SCANDALS IN THE HOUSE

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 in
politically correct terms, “misappropriation of funds.”
Stealing is the more truthful word.

Pride is more hidden, can rarely be concretely proved, 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 when
even the partial truth is told.

How indeed?

I simply replied, “Did David know God?”

They were stunted.

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 pregnancy resulted in Solomon, the wisest king and
rebuilder of the temple, Solomon had a woman problem. He had
700 wives and 300 concubines.

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~