Editor's Note: The following article is an excerpt from "Seven Steps to Becoming a Healthy Christian Leader," a soon-to-be-released title by Doug Munton. Munton's work echoes the research from Dr. Thom S. Rainer concerning the import of a healthy church leader's spiritual life as evidenced by personal prayer and devotion time.
Holiness and closeness to God work together. God expects his people to be holy. 1 Peter 1: 15-16 states, "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy." (NIV)
It is the nature of God to be holy. God expects his followers to reflect that nature. When we disobey God, when we live unholy lives, we are separated from the intimacy God desires.
My wife and I have four children. When they disobey us it causes some problems. We remain in relationship. I am still their father. They are still my sons or daughters. But something happens to the fellowship. The disobedience causes a problem in our fellowship together. Some form of discipline will likely follow.
In a similar fashion, our holiness, or lack thereof, affects our fellowship with God. While God continues to love us despite our disobedience, our closeness to God is disrupted. The relationship remains, but the fellowship is affected. Some form of God's discipline will follow.
Beware of scandalous sin
We have seen more than enough scandalous activities among church leaders in recent years. We have watched as some high profile ministry leaders have been caught in immorality. For the most part, these events have seemed far removed from my world. I could ignore them or watch with detached disdain.
But one scandal was different. It was during my seminary days. The pastor in this scandal was older than I, but he was still relatively young. He was dynamic and handsome. I admired his skill, his grace, his manner. His messages were inspirational and moving. He knew what he was doing and where he was going. He had an air of sophistication about him. I remember thinking: "There's a guy who would make a good model for a young minister. Maybe some day I could be a sophisticated pastor like him."
When it became public that he had been involved in multiple cases of adultery, I was deeply hurt. How could anyone with such ability, such charisma, fall in such a way? That is when I realized scandalous sin could happen to anyone who lives an unguarded life.
That man had been, I imagine, an idealistic young seminary student. He had dreamed of doing great things for God. He had prayed that God would make him holy. But at some point he turned a corner. At some point his life went unguarded. And then, at some point, he broke his wedding vows, he broke his spiritual vows, and he committed adultery. And he brought derision to the name of his Savior.
How long, I wondered, had he lived in hypocrisy, worried his secret might be revealed and his career and reputation endangered? How long had he lived with the lie and the guilt and the shame?
A fellow pastor reportedly asked him some direct questions: "How did you preach the next Sunday after committing adultery? How were you able to stand before those people who trusted you and preach God's word?"
"You do what you've gotta do," he answered.
So that's it? You commit adultery or embezzle money or lie through your teeth and nothing changes? You just do what you've gotta do? You prepare to teach that Sunday school class because that's what you do. You lead that women's ministry meeting because that's what you do. You lead that Bible study because that's what you do. But inside the hypocrisy is killing you.
"Wait a minute," you say. "Sin is sin. You can't categorize some sins as worse than others." There is truth to that. All sin is terrible. All sin separates us from God. All sin, even the so-called "small" sin, condemns us before God. Why speak of scandalous sin?
For two reasons. Some sins are of such a nature that even those outside the body of Christ can recognize the seriousness of the offense. Paul said to the Corinthian church, "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans." (I Cor.5:1) Even those who are not believers are able to recognize the hypocrisy and shame of these actions. The church and the name of Christ were maligned as a result. These sins may be called scandalous sins.
Secondly, scandalous sins almost always entail multiple sins. Before the adultery takes place, one must normally allow lust to have a free reign in one's life. Before embezzlement occurs, greed or envy must first go unchecked. Usually, scandalous sins are the culmination of a series of unrepentant "small" sins.
Dealing with temptation
Temptation and sin are not synonyms. You can be tempted and choose not to sin. Jesus himself was tempted yet was without sin. (See Hebrews 4:15.) Temptation is merely the moment of decision between obedience and disobedience. But while temptation is not sin, it is certainly dangerous and should not be taken lightly.
Anyone who flirts with temptation is playing with fire. There is a reason why the Bible tells us to flee sin. (See 1 Cor. 6:18, 10:14, I Tim. 6:11, II Tim. 2:22.) Sin is as dangerous as a great chasm. The edge of the cliff is a dangerous place to hang around.
One of the most valuable tools for dealing with temptation and sin is an accountability group. A group of peers who can ask questions and who are not impressed by your trite responses can be invaluable to your victory over sin. If it had done nothing else, Promise Keepers would be worth great effort and cost just because of its emphasis on small groups of men holding each other accountable.
Historically, men have been nervous about small groups. Too "touchy-feely for our blood" they have argued. But when you are more concerned about being good fathers and husbands than about appearances of machismo, you recognize the benefits of being held accountable by others.
I recall when I was a young pastor and seminary student attending a big Christian conference with my wife. It was held in Las Vegas. We all went out to eat together one evening and someone happened to notice a relatively famous conference participant sitting at the table next to us. A Christian celebrity! My wife and I had heard him speak. We had been inspired by his words. I suppose we considered him something of a spiritual hero.
That's what made the next few moments so uncomfortable. We noticed this Christian leader acting in a way we felt was inappropriate. It wasn't murder or anything, but he was acting in ways we felt he shouldn't. Our group commented on the activities taking place, unsure of how to react. Then my wife went into action.
You have to understand my wife's personality. She is not by nature confrontational. But she felt so strongly about what was happening at the next table that she went directly to the minister and spoke with him. More distressing than his original activities was the way he blew off Vickie's concerns. "How dare she question him!" was the impression he gave.
It was a discouraging series of events, and our group left the restaurant downcast. We were hurt to see a man we admired and looked up to seem so shallow and calloused. We were not entirely surprised when we read some weeks later that he had left his wife for another woman.
That night we met together in our hotel room and began to pray. We realized that his attitude of unconcern could one day be our attitude. Our zeal for holiness could wane. Our commitment to integrity in life could falter. And it scared us.
We formed a group that has met together every year since then. We meet together to pray, to hold each other accountable, to be gut-level honest with each other. That group of men and their wives has been incredibly valuable to Vickie and me. We know they love us, they care for us, and they are not impressed by us. They can ask us anything. We can do the same with them. We husbands frequently talk together about issues that confront us.
I wonder if you have a group like that. Is there someone in your life you can talk to about your victories and defeats? Someone who is not afraid to ask you about lust or covetousness or unresolved anger?
If not, perhaps you should begin a search for a group you can minister with and to. Find a group that will love you, support you and challenge you. It could be a front line defense against falling to temptation and sin. Accountability could be a means by which you begin to discover real victory in your spiritual life.
The battle with temptation must be fought. Every Christian leader will face temptation. Some will fight the good fight and find God's victory. Some will succumb and miss God's best. You make the decision about which it will be.
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Doug Munton holds a Ph.D. in evangelism and preaching from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been pastor of First Baptist Church in O'Fallon, Ill., since 1995. In that time attendance has increased from 550 to 1,600 and the church is home to the largest Sunday School in the Illinois Baptist State Association. A popular speaker and author of numerous articles on leadership and church growth, "Seven Steps to Becoming a Healthy Christian Leader," is Munton's first book.
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