Although changes are made in churches worldwide, and many churches compromise and adjust the words of God and lower the standards of God, we serve the Almighty God, Who is the Creator of heaven and earth and all there is within, Who is the same, yesterday, today and forevermore and shall never compromise and lower His standards, but still acts according to His Word that stands forever. God is clear in His Word regarding sin and the consequences of sinning willfully. Is it the will of God that fallen pastors and leaders stay appointed in the church or not? What does the intentional sinning of church leaders say about them? What do their works testify?
Do church leaders, who willfully sin or live in sin, belong in the pulpit?
If church leaders are appointed, who have willfully sinned or live in sin, after their repentance, 再生, and during their leadership in church, then they shouldn’t be appointed and teach in the pulpit and lead the church.
This may be hard to read and some people may find this ruthless, but the person has consciously made a choice to disobey God and His Word and do something that goes against the will of God.
That’s why in the Old Covenant there was a difference in sins. Everything a person does that goes against the words and will of God is sin, but there is a difference in the kinds of sin
Someone can unconsciously say or do something that is not good and during or afterward be confronted and corrected by the Holy Spirit. But someone can also consciously say or do something with premeditated intent. This means that a person knows that is not good and that it’s not according to the will of God and diametrically opposes His Word, but the person does it anyway, because the love for the flesh is stronger than the love for God and His Word (另请阅读: What is a sin not unto death and a sin unto death?)
Adultery is a premeditated sin
现在肉体的行为已经显露出来, 这是哪些; 通奸, 淫乱, 不洁, 淫荡, 偶像崇拜, 巫术, 仇恨, 方差, 仿真, 愤怒, 冲突, 骚乱, 异端, 羡慕, 谋杀, 酒醉, 狂欢, 诸如此类: 我之前告诉过你的, 正如我过去也告诉过你的, 行这样事的人必不能承受神的国 (加拉太书 5:19-21)
因此，要克制你们在地球上的成员; 淫乱, 不洁, 过度的感情, 恶欲, 和贪婪, 这是偶像崇拜: 为了哪些事’ 因为神的愤怒临到悖逆之子身上: 你们也曾在其中走过一段时间, 当你们住在其中时. But now ye also put off all these; 愤怒, 愤怒, 恶意, 亵渎, 从你嘴里说出的肮脏的沟通. 不向另一个人说谎, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 并穿上了新人, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all (歌罗西书 3:5-11)
例如, when we look at adultery, we can conclude that adultery doesn’t just happen. A pair of trousers don’t go down themselves. 不, a person has consciously made a choice to commit adultery, despite the knowledge of God and His will. Every Christian knows, that adultery is a sin.
When a person commits adultery, the person doesn’t walk in love toward God, which means, that the person doesn’t keep the commandments of God (which are also the commandments of Jesus), because if you keep His commandments you walk in love, but the person has consciously rejected God and His Word (另请阅读: 神的诫命与耶稣基督的诫命) .
The person doesn’t love God with all his heart, 灵魂, 头脑, 和力量, because when the person commits adultery, the person loves himself and the strange woman or strange man and the lusts of the flesh above all.
The person doesn’t keep the second commandment either, which is, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, but has rejected this commandment. Since the adulterous person didn’t remember his wife or her husband and the wedding vow he or she made.
不, when the person commits adultery the person doesn’t love his or her neighbor, in this case, his wife or her husband, but loves himself or herself and wants to satisfy his or her temporary sexual feelings of the flesh.
And… the person didn’t remember the precious souls of the saints and his responsibility and the consequences of this selfish deed to the congregation. Since the uncleanness of sin defames (disgraces) the Name of Jesus Christ and defiles His church and mocks His redemptive work (另请阅读: 耶稣是罪恶的推动者吗?).
And so the adulterous church leader has despised God, by rejecting both the words of God as his wife or her husband, and by disobeying the words of God and the wedding vow he or she made and not remembering the souls of the saints and defiling the church.
It’s just like Esau, who didn’t consider his birthright a privilege and precious, but Esau sold his birthright to satisfy his temporary hunger, which was abominable to God. God didn’t say about Esau that He loved him, but that He hated him because of his deed that derived from his wicked heart (玛拉基 1:2-3, 罗马书 9:13, 另请阅读: 你能抗拒诱惑吗?).
有很多基督徒, who jeopardize their relationship with Jesus Christ and the Father and sometimes even forfeit eternity, by prioritizing their feelings and the will, 欲望, and desires of the flesh and putting them above the Word
The blind guides and white sepulchres
It’s already bad that this happens among Christians, who don’t hold a leadership position in the church, but that this also happens among church leaders is really bad.
