Sin in the Camp! Run, Pray, or Sneer?

As a follower of Jesus for over three decades, I have seen many seasons of the exposure of sin and revealing of broken lives in the Church at large.  But, never have I seen like today, especially among high profile leaders.   Bob Jones, Ted Haggard, Randy and Paula White, Juanita Bynum, Terry MacAlmon, and most recently, Todd Bentley of the Lakeland Outpouring. 

Sexual infidelity.  Love of money.  Pride of place.  Aberrant doctrines. Hierarchical control.  Spousal abuse.  Drunkenness.  When will it all end?...well...It won't this side of heaven.   We will always have the yeast of sin in the camp because it is populated with broken people.   But God still calls us on toward holiness.

Here is how I choose to respond:

1.  I am no one's judge.  There is only ONE JUDGE and He will judge each of us.  My response:  Love.  Sometimes tough love, but always love.

2.  I'll take the prophet Joel's advice in chapter 2 verses 12-13:

12 "Even now," declares the LORD,
       "return to me with all your heart,
       with fasting and weeping and mourning."

 13 Rend your heart (inward disposition)
       and not your garments. (not outward display)
       Return to the LORD your God,
       for he is gracious and compassionate,
       slow to anger and abounding in love,
       and he relents from sending calamity. (Parenthetical words are mine.)

I pray that Christian leaders everywhere will heed the prophet.  I will keep my own life clean before the Lord so that I won't be the next headline.  I will fast and weep and mourn (and pray) for the state the of the Church.

3.  I won't run away.  The Church is wounded and in need of grace and mercy from the Lord.  I will not speak ill of Her but seek to heal Her.  Though the Bride is soiled with sin, Jesus loves her with a jealous, intimate, passionate, and forgiving love.   He won't abandon Her and neither will I.

4.  I will warn people when I see sin, aberrant theology, etc... in the spheres of influence that I have.  As a leader, it is my charge before the Lord to protect the brothers and sisters that He has placed in my care.  I will not abdicate my responsibility to guard even though it may seem the unpopular thing to do.  I will answer to God for the lives that He has given me in stewardship.  May I stand before Him on that day as a faithful steward.

Not Nice, but Kind

"You taught me to be nice, so nice that now I am so full of niceness, I have no sense of right and wrong, no outrage, no passion."
– Garrison Keillor

This quote reminded me of something that I have been saying and teaching for years:

Jesus didn't teach us to be nice.  He taught us to be kind.  There is a world of difference in the two ideas.

For those who disagree, just be kind to me (smiles).

Back From Hot Springs Vacation

We are back, refreshed, and the kids had fun!  Here are some pics for your enjoyment:

Brennan and the alligators.

The fam: Gma, Aunt Lisa, E, B and Elvis

Vacation! Yippee!

We are leaving this morning for Hot Springs!  We'll be staying at a lakehouse on Lake Hamilton.  Ahh...some time in nature.  I am excited to just let the kids run free in God's created order for a few days.  The house even has a paddleboat!  Pray for our refreshment in Jesus.

Oswald Chambers speaks:

"We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern. The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31  ). God’s friendship is with people who know their poverty. He can accomplish nothing with the person who thinks that he is of use to God. As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack."

Joseph Cartwright prays:

Lord, help us to be aware that we are utterly bankrupt without You. Teach us to walk in the fullness of Your presence, humility of heart and mind, and aware of Your purposes alone. Guard our friendship with You and protect it from every scheme of the evil one.  In the powerful name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.