“But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life! Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.” —Jude 1:20-23
Feeling angry this morning.
When pastoral abuse explodes, it leaves a ring of destruction. So much hurt. So devastating, especially to those with a fragile faith, but it debilitates us all.
Once again, an individual, a church, and a community have become victims of a leader who was supposed to care for them.
And now the place that is supposed to draw people to Jesus stinks to high heaven and is a noxious steam engine pushing them away from Him.
So what do I do? It feels infuriatingly futile to try to make a case to an increasingly cynical world that there is a Rescuer who loves us and pulls us out of our own mire and tells us to follow Him TOGETHER, as a Body. But even though the church will always have flaws because it is comprised of flawed human beings, we CAN do better, and we MUST!
There are structural changes that need to be made - this situation is nauseatingly not uncommon. What will it take for churches to plan for WHEN, not IF, some leader at some time starts walking a dark path?
Even though the church will always have flaws because it is comprised of flawed human beings, we can do better, and we must.
Prayers for the victims, starting with this teenager who expected the adult in ministry to behave like both an adult and a minister, but also prayers for the family, the friends, those who were still at the church, and all of those who hear about it. Jesus, bring both justice and a peace that goes beyond understanding to these individuals and communities.
Make no mistake, Satan intends to use this for evil, taking this most anti-Christ predatory behavior and using it to drive people away from Christ—who hates it more than we do.
But while the enemy constantly twists what should be good for his evil purposes, God is infinitely more powerful.
It feels hard to believe, doesn’t it?
When so much darkness sweeps in, it feels impenetrable. But one candle can light up a darkened sanctuary.
One candle can light up a darkened sanctuary.
Jesus has seen horrible abuses done by people who claim they are His all through history.
But when the true self-sacrificial love of Jesus enters a room, people recognize what they were made for.
They will be drawn to Him.
Cleaning out the dark corners is hard, disgusting work. It takes time and abrasive scrubbing. Sometimes you have to tear out the black-mold drywall and replace it, but what has been masquerading as the church—but smelling a little funky—has been exposed for the rot it is. A smaller, more humble church can eventually change the current narrative that says the church is a place to find abuse, not love.
And what do I need to learn from this?
Jesus, keep me CLOSE.
Keep my faith AUTHENTIC.
Keep me in the CENTER of God’s love.
Make me HUMBLE.
Please catch me.
Catch me when I’m tempted to stray.
Catch me in my wayward thoughts so they never become wayward actions.
Catch me at step 1 so I never make it to step 10.
Give me people who love me enough to have an awkward conversation if something smells funky.
Help me go after those who take the wrong way.
Give me wisdom to set up boundaries that force me to think twice in a moment of weakness, when I’m tired, or entitled, or lonely, or arrogant.
Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil.
Lord, deliver us all.
“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault.” —Jude 1:24 (nlt)
Amen.
Larry Boss, M.Div is a small business owner with 30+ years of ministry experience as a leader, elder, small group leader, and youth pastor in the local church.