Mike Bickle, Jamal Bryant, Todd Bentley, TD Jakes, Steven Lawson, Michael Brown, Robert Morris, and the list goes on with many known and unknown professed Bible leaders, pastors, and teachers caught in alleged sexual immorality or inappropriate touching a woman that's not their wives.
Or defending homosexuality as TD Jakes had done (see the Huffington Post interview on YouTube). Why defend homosexuality? Huuummmm.
Luke 8:17 (NKJV)
"For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light."
Over the centuries, scores of ministers have been caught in sexual immorality so what's happening before our eyes is nothing new under the sun.
Since the inception of the church, the Lord warned His church of sexual immorality in the church in the book of Revelation.
Many of us are shocked that such things are exposed in the church and some in the church have the wrong attitude towards how we should handle such things.
But we must also be aware that not everyone is in the church (see Matthew chapter 13).
If you think that I'm throwing stones as a "holier than thou," read my book called Secret Sexual Sins as well as the book I've written called MOAB, The Mother Of All Battles." I'm ashamed to be numbered as a pastor that engaged in pornography.
Having said this, the source of these problems is easy to discern and understand.
James 1:14-15 (NKJV)
"But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."
It's all about crucifying the lust in our hearts.
Mark 8:34 (NKJV)
"When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."
Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galatians 5:24-25 (NKJV)
"And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
Paul said....
Colossians 3:5-7 (NKJV)
"Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them."
If we refuse to put lust to death, it will kill us without mercy.
In their moments of temptation, they refused the way of escape by the Holy Spirit and gave themselves over to the lusts that abide in the heart.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV)
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
How?
James 1:2-4 (NKJV)
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
Matthew 26:41 (NKJV) "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
1 Corinthians 9:27 (NKJV)
"But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."
And then some of them covered it up for years and decades until the Lord exposed their hypocrisy. The world will blaspheme the name of the Lord and ridicule the true believers, but the Lord knew this in advance before we were born.
People in the church willl fly off the handle. There's no escaping this.
But as Paul said....
1 Corinthians 10:12 (NKJV)
"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."
There's a clear pattern with all of these individuals and I've followed the same pattern to my own peril.
They don't examine themselves under the Scriptures nor do they obey the Scriptures in their private lives.
They demand others to do what they aren't doing themselves.
They love to hear themselves speak and are enraptured in their own abilities to command the audience of others.
They preach and teach Scriptures, butchering the text to make it say something that it never said.
I've followed this same pattern but why?
1 Corinthians 8:1-3 (NKJV) "Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him."
Now many believe that because these extraordinary spectacular exposures is occurring, increasing exponentially, that something is happening.
Since the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, the Lord has been cleaning up the church and warning the church to come clean.
The Lord never played games.
However, the Lord has longsuffering, but His longsuffering comes to an end when we refuse to take heed. Like Jezebel in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, he gives "space to repent."
1 Peter 4:17-18 (NKJV)
"For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now
“If the righteous one is scarcely saved,
Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
These are the final days of the last days.
Ephesians 5:26-27 (NKJV)
"...that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."
There's a false assumption that those that follow after obeying the lusts of the flesh that they'll never get caught. It's a false sense of security that emboldens them.
Ecclesiastes 8:11-13 (NKJV)
"Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.
But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God."
Those that sin with assumed impunity, the footsteps of the Vinedresser is getting closer to cut off the branches to be bundled to be burned, but before this happens, the Lord issues the warning to come clean.
If you tell all of the story, the Lord has no story to tell the world.
Michael Brown held the story for over 20 years as Mike Bickle (now we know why Michael Brown defended Bickle).
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NKJV) "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.
For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil."
Regarding Dr. Brown, you could read the story here.
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