“For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.” Psalm 32:3 (ESV)
As I sat in the service waiting to hear the pastor confess his of sin of adultery, one of the elders got up and briefly shared that their pastor had resigned and was now selling insurance down the road! He will no longer be with us. I literally wept! The elders covered up for the pastor’s sin. The church suddenly came under a fog of confusion. What, just a week prior, had been a church with a strong sense of being on the move, now came under a cloud. The church began to struggle. The new pastor kept the rouse and not surprisingly, adultery began running freely throughout the church, especially among the leadership. It wasn’t till a few years later when another new pastor came in and uncovered it all. Sin stopped, dead in its tracks and the church began to grow once again!
Our sin, whether personal or corporate, cannot stay hidden. Ultimately, IT WILL NOT stay hidden! Like a child conceived in the womb is hidden for a season, his presence will ultimately be discovered! Sin causes a wasting away until it is brought into the light and confessed as sin. Our silence allows increased confusion and bondage! Our confession releases clarity and brings freedom. Knowing about sin and not addressing it is condoning it! Please do not tolerate or affirm sin in any manner. It is a cancer, and sin when allowed to mature gives birth to death…
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. James 1:14-15 (ESV)
Ask God to reveal to you all hidden sin in your heart. Be quick to confess it. Then pray for your church, that God would expose all hidden sin, especially sexual sin. So often churches struggle, not really understanding why. Only to find out that there had been some secret or hidden sin lingering just below the surface. Cry out for God’s mercy to bring it all into the light! Cry out for a grace over your church to quickly confess these sins and to humbly seek forgiveness wherever needed. God’s grace is quick and amazing, but repentance is required! Cry out for life, even abundant life to become the atmosphere of your congregation, starting with your pastor and church leadership!
