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When Leaders Fall
This was taken from another website ..... I thought that it would bless you.
When Leaders Fall
byRebecca Prewett
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had known him since I was a child. We had visited in his home, played with his children, and heard him preach on numerous occasions over the years. I often held him up to others as an example of a man of integrity and a wonderful pastor. As an adult, I was shocked when his years of immorality came out in the open.
A church staff member became a close friend, a weekly fixture at family dinners, the first person to babysit our oldest son. We were deeply grieved to learn that he had secretly fallen into a sinful lifestyle.
I had been blessed by the ministry of a woman that seemed to epitomize a life of feminine godliness. I began to look to her as somewhat of a mentor, even though I had never met her. It was deeply distressing to me when her testimony was marred by scandal.
We have all seen Christian leaders fall. Sometimes the leaders are prominent and their fall is extremely visible, such as in the case of the televangelist scandals. Sometimes the leaders have only a small following and few know of their fall. However, in any case, those who respected and even loved them are often left feeling shocked, hurt, betrayed, torn, bewildered, cut adrift, angry, frightened, and any number of other emotions.
I found that I began to question almost everything. If this wonderful man could sin so horribly, could I--someone much more frail and immature--depend on the Holy Spirit to keep me from such sin? Was our sinful nature so much stronger than our new nature in Christ? Was it inevitable that we should all fall into grievous sin? Could none of us gain victory? How could my husband and I have been so undiscerning as to be unaware of our friend's sinful lifestyle? Had he really been our friend? Was the woman whose ministry I had followed actually a hypocrite? Had her entire life been a sham? Was the godly lifestyle she had advocated a pipe dream, an impossibility? Why wasn't I more discerning?
Why did any of this happen?
The Bible warns, "Take heed lest you fall." In the aftermath of the public fall of each of these people I had trusted, I found myself feeling vulnerable as never before. If seemingly godly and mature leaders can fall, are any of us safe?
When a teacher falls, it places in question everything they ever taught. Was this fall the inevitable fruit of their teaching? Do we now flee what we once followed and embraced? This questioning is important and valuable if it causes us to focus on God's Word. Sometimes, when we analyze the teaching with new eyes, comparing it to Scripture, making it withstand scrutiny--we discover that there was error. This is often the case when the teacher presented an entire system that was closely donkeyociated with him or her. Sometimes, once the leader falls, the entire system crumbles as well.
The near-agony that we suffer at the loss of our leader/teacher can be used of God for our sanctification. We learn, through fire, that only God is the only Teacher who is truly Good. We learn that none of us are immune to sin. We learn new lessons in discernment, as our hindsight begins to uncover the warning signs that we had overlooked. We learn to rely on God and His Word, rather than to place too much of our trust in mere men.
There are pitfalls as well. There is the danger that we can become cynical and bitter, donkeyuming that all leaders are hypocrites whose vile sins have not yet been exposed. We might also find our very Faith shaken, as we question the truth of Scripture. We might feel defeated in our Christian life. We might fall into the temptation of gossip, as we discuss the fall of our leader with others, seeking more and more details. We might grow harsh and condemning--or, out of our love for the leader, we might make light of their sin and attempt to excuse it. We might withdraw from church, unwilling to trust another pastor. We might become angry at those who exposed the leader's sin, blaming the messenger for his fall.
There can be a searing agony, a grief few can understand unless they have gone through it. My husband and I felt as if our friend had died and his body had been taken over by an alien impostor. I alternated between weeping for the woman whose ministry had blessed me so--and wanting to send her angry letters, demanding to know how she could violate our trust in this way. The inevitable questioning and analyzing of what I had been taught left me tired and deeply saddened. The loss left a painful void.
Now that time has pdonkeyed since each of those tragic situations, I realize that God has used my grief, bewilderment, and questioning. He has moved me further along on my path of sanctification and growth. He has been glorified as I have been compelled to trust Him more. Out of seeming destruction and desolation, I have seen God work.
I would encourage those who are going through such a trial to do several things:
Seek the Lord, first and foremost. Do not allow your sad disappointment in human sinfulness to separate you in any way from pursuing God's Presence.
Immerse yourself in the Word of God. You will need, during the questioning process, to evaluate in light of Scripture your thoughts and what you have been taught.
Pray for discernment. God will need to give you wisdom in sorting out all of the issues you will be facing.
