An open letter to the Church
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today, my mother would have celebrated her 91st birthday. It is possible she could have still been with us, but because some in the church who could have said something, turned a blind eye and practiced a code of silence, she fell prey to a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Jesus warned of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” that would come into the church and “not spare the flock.” He said, we would know them by their fruit. My mother’s death was the keyhole through which I got a glimpse into a wolf’s dressing room; specifically the one who’s job it was to watch over the flock at Ashburn Baptist as their senior pastor.
Subsequently, for the past four and a half years I have been prayerfully and lovingly addressing related parties directly with questions, challenges and rebukes related to the cause of my mother’s death. The responses have been everything from completely ignoring me to attacks on my character. But no one has countered any of the facts I have asserted. This has led me to conclude that the issue of my mom’s death is relatively small.
The bigger issues are; who are the wolves among the sheep, what to do about the church culture of pride and how to counter the accompanying code of silence? This letter is the beginning of my response to these questions. First, I’ve started to keep vigilant watch for wolves. Second, I’m bowing in grief and petition for God’s grace to humble the Church. Lastly, instead of complying with the devil’s code of silence, I’m sounding an alarm!
Jesus’ illustration of “the one who built his house on sand,” points out that this man did not DO what Jesus taught. I see a Christian culture that has emphasized words over actions and professions over obedience to Christ, with many negative effects resulting from that imbalance, one of which is not evaluating people based on their fruit. We have been conditioned to accept people based on what they say. Pretend sheep are very good at saying the right words, holding to sound doctrine and demonstrating winsome demeanor. Jesus says, check the fruit. I believe we can come to see through the sheep disguise by carefully observing and evaluating actions and their results.
My personal eye opener has motivated me to, first of all, warn others of some crucial wolf realities, namely; wolves are attracted to sheep, they ARE among us, they look like ...SHEEP, and the only way to discern one of these intruders’ true nature is by their actions. I would like to use just a few things related to my mother’s death as examples of a wolf’s words not matching its actions.
For decades my father, Vernon Lyons, received money in addition to his pastor’s salary designated specifically for health care insurance. Instead of purchasing health insurance, he chose to “self-insure.” Yet when faced with his wife’s need for long term rehabilitation, he chose to cut out all paid medical professionals after just two weeks. He said money was not an issue, ...yet his actions said the opposite. He said, she would have better care at home, ...yet he cut off communication with her doctors and had no nurse regularly monitoring her condition; ...not “better care!”
Consequently, a nine day delayed pro-time reading (which shows the blood’s clotting ability) revealed an emergency level reading that was 4x what it should be, putting her at a high risk of stroke. Coumadin was withheld, but neither 911 nor the doctor was called. The next day symptoms of a stroke became evident but it was called “a turn for the worse.” My mom died three days later and it was said “she died of natural causes.”
What you see here is the sheep disguise takes on the form of saying the right things, affirming what’s right and “having a form of godliness.” But the wolf nature is revealed by the actions. “Better care” was what was said; pretense was what was delivered. Integrity is the projected image, but saying “she died of natural causes” rather than stroke (which is what the doctor wrote on the death certificate) is the evidence of coverup, not integrity.
So, my father, who for 65 years dictated marriage vows to couples on their wedding day, himself violated the vows made to his own bride. As a husband and pastor, he should have modeled the Christ-like character of laying down his life for his wife, yet when both his wife and his money were in danger of being lost, he acted to protect his money while increasing the risk of losing his wife.
The context of the “better care” charade for my mother involved many people. It took an enabling system, where pride makes its own “good image” the primary concern. This ultimately resulted in the fellow pastors, deacons and half of the family, to actively deny realities in order to maintain the pride based system. This perfectly demonstrates the code of silence.
Their response is typical of the continual lack of accountability that gave my dad free reign over his mini kingdom within the Kingdom of God, resulting in six decades littered with the wreckage of his self promotion campaigns. His own narrative of his life and the history of the church is a compilation of exceptionalities and heroics. However, his covert method of using, abusing and discarding the sheep has divided and scattered the flock, leaving everyone either dead, wounded, wandering, wondering or deceived. This is his real legacy!
Why is it that we won’t talk about such evils? What spell does the devil have over us that keeps us silent so he can freely operate? I know I too have never wanted to talk about what is shameful. And I still don’t. Especially, when it’s about my father who I deeply love. But I see how wrong that is! Surely it is right and needful to give warnings about those in the flock who are endangering fellow sheep? Jesus called people out on the spot. Paul named names. But too, they were killed for it. Many times there is personal danger in protecting others. But we have been called to follow the Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep.
So, I have two challenges for those who have been seduced into complying with the devil’s code of silence, as I have been. If you see something that isn’t right, lovingly address it. Then, if the wrong isn’t righted, humbly point it out to others. Don’t give evil the cover of silence. It endangers you and everyone else. My mother’s death is proof. By God’s grace I will not be silent any more. How about you?
for Christ’s Kingdom,
Tom Lyons