One who has lived by the sea his whole life but only sailed within view of land has quite a different understanding of it than the one who has crossed the ocean and returned. One who lives near a cave but has never ventured into it further than what was illuminated by daylight has nothing to say to the one who has explored its depths and lived to tell about it. I equate the knowledge gained from my experience with my father, brothers and the pastors and deacons of Ashburn Baptist to the in-depth knowledge of such explorers. I have ventured where few have dared to go. And I have discovered what most do not want to know; that those who confessed love and held to truth would abandon both for the sake of selfishness and pride. This of the spiritual leaders of the church!
Those that believed in a flat earth thought what they have seen and experienced is all that there was. By this line of thinking, when I say I have seen more or experienced a different reality, it’s thought that I must be lying or at least mistaken. But the fundamental reasons for this knee jerk reaction are pride, laziness and social pressure. First you’d have to admit you were wrong. Then you’d have to make very difficult changes to relate to this new knowledge. Also, the unwritten rules of loyalty end up carrying more weight than God’s moral code written in stone by His very finger. So, the typical response is to dismiss the unwelcome report and discredit the reporter. Basically because you can’t be wrong, can’t be bothered, and can’t afford to lose any friends.
Tell me, you who sit along the shore, why do you insist there is nothing beyond the horizon? Where do you get the confidence to say there can’t be anything more? I have gone to see and discovered the unimaginable. I cannot unsee what I have seen. My experience is more than unforgettable. But because it challenges your flat world mentality, you have shown your own lack of integrity by dismissing the evidence against your untested beliefs.
Let’s step away from the figurative to the facts that inspired such. I know your view. It was mine too. There is a confidence and surety that comes right from our perfect and holy God through the dumbfounding love and grace of the cross, the knowledge of which is gained through this supernaturally alive text that has already reshaped the history of mankind. Then we add to all this our own personal encounter with the Savior and our discovery of a fellowship unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. This emotional high can lead to some careless presumptions that are actually warned against in the Word of God that we profess to believe.
We are told to guard our hearts and be on the watch for false prophets. We presumptively apply that warning only to those we don’t know personally that have pretty conspicuous errors or moral deficits. But the scriptural illustration is that of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. There’s also the inference that sheep are easily outsmarted by a wolf. We need to follow the Shepherd, not another sheep. But sometimes it gets really hard to hear the Shepherd’s voice, so we just follow the bigger, older sheep in front of us; surely they are following the Shepherd. That’s exactly the mistake I made, more than once! So I get it! We need to heed the Shepherd’s wolf warning and evaluate fruit (their walk) so we do not fall for their fluffy fleece (their talk).
So when I tell you that the pastor you looked up to and learned so much from loved his money more than his wife, acted pridefully, recklessly, and deceitfully, you are sure that I am the one with a problem; yeah, just a tale spinning sailor. But I’ve sacrificed greatly to give warning to you, whereas you lose nothing (yet) by dismissing me.
But I’ve discovered this pervasive, dangerous tendency toward pride and abuse among church leaders and an almost universal loyalty that requires it to be accepted, ignored or covered up. This creates a real devil’s hay-day. But his day is up! God is exposing this darkness. It has nowhere to hide anymore. What was whispered in a back room is being broadcast to the world. This is a grace--first for those who need to repent before they face their final judgement and then for those observers who will learn the fear of the Lord from these public disciplines.
For you who continue to support the predator pastors, you will discover that there will be no one left for you to support or to support you. The flock will be scattered. Believe me!