Do not cling stubbornly to the system which you were taught by the fallen teacher. Be willing to set it aside until, with fresh eyes, you can discern its validity and merit.
At the same time, don't "throw the baby out with the bath water". Don't simply abandon everything taught by the fallen teacher. ("Well, he always said we should read our Bibles, and look where it got him!") Cling to what is Biblical; be willing to leave behind that which is questionable, extra-Biblical, and unbiblical.
During the questioning process, if you feel especially adrift, not knowing what to believe, seek the counsel of godly people who did not follow your fallen leader. Some people have been blessed by personal Bible study and discipleship. In some cases, depending on the nature of what was taught by the leader, you may need someone objective to help you sort through the teaching and help you discern any error.
Allow yourself to grieve. Sin in others--and in ourselves--should cause us to grieve. It is a sad and serious thing.
Avoid gossip. This is probably the hardest. You will try to convince yourself that you're not engaging in gossip, but are just trying to sort out what happened.
Allow God to show you areas where you need to grow. Why were you attracted to this leader? Should you have been more discerning? Were you mislead and, if so, why?
Ask God for wisdom in applying lessons to your life from the mistakes of the fallen leader. Sin does not just "happen". Wrong attitudes proceed the obvious sin. You may realize that the fallen leader had been quite prideful. Perhaps he thought himself above temptation and carelessly put himself in situations that would easily lead to sin. Perhaps he was not accountable to anyone else. Perhaps he had come to believe "the ends justify the means" and was willing to use questionable ethics in order to promote his teaching. Perhaps he had a temper that he had never learned to control. Perhaps he had neglected his family and almost destroyed his relationship with the wife of his youth. Perhaps he had grown greedy. While you don't want to become judgmental or try to uncover even more sin, there is Biblical precedent in allowing the sins of others to become a warning to us. That is the reason given in I Timothy 5:19,20 for sinful elders to be rebuked publicly--"that others may take warning".
Give God time to work in your life and bring about healing.
Having gone through this painful experience more than once, my sympathies are with anyone who suffers in any way because of a fallen leader. May God grant you the wisdom, healing, and peace you need as He helps you pick up the pieces.
copyright 1998 by Rebecca Prewett
This was taken from another website ..... I thought that it would bless you.
When Leaders Fall
byRebecca Prewett
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had known him since I was a child. We had visited in his home, played with his children, and heard him preach on numerous occasions over the years. I often held him up to others as an example of a man of integrity and a wonderful pastor. As an adult, I was shocked when his years of immorality came out in the open.
A church staff member became a close friend, a weekly fixture at family dinners, the first person to babysit our oldest son. We were deeply grieved to learn that he had secretly fallen into a sinful lifestyle.
I had been blessed by the ministry of a woman that seemed to epitomize a life of feminine godliness. I began to look to her as somewhat of a mentor, even though I had never met her. It was deeply distressing to me when her testimony was marred by scandal.
We have all seen Christian leaders fall. Sometimes the leaders are prominent and their fall is extremely visible, such as in the case of the televangelist scandals. Sometimes the leaders have only a small following and few know of their fall. However, in any case, those who respected and even loved them are often left feeling shocked, hurt, betrayed, torn, bewildered, cut adrift, angry, frightened, and any number of other emotions.
I found that I began to question almost everything. If this wonderful man could sin so horribly, could I--someone much more frail and immature--depend on the Holy Spirit to keep me from such sin? Was our sinful nature so much stronger than our new nature in Christ? Was it inevitable that we should all fall into grievous sin? Could none of us gain victory? How could my husband and I have been so undiscerning as to be unaware of our friend's sinful lifestyle? Had he really been our friend? Was the woman whose ministry I had followed actually a hypocrite? Had her entire life been a sham? Was the godly lifestyle she had advocated a pipe dream, an impossibility? Why wasn't I more discerning?
Why did any of this happen?
The Bible warns, "Take heed lest you fall." In the aftermath of the public fall of each of these people I had trusted, I found myself feeling vulnerable as never before. If seemingly godly and mature leaders can fall, are any of us safe?
When a teacher falls, it places in question everything they ever taught. Was this fall the inevitable fruit of their teaching? Do we now flee what we once followed and embraced? This questioning is important and valuable if it causes us to focus on God's Word. Sometimes, when we analyze the teaching with new eyes, comparing it to Scripture, making it withstand scrutiny--we discover that there was error. This is often the case when the teacher presented an entire system that was closely donkeyociated with him or her. Sometimes, once the leader falls, the entire system crumbles as well.
