For Brother Ted
Romans 3:23
By now most of you have heard about the great fall of one of the ministers from his position of Senior Pastor of a 14,000 member church and heard of a 30 million member evangelical ministry.
Many will ask, “How this can happen to him, and what will become of the church?”
Many of his enemies are reveling in his downfall and enjoying the misery and torment he must be enduing now. “Serves him right for being a hypocrite!” is the cry from the enemy camp. Yet, even some Christians are reveling with them.
Some may even ask, “Where is God in all this?”
Well, God is still right where he was at before; on the throne of grace and mercy. Yes, Ted’s fall is from a great height, but you would not have heard about it if the media was not whipping it up and of the coming elections. The White House has chosen to distance itself from the man though he calls and confers with the president weekly.
The accuser chose a precise moment in which to bring the news of the sexual encounters, the upcoming election, as polar as it can get between liberal and conservative agendas.
As I said, God is in control and is ever present. With heighten levels of leadership comes heighten levels of spiritual attacks. Eph 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Ted is just a man that happened to get caught up in sin and demonic activity. Is he exempt from the things that can also affect us? Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God”.
Many a great man has suffered from lapses and mistakes. So has many of us, but we look to the Lord for our deliverance.
Ted will have to undergo many a trial and tribulation; such is the result from the destruction of sin in our lives, it has consequences. It will be very hard on him for awhile and for his innocent family who must also walk through it to the other shore, the shore of grace and mercy.
Remember, David who enjoyed the personal fellowship of God, did great and mighty deeds and was truly blessed in his comings and goings. Yet, David also stole the wife of another man and had Uriah murdered (2 Sam 11:15). When his sin was found out David did repent and cry out to God. Nathan, the prophet of God, told David the consequences of his sin will followed him for the rest of his life (2 Sam 12:8-14). David did have restored fellowship with God after his fall, but the prophecy was fulfilled as David’s sin was great. God’s mercy was greater as David lineage was to bring the Christ!
Ted may never reach his height again in ministry and that will be one of the consequences for sin. But, which sin did Jesus not die for on the cross? I pray that his restoration be rewarding on the road back to a relationship with God and the fullness of our God be magnified in him on the journey.
As far as Ted’s enemies go, their reward will be with them as well. To revel in someone’s downfall is to help the father of lies himself. It is to say that I am without sin and am able to cast the first stone. It is not a pretty place to be in when confronting the master of judgment. I feel sorry for such an attitude; it is not what Christianity is about. I pray that none of us become so harsh that we view the fall of a fellow Christian like these, or that it does not happen to us in like manner.
Before I close I am reminded of another person who endured such a ministry attack. His entire congregation turned their backs on him. They “distanced” themselves from the verbal and physical attacks that came his way and stood by and did nothing when confronted with the truth that really he did nothing wrong. They shouted that he should be condemned right along the non-churched.
Jesus died alone that day with few to care for him. He rose again so that we do not have to face our sin alone. Yea, He rose again for all of us that have a life of shame. He rose again for the likes of Ted as well. He rose again for me. I do not have a great and powerful ministry like Ted had. I am only a servant of the Lord. Not a slave but and heir
He Lives!!!
