Shut up, sit down, and pray

Shut up, sit down, and pray, works when a person’s life has been traumatized and destroyed by a parishioner or church leader? Really?

This has happened in many churches for years... take it to God, but don’t say anything that will distract the people. We will lose membership.

Countless lives have been destroyed because of secrets.

Why am I concerned about these matters?

Recently I’ve listened to stories of people that have been molested, raped, sodomized, mistreated and used by church leaders. These folks have hid their dilemma for years, never healing, and unbeknownst to them are atheists or Antichrists. Yet they profess to be Christians.

The church world struggles trying to understand why this generation refuses to attend church.

The churches agenda is more important than the healing of these souls. Many churches incorporate the acts of the world, as the worship service is a concert that entertains rather than worshiping God. The messages taught are compromised rather than biblical true’s. The purpose is to collect people and not souls for Christ.

Folk who seek deliverance from the mental pain of rape, molestation, and sodomy are placed in a class under a leaders who is a struggling victim... pain sharpens pain...Hmm!

Yes, we are in the tolerant movement, folks choices of life are based on self-love, feelings, desires, and wants as “They profess to know God [to recognize and be acquainted with Him], but by their actions they deny and disown Him. They are detestable and disobedient and worthless for good work of any kind,” (Titus 1:16).

Paul forewarned of this time. In the last days, “For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane,” (2 Timothy 3:2).

Church secrets are no longer easily hidden as social networking is prominent... the exposure trickles quicker than fast and the furious in the ears of folks who believe they have better morals than those who say they are believers of Christ. Is this why church attendance has declined?

A few years ago, I received a phone call from a leader who told me that a young man was in the hospital and he had been diagnosed with aids.

I had been acquainted with this young man since he was a child. At that time, I had no thoughts of how this young man had contracted the disease. He had abruptly left the church years prior. He went from being a straight guy to homosexuality. He was publicly open about his life.

As time passed, there were sexual allegations filed against this church leader. I notice this leader continued to trail this young man’s sickness and hospitalizations...as he tried to make it appear the young man’s lifestyle was the reason he contracted the disease.

Why would this leader call to tell me this young man was in the hospital when I had minimal contact with both? I understood this question a few years later.

Here are a few ways to know a person could be the guilty party. The person who does not regularly call is probably fishing to see what you know or have heard in an effort to gather his case against the accuser.

When the guilty party is questioned if they were involved with this person their response is vague, evasive, and they avoid answering the yes or no question. They give no eye contact and avoid publicly denouncing the accusations. The guilty party reverses and place the blame game on the accusing party, acting as though they intervened and saved them from another toxic relationship.

This young man eventually passed away. It was alleged that the leader had molested him.

This crisis was reported to the leadership of the church, but was not explored to the congregants. It was a taboo subject, and was considered he said, she said...

Should the situation have been explored to the congregation? Was this a he said she said situation that would not sustain in court because of no facts or evidence?

Undetermined situations like this, the victim should be advised to file a police report. The paper trail helps with a conviction.

The same leader had another accusation that was brought before the leadership and the leader was advised to go before the church but refused.

Shut up, sit down, and pray is not the answer.

Jesus said this, “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector,” (Matthew 18:15-17).

When a serious matter is beyond biblical restoration, consult the law, for...the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,” (1 Timothy 1:9-10).

~SAR~