Public rebuke is matter of grave importance and must be undertaken with great care. Yes, I do believe that church leaders carry responsibility before God, before the local assembly, and before the Church as a whole. I believe that God is not mocked – whatsoever a man sows that he shall reap. Who is able to search out any matter? Do we believe that only God carries the just weight? He weighs men and should he find them wanting, He disciplines in His way and in His time. I believe in standing fast in my convictions and in the prayers of the saints and for the saints. Who is sufficient to judge and expose and report on things that are too high for us?
Do we trust God? Do we recognize that He is able to rebuke, exhort, and correct? “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord,” (Romans 12:19).
Consider King Saul. His record is lamentable. He was chosen to be the leader of Israel and yet became jealous and vengeful. He failed to obey his own decrees and sought out a medium when God would not speak to him. Yet, following this king’s defeat and death, David – the man at the center of Saul’s jealousies and rages, a man nearly murdered twice by Saul’s own hand – said something very significant. He called Saul “lovely, mighty, and pleasant.” His instruction was that Saul’s demise was not to be published in Gath or told on the streets of Ashkelon.
Paul withstood Peter to the face. It was quick; it was right; it was powerful. However, we know of no letter outlining Peter’s failings coming from Paul. Peter later celebrated the ministry of Paul in his second letter. The woman taken in the very act of adultery stood condemned before Jesus. The Lord understood the situation and He very well knew the penalty determined in the Law of Moses. His message: Let him who is without sin cast the first stone at her.
Who can investigate the actions of men? Once a matter is opened, when is it closed? Who is best able to deal with God’s people? God is. I say let God be true and every man a liar. He is more than able to care for what is His. It is He who gives and takes away. He sets up and pulls down. The God of the Bible will not be mocked. This is what I believe. God holds His leaders accountable. He does it in ways far more effective and efficient than the minds of men can imagine.
Can we be content in the knowledge that God alone can judge? That is the big question, isn’t it? If the answer is “Yes, God can judge and does judge,” then we can pray that He will move and correct things in His time and in His way. It is really the only way things can be made right.
Steve Andrulonis
