Troubled Waters

Some of you that read my article this week are going to know exactly who and what I’m talking about.  Others of you may be totally in the dark.  But regardless of whether you are in the know or in the dark, I pray you’ll bear with me as I discuss the troubled waters that must be navigated.

Many people have been rocked to their core the past couple of weeks by the breaking news of a fallen Christian leader.  A man well known and respected – literally around the world.  The story was shocking and disheartening.  Unfortunately, stories like this are heard far too often, not just in the world around us, but in the Christian domain.

When a well-known person labeled as a Christian has some sin exposed in a very public way, it’s easy for the world to fall into the role of judge and jury.  Non-Christians love to pounce on it and pronounce loudly how this “so-called Christian” is no better than evil sinners and then they want to put all Christians into the same grouping – turn their backs and walk away.  The Christian brothers and sisters can be just as brutal in their reaction – pointing fingers and declaring that this person will be damned for their sins.  Many will turn their backs and disassociate themselves from the person and even their faith.

It can be easy to forget that as a Christian leader, they are still human – they’re not perfect.  They have character weaknesses and face temptations like we all do.  In fact, I personally believe that Christian leaders are probably tempted much worse than most of us – because Satan wants to do all he can to destroy them.  Every single one of us is guilty of all kinds of sins on a regular basis – I know I’ve done things that I’m ashamed of and would hate for it to be made public.  Regardless of what sin a Christian leader is guilty of – it’s still just sin.  Sin is sin.  

“We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.  For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.”  (Rom. 3:22-24 NLT)

I will say that this particular situation has been personal for me, because I had been a member of this pastor’s church in the neighborhood of 20 years.  At the beginning of 2023 I was starting to feel uncomfortable there for several reasons and finally at the prompting of God, I left that church and found a new church home.  The primary reason for my discomfort was that I was sensing a great deal of pride in the pastor that was being exhibited on a regular basis.  Pride is a really big problem for anyone that can’t temper it.  It’s a trait that God can’t allow to continue unbridled.  I just sensed in my heart that if the pastor didn’t come to terms with that pride, it was not going to end well for him. 

The Bible has a lot to say about pride and the proud.  Here’s just a sampling:                             “People who are proud will soon be disgraced. It is wiser to be modest.” (Prov. 11:2 GNT)      “Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall.”  (Prov. 16:18 GNT)

Paul speaking said this:  “As God’s messenger I give each of you God’s warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves…”  (Rom. 12:3a TLB)

The revealed sin of this pastor had occurred a very long time ago – several decades.  It was originally known a very long time ago and it is reported that when the sin was first exposed, he had repented and “paid his dues” with counseling, etc.  before he was then allowed to return to the ministry two years later.

So why this new revelation about the whole sordid story now?  Why would God allow it to happen at this point in time?  I’m sure I don’t know – any guesses on my part would be pure speculation.  But irrespective of who or what caused it to happen or allowed it to happen, you can bet that Satan is going to make hay while the sun shines!  

This pastor’s church is one of the largest in this nation, so there are many thousands of people that will be impacted; and, his international reach is likely to be in the hundreds of thousands.  What is going to be the end result for all of these people?  How many of them will question their faith now?  How many will turn their back and walk away from the Christian life?  How is this going to affect his immediate family?  So many questions, so many people’s lives touched.

Here’s some things we all should ponder as we think about and respond to this person that has been so publicly exposed – we must extend Mercy, Grace and Forgiveness.

Mercy:  “In the context of the Judeo-Christian tradition, mercy embodies compassion, empathy, and extending forgiveness and kindness towards others, especially those in distress or facing adversity. The concept of mercy is intertwined with the nature and character of God, as portrayed in the Bible. It has enduring implications for how believers are called to embody and practice mercy in their lives.”  Quote from Christian Pure –                                                    https://christianpure.com/learn/mercy-meaning-bible/

Grace:  “In Christian terms, grace can be defined as ‘God’s favor toward the unworthy’ or ‘God’s benevolence on the undeserving.’ In His grace, God is willing to forgive us and bless us, even though we fall short of living righteously.”  Quote from Christianity.com – https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-is-grace.html

Forgiveness:  “We have to have it. We are commanded to give it. Forgiveness. What does it mean? What is a biblical forgiveness definition? To pardon, give up resentment, and grant relief to an offender.”  Quote from Christianity.com – https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-is-forgiveness-being-forgiven-forgiving-others-forgiving-yourself.html 

Let’s recall the story in John 8:1-11 when a woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus by the religious teachers and leaders – wanting her to be stoned to death.  In verse 7 Jesus responds (NLT) “They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, ‘All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’  All of the accusers began to slip away and finally Jesus was left alone with the woman.  Verses 10-11 (NLT):  “Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, ‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’  ‘No, Lord,’ she said.  And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more.’”  Such mercy, grace and forgiveness!

This recent situation in regard to this Christian leader should be viewed as a learning situation for us all – one where we can step back and become more aware of how our actions can/will affect not only us personally, but potentially touch the lives of so many others.  Are we living our lives in such a way that we can be proud of them?  Or, are we tempting God to discipline us because of unrepentance, pride and blatant sin?  This should be a wake-up call to get our lives in order so that our walk with God can be one of faith, peace, confidence and obedience.  It’s up to us to take God’s Word to heart and do our best to live our best lives possible.  It’s our free will given to us by God that allows us to determine our future.  I love this quote from my Sunday School teacher last week – “God’s in control, but He’s not controlling.”  (Eric Hulet)  Since God didn’t create us to be puppets, we make our own choices and pay the consequences accordingly – good and bad.

There are plenty of scriptural warnings – here are a couple:

“So watch yourselves!  ‘If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive.’”  Luke 17:3 NLT

“Brothers and sisters, someone in your group might do something wrong. You who are following the Spirit should go to the one who is sinning. Help make that person right again, and do it in a gentle way. But be careful, because you might be tempted to sin too. Help each other with your troubles. When you do this, you are obeying the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to do this, you are only fooling yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Just look at your own work to see if you have done anything to be proud of. You must each accept the responsibilities that are yours.”  Gal. 6:1-5 ERV

A quote from singer Toby Mac:  “Sometimes He will take us into troubled waters not to drown us but to be cleansed.”  

May we all come up out of these troubled waters, cleansed and ready to move forward in the power of our God – He is our bridge over troubled water.

Written by Karran Martin – June 27, 2024

[All bold emphasis is mine]