The near-agony that we suffer at the loss of our leader/teacher can be used of God for our sanctification. We learn, through fire, that only God is the only Teacher who is truly Good. We learn that none of us are immune to sin. We learn new lessons in discernment, as our hindsight begins to uncover the warning signs that we had overlooked. We learn to rely on God and His Word, rather than to place too much of our trust in mere men.
There are pitfalls as well. There is the danger that we can become cynical and bitter, donkeyuming that all leaders are hypocrites whose vile sins have not yet been exposed. We might also find our very Faith shaken, as we question the truth of Scripture. We might feel defeated in our Christian life. We might fall into the temptation of gossip, as we discuss the fall of our leader with others, seeking more and more details. We might grow harsh and condemning--or, out of our love for the leader, we might make light of their sin and attempt to excuse it. We might withdraw from church, unwilling to trust another pastor. We might become angry at those who exposed the leader's sin, blaming the messenger for his fall.
There can be a searing agony, a grief few can understand unless they have gone through it. My husband and I felt as if our friend had died and his body had been taken over by an alien impostor. I alternated between weeping for the woman whose ministry had blessed me so--and wanting to send her angry letters, demanding to know how she could violate our trust in this way. The inevitable questioning and analyzing of what I had been taught left me tired and deeply saddened. The loss left a painful void.
Now that time has pdonkeyed since each of those tragic situations, I realize that God has used my grief, bewilderment, and questioning. He has moved me further along on my path of sanctification and growth. He has been glorified as I have been compelled to trust Him more. Out of seeming destruction and desolation, I have seen God work.
I would encourage those who are going through such a trial to do several things:
Seek the Lord, first and foremost. Do not allow your sad disappointment in human sinfulness to separate you in any way from pursuing God's Presence.
Immerse yourself in the Word of God. You will need, during the questioning process, to evaluate in light of Scripture your thoughts and what you have been taught.
Pray for discernment. God will need to give you wisdom in sorting out all of the issues you will be facing.
Do not cling stubbornly to the system which you were taught by the fallen teacher. Be willing to set it aside until, with fresh eyes, you can discern its validity and merit.
At the same time, don't "throw the baby out with the bath water". Don't simply abandon everything taught by the fallen teacher. ("Well, he always said we should read our Bibles, and look where it got him!") Cling to what is Biblical; be willing to leave behind that which is questionable, extra-Biblical, and unbiblical.
During the questioning process, if you feel especially adrift, not knowing what to believe, seek the counsel of godly people who did not follow your fallen leader. Some people have been blessed by personal Bible study and discipleship. In some cases, depending on the nature of what was taught by the leader, you may need someone objective to help you sort through the teaching and help you discern any error.
Allow yourself to grieve. Sin in others--and in ourselves--should cause us to grieve. It is a sad and serious thing.
Avoid gossip. This is probably the hardest. You will try to convince yourself that you're not engaging in gossip, but are just trying to sort out what happened.
Allow God to show you areas where you need to grow. Why were you attracted to this leader? Should you have been more discerning? Were you mislead and, if so, why?
Ask God for wisdom in applying lessons to your life from the mistakes of the fallen leader. Sin does not just "happen". Wrong attitudes proceed the obvious sin. You may realize that the fallen leader had been quite prideful. Perhaps he thought himself above temptation and carelessly put himself in situations that would easily lead to sin. Perhaps he was not accountable to anyone else. Perhaps he had come to believe "the ends justify the means" and was willing to use questionable ethics in order to promote his teaching. Perhaps he had a temper that he had never learned to control. Perhaps he had neglected his family and almost destroyed his relationship with the wife of his youth. Perhaps he had grown greedy. While you don't want to become judgmental or try to uncover even more sin, there is Biblical precedent in allowing the sins of others to become a warning to us. That is the reason given in I Timothy 5:19,20 for sinful elders to be rebuked publicly--"that others may take warning".
Give God time to work in your life and bring about healing.
Having gone through this painful experience more than once, my sympathies are with anyone who suffers in any way because of a fallen leader. May God grant you the wisdom, healing, and peace you need as He helps you pick up the pieces.
copyright 1998 by Rebecca Prewett
Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, [having] charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them. Eze 44:11
sent2serve@sister2sisterministries.net
