Scandal in the House

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Ministry has its share of attacks. Often ministers are unfairly and unjustly slandered, maligned and just downright lied upon. Often they are but far too often the accusations are not only true, they don’t even reveal the full depth of the wrongdoings.

We’ve had some major news coverage of ministers on the wrong side of the cloth. The areas of downfall usually fall into one or more of three areas: sex, money and pride.

Sexual misconduct is usually revealed when someone goes on a tell all spree. A simple audit often reveals what is called inpolitically correct terms, “misappropriation of funds.” Stealing is the more truthful word.

Pride is more hidden, can rarely be concretely proven but is just as insidious.

In the wake of a recent media blast someone asked me about a particular minister, “How can they know God and do such things?”

It was a good question. They had built a major ministry.The bigger you are the more accountable you should be because greater is the impact of any negative behavior, but wrongdoing is wrongdoing whether you are the leader of one or thousands.

“No one can know God and do such things,” they insisted.

It is hard to fathom how anyone can truly have a spiritual relationship with the Almighty Creator and yet fall to such depths that even the common man shakes his head in disgust wheneven the partial truth is told.

How indeed?

I simply replied, “Did David know God?”

They were stunted. (And probably stunned, if they knew the story of King David!)

For those who know the story, David, often hailed as the greatest King of Israel, conqueror of Goliath, writer of the book of Psalms, military leader extraordinaire, chosen of God and called by God in the Bible “a man after my own heart,” sinned big time.

He slept with another man’s wife. He then murdered by his command the woman’s honorable husband to hide the resulting pregnancy.

That relationship resulted in Solomon, the wisest king and rebuilder of the temple, Solomon had a woman problem. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. (Where did he find the time?)

Sound like a modern day soap opera or movie?

Paul, the major writer of the New Testament said the evil things that he should not do, are the very things that he finds himself doing, and the good things that he should do are the things that he doesn’t do. (Romans 7:19)

What was Paul doing or not doing? He wisely doesn’t say, else we would use Paul’s specific weaknesses to justify ours.

So did David, Solomon and Paul know God?

Absolutely!

The point is we cannot judge. We do not know the true heart. Most of the atrocities of body, resources and spirit will never splash across headlines. They will only color hearts.

Much of the degradation in ministry will remain covered to human eyes and only God will know and can judge the truth.

So it is in ministry. So it is in our lives. When judgment day comes, the heart and actions that God will ask you about, are going to be your own, minister or not.

Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly,“I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”(Mat 7:22-23 NIV)

~A MountainWings Original~

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