2006-03-25

Scandal 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 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 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 relationship 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)


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