Hi all,
Last week I shared how the pyramid structure can separate a leader at the top, isolating them, and if they have lusts in their heart, the arrogance of position can allow them to act on their lusts, to their own hurt and downfall, as well as hurting others.
Today I'll share God's priorities which are family based since He invented the family, and how modern churches usually deal with issues.
God's ways: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the uttermost parts of the earth
The way the Lord works in our hearts is like He said in Acts 1:8 about the way the gospel would spread: Jerusalem first, then outward to Judea which was the countryside just outside the walled city of Jerusalem, then outward still to Samaria, then outward again to the 'uttermost parts of the earth'.
We are the Jerusalem, and we can include our spouse and family in that. But we are also individually 'Jerusalem'. Judea is relatives who live outside our walls; like church family, those related by blood and those in the faith but not living in our 'Jerusalem' behind our 'walls'.
Samaritans in 1st century were more distant relatives of the Jews, so in this illustration represent Christians we know in life and the Lord but more distant - the person you know at church but don't really know them, the neighbor, the coworker, store clerk, the waitress, and so on. The 'uttermost parts of the earth' are the strangers, the public at large whether Christian or not.
For our illustration,
Let us say a pastor/minister has an affair with another woman - it began as a lust, an imagination in their heart in their 'Jerusalem'. It manifests by him acting on the lust - having an affair. He has violated he and his wife's Jerusalem, he let another woman enter their city, he opened a gate for her that was never intended for her. He violated boundaries with another woman.
The wife finds out about it, but he is in authority in a church, so what is next? The next outward circle the Lord will allow that lust and sin to be known is 'Judea' - Judea would be the lead pastor and board of that church. Like Judea surrounds Jerusalem, they surround the pastor and his wife.
At this point many churches will discipline the minister
They usually require spiritual guidance or counseling for him and his wife, and restore him though on probation, not making the affair public. The revelation to the wife and church board is so the lust can be dealt with. How can a church board work to help the fallen pastor deal with his lust? How can they reach out to 'the other woman', for she was taken advantage of. But she also had lust that caused her to have the affair or allow the inappropriate actions.
No one knows the heart except the Lord, but there are safeguards that can be put in place - spiritual guidance, partnering with a web-tracking site so an accountability partner knows every website the fallen minister's phone and computer visits. There needs to be a plan, and at this stage most church leaders will choose to keep the issue between those who are directly involved. They usually won't tell the congregation as both guilty people and their families need time to work through it, and hopefully receive help dealing with the lust that started it all.
The concern is that if these measures have been done in private, but then maybe a year later news comes out about it so that everyone in the congregation suddenly knows of the affair, it may appear as a 'cover up'. A congregation member may think it was covered up by leadership when in fact leaders were just trying to protect the wife, children, the other woman, and help the fallen minister deal with his lust.
It isn't necessarily a cover up, it is helping those involved deal with his lust while preserving the marriage and their ministry through steps of discipline and accountability.
How do they know a pastor hasn't just called a truce with his lust, instead pressing on to victory?
That is the real question. How does anyone know if the pastor has called a truce with his lust instead of cutting it out of his life. Paul said to run from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, in II Timothy 2:22.
It isn't just fleeing youthful lusts, but it is: "...fleeing youthful lusts and pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace which is found in the hearts of all those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
Paul also said to expose a leader's sin 'that others may fear' - what is that about?
Next week we'll start with truce or victory, and why should we fear if it their sin exposes? Today I've outlined a common problem of lust and the resulting sin among ministers and how some churches will deal with them. My purpose for this series is to bring clarity as to God's higher purpose while helping the hurting, and outline what we are to think when those we love or respect fall from grace.
Blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected] or [email protected]
Last week I shared how the pyramid structure can separate a leader at the top, isolating them, and if they have lusts in their heart, the arrogance of position can allow them to act on their lusts, to their own hurt and downfall, as well as hurting others.
Today I'll share God's priorities which are family based since He invented the family, and how modern churches usually deal with issues.
God's ways: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the uttermost parts of the earth
The way the Lord works in our hearts is like He said in Acts 1:8 about the way the gospel would spread: Jerusalem first, then outward to Judea which was the countryside just outside the walled city of Jerusalem, then outward still to Samaria, then outward again to the 'uttermost parts of the earth'.
We are the Jerusalem, and we can include our spouse and family in that. But we are also individually 'Jerusalem'. Judea is relatives who live outside our walls; like church family, those related by blood and those in the faith but not living in our 'Jerusalem' behind our 'walls'.
Samaritans in 1st century were more distant relatives of the Jews, so in this illustration represent Christians we know in life and the Lord but more distant - the person you know at church but don't really know them, the neighbor, the coworker, store clerk, the waitress, and so on. The 'uttermost parts of the earth' are the strangers, the public at large whether Christian or not.
For our illustration,
Let us say a pastor/minister has an affair with another woman - it began as a lust, an imagination in their heart in their 'Jerusalem'. It manifests by him acting on the lust - having an affair. He has violated he and his wife's Jerusalem, he let another woman enter their city, he opened a gate for her that was never intended for her. He violated boundaries with another woman.
The wife finds out about it, but he is in authority in a church, so what is next? The next outward circle the Lord will allow that lust and sin to be known is 'Judea' - Judea would be the lead pastor and board of that church. Like Judea surrounds Jerusalem, they surround the pastor and his wife.
At this point many churches will discipline the minister
They usually require spiritual guidance or counseling for him and his wife, and restore him though on probation, not making the affair public. The revelation to the wife and church board is so the lust can be dealt with. How can a church board work to help the fallen pastor deal with his lust? How can they reach out to 'the other woman', for she was taken advantage of. But she also had lust that caused her to have the affair or allow the inappropriate actions.
No one knows the heart except the Lord, but there are safeguards that can be put in place - spiritual guidance, partnering with a web-tracking site so an accountability partner knows every website the fallen minister's phone and computer visits. There needs to be a plan, and at this stage most church leaders will choose to keep the issue between those who are directly involved. They usually won't tell the congregation as both guilty people and their families need time to work through it, and hopefully receive help dealing with the lust that started it all.
The concern is that if these measures have been done in private, but then maybe a year later news comes out about it so that everyone in the congregation suddenly knows of the affair, it may appear as a 'cover up'. A congregation member may think it was covered up by leadership when in fact leaders were just trying to protect the wife, children, the other woman, and help the fallen minister deal with his lust.
It isn't necessarily a cover up, it is helping those involved deal with his lust while preserving the marriage and their ministry through steps of discipline and accountability.
How do they know a pastor hasn't just called a truce with his lust, instead pressing on to victory?
That is the real question. How does anyone know if the pastor has called a truce with his lust instead of cutting it out of his life. Paul said to run from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, in II Timothy 2:22.
It isn't just fleeing youthful lusts, but it is: "...fleeing youthful lusts and pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace which is found in the hearts of all those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
Paul also said to expose a leader's sin 'that others may fear' - what is that about?
Next week we'll start with truce or victory, and why should we fear if it their sin exposes? Today I've outlined a common problem of lust and the resulting sin among ministers and how some churches will deal with them. My purpose for this series is to bring clarity as to God's higher purpose while helping the hurting, and outline what we are to think when those we love or respect fall from grace.
Blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected] or [email protected]
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