Because how can they, who are spiritually blind themselves and are led by their flesh and don’t live a disciplined life after the Spirit in obedience to God and His Word, but reject God and His Word and walk in disobedience in darkness and sin willfully, teach the members of the congregation and expect the believers to walk after the Spirit in obedience to God in holiness in the Light?
These leaders are blind guides and whited sepulchres, just like the Pharisees, who appeared beautiful, charismatic, piously and righteous on the outside, but inwardly they were full of extortion, 不洁, hypocrisy and iniquity (无法无天).
Although they taught the people in the law and the prophets, and made the will of God known to the people, they didn’t submit to the law and the prophets and didn’t walk in the will of God (另请阅读: Is the church seeing or blind?)
And so there are many preachers, who have not truly repented and are not born again in Christ and don’t walk after the Spirit in obedience to God. They don’t fear the Lord and don’t take the Word seriously and therefore they consciously keep sinning and persevere in sin, assuming that they can keep sinning or live in sin without consequences, since they remain appointed anyway or after some time are reinstated in the office.
And the congregation, which is many times carnal and therefore makes decisions on the basis of feelings and emotions instead of the Word of God, substantiates this behavior and gives a foothold to the devil and supports sin, by keeping the fallen leader in their office or reinstating the fallen leader in their office (另请阅读: What did Paul mean by lay hands suddenly on no man)
神的旨意是什么?
因为这是神的旨意, 甚至你的成圣, 你们应当禁戒淫乱: 你们每个人都应该知道如何拥有自己的器皿成圣和荣耀; 不在于情欲, 就像不认识神的外邦人一样: 任何人在任何事情上都不能超越并欺骗他的兄弟: 因为主是所有这些人的报应者, 正如我们也预先警告过您并证实的那样. 因为神并没有召我们去行不洁的事, 但为了圣洁. 因此，他藐视, 不藐视人, 但上帝, 他也将他的圣灵赐给我们 (1 帖撒罗尼迦人 4:3-8)
神就是爱, merciful and forgiving, they say. 但这是真的吗? God is absolutely merciful and forgiving if someone truly repents and not because the person is caught in the act and asks forgiveness out of a religious habit and after some time falls back into the same sin. Still, God is also righteous and that part is many times left out. The love of God is a righteous love and not a new age love (另请阅读: 教会的新时代? 和 The Holy Spirit vs the new age spirit, which spirit dwells in you?)
It is the will of God that all His sons (这适用于男性和女性), who are born of Him and have His nature and represent Him on earth, walk after the Spirit in holiness and not in uncleanness, fornication and the lust of concupiscence, as the Gentiles, who don’t know God and are not born of Him and walk in disobedience to God and His Word in the will of their father in darkness.
Jesus said to the Pharisees, who were the old creation and therefore carnal, that they obeyed the lust of their father and not of God (另请阅读: 上帝的意志 vs 魔鬼的意志).
Would God appoint a worker of iniquity?
所有经文都是上帝默示的, 并且对于教义是有利的, 为了责备, 用于修正, 为了正义的教导: 使属神的人得以完全, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 蒂莫西 3:16)
And He gave some, 使徒; and some, 先知; and some, 传福音者; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, 甚至基督: From whom the whole Body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the Body unto the edifying of itself in love (以弗所书 4:11-16)
Would God trust and appoint leaders in the church, to raise His sons and teach them in the Word, so that they get to know the will of God and lead them into the truth so that they grow up into spiritual maturity in Christ after His image, if the leader is not spiritually mature and doesn’t walk as a mature son of God and doesn’t submit to the Head Jesus Christ and don’t do what Jesus; the Word says, but is prideful, 叛逆的, carnal and does the will and the works of the flesh and willfully sin and/or live in sin?
Would God trust His sons to someone, who claims to know God, but doesn’t listen to Him and doesn’t do what He says and deny God through His works? Does this person belong to God?
What does the intentional sinning of church leaders say about them?
Jesus answered them, 确实, 确实, 我对你说, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin (约翰 8:34)
他们自称认识神; but in works they deny Him, 令人厌恶, 并且不听话, 一切善行都被弃绝 (提图斯 1:16)
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee (提图斯 2:11-15)
醒悟正义, 并且不要犯罪; 因为有些人不认识上帝: 我说这些是为了让你感到羞耻 (1 哥林多前书 15:34)
我们知道凡从神生的就不犯罪; 但从神生的却保守自己, 那个恶人不碰他 (1 约翰 5:18)
The works of the church leader testify that the church leader is carnal and walks in darkness and does the will of the flesh and is a slave of sin. Sin still reigns as king in the life of the church leader and the wicked one aka the devil still has a hold on the leader. This should already be a warning to the church.
