If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last 9 months, it’s that you can’t trust everything you hear, and that sometimes the people you think are telling the truth are actually lying, and the people you thought were lying are telling the truth.  I hope and pray that I’m not – and my husband’s not – judged on hearsay.

Brent I need to thank you for the comment you left at my site. I needed to read that comment. I was to happy and felt as if I was ready to fall apart. My week wasn’t going to smooth, but your comment reminded me of what I said..and how I need to be. I have more faith now then ever….thank you!

Milkboy: Thank you for your intelligent response.  I can see where you are coming from.  I have no problem with you expelling that guy from your church.  In fact, from what you have discussed, it seems as though you have every reason to to “judge” him based on the evidence.

However, I simply believe it wrong to ruminate on whether or not someone is accepted into heaven.  You have no clue the personal relationship she had with God, and to discuss her eternity in the manner that you did was, I believe, insulting to her relationship with God.  All I’m saying is that you should have utilized a more appropriate example concerning the downfall of that preacher’s sins.

But I am just a random reader, so who cares what I think.  Yet I simply cannot help but comment when I see someone considering whether someone got into heaven or not, even as an example.  You should be celebrating her life and leaving it up to God to judge her.

This is the last message I’ll clutter your diary with.  Peace.

Maybe your commentor should expand his “Biblical repertoire” to include Proverbs 26:7 or perhaps Prov. 26:9. That would seem a little appropriate at this point in time…

Luke

“But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.'”

But honestly… I really like the way the Message translation says this verse as opposed to the above NIV…

“But I am saying that you shouldn’t act as if everything is just fine when one of your Christian companions is promiscuous or crooked, is flip with God or rude to friends, gets drunk or becomes greedy and predatory. You can’t just go along with this, treating it as acceptable behavior. I’m not responsible for what the outsiders do, but don’t we have some responsibility for those within our community of believers? God decides on the outsiders, but we need to decide when our brothers and sisters are out of line and, if necessary, clean house.”

Note that I never once mentioned this persons name.  Note that I never shunned him.  All I did was point out what happened and then say what the consequences of his actions could be.  A second reason for looking at this scenario is that we as Christians have consequences for our actions.  If we let everyone run around sinning and never held them to consequences, life would be chaotic.  YES there is forgiveness.  YES there is grace.  But forgiveness isn’t the same as pretending it never happened. 

Relationships change when things like this happen.  If you murder, you go to jail.  Even if people forgive you… you must pay the price of your actions.  If you cheat on someone a few times, they may forgive you… but that doesn’t mean they’ll stick with you knowing you have the tendency to cheat on them.  Our actions have consequences.  The actions of this ex-pastor may have changed someone’s eternity… that’s worth thinking about!

As I said in the title, teachers are held to a higher standard in God’s eyes… James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

What has happened here is a major shame.  It has hurt the church in ways that we never fully see from our lives… It has impacted others in ways that we may never know.  All because one late night this man decided to break his vow before God that he would love his wife and be faithful to her only.  Then he decided not to repent and ask forgiveness, but to bury himself further in lies to protect himself… negating any ability to offer grace.  The snowball effect has started and there is no telling where it will stop.

Luke