Please Step Away from the Mic

When I was growing up, I was always skeptical of preachers. I am just being honest. I always wondered if they really walked what they talked. Personally, I ran from ministry as long as I could because I knew the pressure and scrutiny that ministers are always under. As a preacher, I've been blessed to see that MANY preachers do actually live a life that is consistent with scripture. My own pastor, Edward J. Nettles Sr. is such a man. He is one that lives what he speaks. He does not shy away from dealing with sin because he understands that we are all utterly sinful and that the only way to address sin is by attacking it head on. There are others that are truly men and women of God that are sincerely trying to do what thus says the Lord. I am more impressed by those that strive to live holy than I am by titles, degrees, hoops, mega structures or large followings. When we live as we are supposed to, we are being a light to those that are in darkness. Then people can follow you as you follow Christ.

Sadly, the antithesis of the point made above is that there is a crisis in Christian leadership. There are legitimate reasons for folks to be skeptical of preachers. It is nothing new. Scandal has rocked the Christian world long before many of us were born. The Jimmy Swaggarts and the Jim Bakers are not new. Wikipedia has a list of defamed pastors that includes their indiscretions. For every one that you see on television on "Inside Edition" there are a hundred more that we do not see. Many are so brazen that they have adopted a "grace covers all" attitude. Paul specifically says in Romans 6:1 "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?" His answer is an emphatic NO!

We live in an era where openly gay men and women are elected to HIGH church offices. We live in an era where pedophiles are pastors. Whoremongers are pastors. Idolators are pastors. Drug addicts are pastors. Liars and deceivers are pastors. Adulterers are pastors. But the bible clearly says in Romans 1 that these "types" shall not inherit the kingdom of God!

Titus 1:7-9 "For the overseer must be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict."

The operative phrase here is "above reproach"! No one should be able to attack our character! Rumors should quickly dissipate because folks that know you know that "you aren't like that." No charge that someone brings against us should be able to stick, not because we are invincible or perfect but because we didn't do it! Reproach should be used here in biblical terms. Therefore our life and scripture MUST line up. Our doctrine and what we preach must line up with scripture.

Am I saying that preachers are perfect? Absolutely not. Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. Am I saying that preachers do not sin? Absolutely not. We all sin. We sin daily in some combination of word, thought and/or deed. Am I saying that these men and women are above God's law? Absolutely not. What I am searching for is the motivation that many of these "broken" and "fallen" leaders have for staying in the pulpit even after some of their most reprehensible acts have come to light.


James 3:1 "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment."

Have these men and women not read this scripture? Doubtless that they have not only read it but probably preached it as well. What is the motivation to continue to "act" as God's mouthpiece when clearly they do not act like God's mouthpiece?

For many of these "fallen" and openly flawed leaders, what motivates them to stay behind the pulpit is not the Spirit of God but their own spirit of pride. Egotistical men and women believe they can get up and put on a show and as long as the people are pleased, then their work is done. Why is it that the people's physical desire to be "tickled" is put above their spiritual well being? You cannot be the example if you are the problem. It's as simple as that. But many would rather be viewed as "something" in man's eyes versus God's eyes. Self-gratification and pride motivates many to continue to deceive and lie directly from the pulpit! When they fall, it should not surprise anyone. The bible says in Proverbs 16:18 that pride precedes destruction and a haughty spirit precedes a great fall.

As preachers, if anyone is to display a spirit of repentance and live a life dedicated to God, it should be us! Please stop using David as an example because although David sinned, David was also repentant and wanted change! Let us use Christ Jesus as our example. He lived among us, became one of us yet remained sinless (See Hebrews Chapters 1-4). Preachers that struggle with homosexuality use the crutch "well, I was born this way". I am singling this out because it has become prevalent in light of the recent events at two prominent Atlanta churches. That is a cop-out. We ARE ALL BORN SINFUL!

Psalm 51:5 "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me."

Societal norms place gradations and levels on sin but in God's sight it is all sin. If you are fighting to deal with sin, deal with it through Christ. Don't cover it up and don't profess to be something that you are not. If you are in the kingdom of God, your life should reflect a constant and ongoing transformation that is brought on by the action of the Holy Ghost! That is why is so important to submit to the Holy Ghost and not to grieve the Holy Ghost. The bible says that the Holy Ghost will guide us into ALL truth. If you are not headed into truth, then you are not being led by the Spirit of God.

If we (professed Christians) have died to sin then we are made alive in Christ. We who say that we love the Lord should live a life that is reflective of that love. We do not blatantly disobey God if we love God. We don't live a life that is sinful and unrepentant if we love God. Do we still sin, yes we do but the one who is sold out to Christ is truly repentant. We live in a state of constant repentance because we also live in a state of constant sin. We cannot do anything about it because by nature we are sinful. It dwells within us according to Romans 7. But we do have an out in Christ. When you live for Christ, you do not indulge those fleshly desires!

Galatians 5:16,17 "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please."

We are told that there is a war is going on in our members. If we are aware of this, we must also be aware that there is only ONE way to win this war. CHRIST JESUS!

Romans 7:24,25 "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”


Am I saying that struggling with sin disqualifies you from being a person of the cloth? No. Struggling is one thing but succumbing to sin is where the problem lies. If you have not been set free, seek the Lord. If you are so deep in darkness that you cannot see the light of day, seek the Lord. If you KNOW that what you are doing will have a detrimental effect on your parishioners but you continue doing it then you are putting yourself in danger of judgment. Ezekiel talks extensively about shepherds that prey on their own sheep. Please step away from the microphone, seek God and repent. Don't let your ego send you to hell with other people's blood on your hands.