The danger is, that when a pastor or other leader in the church, who should be born again and spiritually mature and should know the will of God, refuses to submit to God and His Word and therefore is prideful, 叛逆的, 并且不听话, the sheep will follow the example of the fallen pastor or other fallen church leader and shall also walk in pride, 叛乱, and disobedience to God and His Word.
相同 (不洁净的) spirit that dwells in the pastor (或其他教会领袖) shall come over the church and the members of the church shall bear the same fruit as the leader and shall walk in wickedness and uncleanness (另请阅读: 许多牧师正在带领羊群走向深渊)
How can a pastor or other church leader expect from the believers that they do submit to God and obey His Word, when the preacher doesn’t do it himself?
If a preacher or other church leader commits fornication and adultery, how can the preacher confront, warn, correct and chastise a church member in these areas and forbid fornication and adultery? Exactly the church leader can’t. Therefore the church shall compromise and accept sin in the church.
Putting the relationship with Jesus at stake and playing with eternity to fulfill the lusts of the flesh
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears (希伯来书 12:14-17)
In the New Covenant, in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, Paul mentioned the thoughts of God regarding the profanity and act of Esau, who despised the Lord by rejecting his birthright for the temporary carnal lusts and desires. Paul warned the believers. And yet, there are many church leaders, who say they have knowledge about God’s Word and claim to see, but don’t care about Paul’s warning and disregard this Scripture.
It is remarkable, that so many people object to women in ministry and substantiate their objection with two Scriptures, but the Scriptures regarding carnal leaders, who are unspiritual and have the mind of the world and are addicted to pornography, 手淫 or get involved with other sexual uncleanness and commit fornication, 通奸, live together unmarried, have a homosexual relationship, 是 divorced and remarried and therefore the spouse of more than one women, commit idolatry, 巫术, 偷, 欺诈罪, (pathologic) 说谎, have an alcohol addiction, ETC. they get free rein and are appointed in leadership without any objection.
No objections and Scriptures are cited with them, while there are many Scriptures in the Bible to exclude them from ministry (a.o Romans 1,2,6,7,8, 1 哥林多前书 15:34, 2 哥林多前书 6, 加拉太书 2:17-21;5:13-26, 以弗所书 4,5, 1 蒂莫西 3; 5:19-25; 6:2b-12, 1 提图斯 1:6-9, 2 彼得 2, 1 约翰 3,5).
The intentional sinning of church leaders has consequences
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 但淫乱, 和一切不洁的事, 或贪婪, 不要让它在你们中间被提及, 成为圣徒; 既不污秽, 也不是胡言乱语, 也不开玩笑, 哪些不方便: 而是表达感谢. 为此你们知道, 没有娼妓, 也不是不洁净的人, 也不贪婪的人, 谁是偶像崇拜者, 在基督和神的国度中有任何继承权. 不要让任何人用虚言欺骗你: 因为由于这些事情，上帝的愤怒降临在悖逆之子身上. 因此，你们不要与他们有分 (以弗所书 5:1-7)
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: 因为违背律法就是罪. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 小孩子, 不要让任何人欺骗你: 行正义的人就是正义的, 即使他是正义的. 犯罪的人是属魔鬼的; 因为魔鬼从一开始就犯罪. 为此目的，神的儿子显现出来, 以便他摧毁魔鬼的作为. 凡从神生的就不犯罪; 因为他的种子仍在他体内: 他不能犯罪, 因为他是由神而生. 神的儿女在此显明, 和魔鬼的孩子们: 凡不行义的，就不是出于神, 不爱弟兄的人也一样 (1 约翰 3:4-10)
If an apostle, evangelist, 一位先知, pastor, 老师, 长老, deacon, worship leader or anyone else, chooses deliberately to obey the will of the flesh above the will of God, then the person has made a conscious choice to reject God and His Word and shall bear the consequences thereof.
Even if the person is famous, influential, and powerful in the church world or bears the name of a famous relative or is a theologian, charismatic, eloquent, 富裕, and seems to be sincere and piously from the outside, God is not a respecter of persons and is not misled by words and outward appearances, but God looks at the heart, since the works of a man derive from the heart.
And as long as intentional sins derive from the heart, the heart and nature of the person are not changed and the person is not born again, but the heart is still of stone and the person doesn’t belong in church leadership.
“成为地球之盐”
