrogance of his position as a priest, causing him to think casually about the call on his life, and the things of God. We see this same ‘lightness’ or ‘casualness’ about the things of God in Christians using His name in vain by saying ‘Oh my God’ as an exclamation. We see it Christians calling the Father ‘daddy’, not understanding the use of ‘Abba’ in scripture. We see it in extravagant lifestyles of some pastors. That lack of the fear of God combined with ego, causes the kind of self-deception that causes a minister to have an affair with no consequences.
Truce versus Victory
Many Christian men and woman call truce with sin rather than pushing ahead to victory. Desires of the body will always be present, but controlling them and the thoughts that go with them, is the key. In Hebrews 11: 26 it says Moses forsook Egypt because: “He valued the reproach (insults, persecution for being associated) of Christ greater than the riches of Egypt, because he was mindful of the (ultimate) reward.” Moses had a revelation of God. He was serious about heaven.
“Do not love the world nor the things in this world. If someone loves this world the love of the Father is not in him.” I John 2: 15
That sounds harsh in English, but the Greek brings clarity. The word used for ‘world’ all 3x is ‘kosmos’, and means ‘the world’s system’ or we might say, ‘the culture of the world’. And the word ‘love’ is ‘agape’, the unconditional love of the Father. He is saying you can’t be in love with the world’s system and things in the world on the one hand, while also unconditionally loving the Father and His things at the same time.
Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 6:21: “Where your treasure is (what you value most), your heart will also be.” and in v24: “No one can serve two masters. He will hate the one and love the other, or at least while holding to one he will despise the other.”
In Romans 13:14* Paul wrote about the process in which a lust becomes an action: “Put on the Lord Jesus and don’t make provision for the lust of the flesh.” The Greek word translated ‘make provision’, is pronoian. It is from ‘pro’ which means ‘before’ and ‘noia’ which is ‘thought’. Literally, don’t think ahead of time how you will fulfill the lust of the flesh. *Greek: epithumia; desire, lust, eagerness to do.
I led a man to the Lord who had a habit of getting drunk at a party every Friday night after work, with his work friends. They would start talking about plans for Friday at the start of the week on Monday. They were thinking ahead of time how they were all going to take the beer to this place or that and party and get drunk.
My help was in arranging an alternative to that Friday night party. You see, the Bible doesn’t say just to stop sinning, but to stop sinning and replace that action with a righteous action. John the Baptist said to bring fruit proving their repentance. Paul wrote to lay aside the old lusts and put on the new man, in Ephesians 4 and other places. So instead of thinking ahead of time to make provision for the flesh, he became involved in a Friday night Bible study at a church, and it changed his life.
I have shared many times about visitations with the Lord in the last 2 years, where He said He is asking His people to judge themselves.
This is what is happening. The things of the Lord are serious. Walking out our salvation with that seriousness is being required of us. A great divide is coming, as He said and I wrote in the July newsletter. It is that divide in part between those who are cleaning up their lives, and those who love the present world’s system and the things in the world.
Remember that our Father, our Lord, the kingdom in which we are citizens, values a cup of water to the thirsty. Kingdom values include providing food, visitation, clothing to brothers and sisters in the Lord. Kingdom values are relationship based in meekness and lowliness of heart, like our Lord.
The world loves the show, the presentation, the facade, enticing others to participate in that facade while hiding sin and misery and broken hearts behind it all. The choice is clear, and some pastors are being judged, but we should see the exposure of their lusts and take inventory of our own hearts. Walking with God, knowing the Father and Jesus, is not a light thing. Treat the things of God with the seriousness and reverence deserved.
New subject next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
