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Needless to say, both men are clothed with the
presumption of innocence unless and until they are proven
guilty by a jury or acquiesce to a plea bargain for purposes
of truncating the seemingly long judicial process.
Initially, it should be stated that the word "church,”
according to holy writ, is the composition of the membership
of a particular location or denomination. Sadly, today when
using the word "church," it is now associated as a physical
building or location.
When people say, "Are you going to church today?" they
are using the acceptable shorthand word which means
assembling together with fellow believers at a common
location. Note: The believers are the church.
So, when professed believers assemble at a physical
facility and engage in acts of worship and praise, collect
monies to fund their facility and the costs associated
thereto, make announcements about the weekly or monthly
activities of their membership, have fellowship meals,
engage in communion and listen to a sermon or a topic of
Bible teaching, what happens when something goes amiss in
their midst?
I mean, something that can cause the whole agenda to
fall off of the rails? Such as an act or activity that
places a horrific spotlight on that "church" and/or its
activities. Something that calls into question its very
standing as being identifiable in a right relationship to
its head, Jesus the Christ (note: Christ means anointed...it
is not the last name of Jesus!).
Or...in other words, what happens when, "churches" go
bad?
First of all, "churches" can and do go "bad" insofar as
when a scandal touches it doorway, the public normally
attributes any nefarious or questionable conduct to its
leader, the pastor a/k/a: The under-shepherd since Jesus is
THE Shepherd of the church both worldwide and in heaven.
Church membership is comprised of both those members
who are still in the land of the living and also those
members who have gone on to be with the Lord.
Scandals in or with "churches" are not new. There were
outrages reported in the Bible of people who were engaged in
illicit relationships, those who lied, cheated, stole money,
taught false doctrine, were gluttons, worshipped idols,
engaged in acts of adultery and other sins of commission and
omission.
Why? Simple. The real "church" is comprised of those
who are redeemed by the life, death and resurrection of
Jesus, the only begotten Son of God and as we are acutely
aware of, people fail and people sin (violating God's moral
law).
Nonetheless, in spite of sinning, God has made provision
for sin and which is the confession of the sin and being
restored back to fellowship in the local "church."
Modern-day newspapers inform us of the ongoing sins of
people who profess to know Jesus the Christ but by their
acts and their "fruit" reveal that they are far from knowing
Jesus as their personal savior and much less, as their Lord.
There has been abundant news in the past years and
decades of men and women engaged in outrageous acts against
their fellow believers including crimes of greed,
fornication, adultery, malice, arrogance, homosexual
activity, theft and ruinous gossip, just to name a few!
But many of those violators of God's law, still profess
their innocence or try to use Bible verses to explain away
their excesses or abuses or some, simply dare you to
challenge them by using the much maligned verse of, "Touch
not God's anointed and do his prophets no harm!"
Understand that Jesus, who is the head of the church,
has placed in the Bible measures for both church discipline
for wayward members and also measures to restore
godly-repentant people back to fellowship in a local
assembly.
And for those whose hardness of heart does not allow them
to accept such a grace gift as restoration, God has other
means by which his moral law will not forever be mocked or
sullied by stiff-necked people who continually just, "play
church."
So, when we examine what happened at Abundant Life
Ministries and the alleged acts done by pastors Cordell
Jenkins and Anthony Haynes, a court of law will have its say
and, more importantly, God's final decree of justice and
mercy will rule both the day and eternity.
To date, there has been no outcry regarding those
pastors coming from other clergy, black or white, in the
City of Toledo about their alleged acts and the resultant
insult and injury that seemingly has been inflicted upon the
churches at large in Toledo.
Either those pastors or ministerial associations were
too dumbfounded to issue a public statement or they were
simply spiritual cowards to say anything about a topic on
which they should be, as fellow ministers, knowledgeable
enough to impart a healing balm of wisdom to the on-looking
public.
This they did not do to their shame and embarrassment.
Both a corrective word and a healing word should have been
the first order of the day coming from anyone, black or
white, who wears a "turned around collar."
But rather apparently, "hush-hush" was the order of the day
and maybe it was due to each local church looking to see
what the other local church would say or do about the
matters involving both Abundant Life Ministries and The
Greater Life Christian Center.
What a grand time for those of the Body of Christ
(redeemed members of the household of faith in Jesus the
Christ) to jettison their denominational coverings and speak
out, as one, in moderate, informed terms about what happened
and to place it in a biblical context and also to show what
biblical options were and are available.
According to Bible doctrine, the desired outcome for
both men, the minor child and anyone else possibly involved
in these alleged matters is that redemption and/or
restoration can take place even if convictions are meted
out.
God's "church" will be triumphant and grace and mercy,
unless continually scoffed at, is available in abundant
supply to anyone before there is a final unalterable
judgment.
Contact Lafe Tolliver at
tolliver@juno.com
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