If we can’t trust our church leaders to protect us

In recent years, teachings on unity, loyalty, and honor have permeated the Church far and wide. These messages have been reinforced with Scripture and stories of biblical characters that have touched our hearts and moved us emotionally time and time again.

But my question has been in recent days, what about all the Scripture verses where God came down and caused “disunity” and “divine disruption?” What about the stories from church history where God saved believers from apostasy, heresy, and abuse by separating them from corrupt religious institutions so they could pursue religious freedom elsewhere, in harmony with Scripture and the Spirit of God? Could it be that we’ve had wolves living among us occupying our highest seats of authority in the ecclesiastical order while using the shield of false unity, false covering, and false love to evade accountability and remain covert in their efforts to devour the sheep and profane the house of God? I believe it could be. Even more, I believe it mostly likely has been!

John10:11-13 (NKJV):

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“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.”

In his first coming, Jesus went to the cross and died as our substitute for sin. But He also walked the earth as a man in human form to be our example. He is our model friend and brother. He is our model Christian and saint. He is also our model leader and shepherd. What is good for the master is good for the disciple (Matt.10:25).

As the good shepherd, Jesus not only brought comfort through His encouraging messages, He also fought off the wolves when they came around. He exposed their evil deeds and clearly identified their traits so that we would know them by their fruits (Matt.7:15-23). In His apostolic succession, He raised up leaders that did the same.

Peter discerned wolves, deceivers, and enemies of righteousness on a number of occasions and boldly confronted them for the safety of the body. In Acts 5:1-11 Peter confronted Ananais and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Ghost and pronounced God-ordained judgment on them which led to their immediate death. Many who endlessly tout the message of God’s love today tend to ignore this story or blame it on Peter’s underdeveloped Pauline grace. I think it’s a clear example of the dealings of a holy God who does not change (Mal.3:6). In Acts 8:20-23 Peter confronted Simon the Sorcerer and told him his heart was not right, he was bound by bitterness and iniquity, and that he would perish with his money if he did not repent.

Paul the Apostle also followed Jesus’ example as a good shepherd and fearlessly defended the house of God while expelling wolves and evil doers. In Acts 13 Paul publicly called out Elymas the Sorcerer and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?” After Elymas was confronted He was blinded by the Lord for several days and had to be led around by the hand (Acts 13:11).

So once again, my question is: if the standard for how leaders dealt with unrepentant sin and for how they dealt with wolves that threatened the flock was so plainly laid out in our New Testament role models of leadership, then why is it so hard to find courageous leaders today that will call a spade a spade, and do what a good shepherd must do to protect the flock of God? I believe the answer lies in our teachings and culture that has flourished in error and has left wide open doors for wolves to rise to power and operate in contempt of God’s justice and righteous standard in the church.

We must always remember the temptation that our Lord overcame when Satan enticed him in a physically diminished state as He was fasting and praying in the wilderness for 40 days. One attack of Satan targeted his identity, questioning His sonship. Another attack sought to arouse human ego and the need to be elevated to power and prestige before one’s time. But if you recall, the most powerful attack was when Satan quoted Scripture to Jesus and contextually used the verses for his own Satanic doctrine. Satan boldly said, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Matt.4:6). Satan was quoting Ps.91:12. For the world Satan is one thing, but for the believer He comes as the great theologian eager to supply us with an ample amount of biblical support for the lies we so desperately want to live by and believe.

Leaders in our time must identify where we have perverted core teachings such as the love of God, the culture of honor, unity, and kingdom covenant relationship. We must weed out the doctrines of demons that have led to the church being a predator’s paradise and a wolf summit. We must dust off the chapters of the Bible we haven’t considered for years because we thought those verses were only for “religiously minded leaders.” We must restore safety to the body at all costs. This will mean acknowledging where our doctrinal errors have led to wolves being restored back into ministry time and time again, only to keep preying on the sheep and extorting the people of God.

It will mean taking on the Spirit of Jesus the Great Shepherd and refusing the way of the hireling any longer. A good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. A good shepherd doesn’t flee or become derelict in his duty because the culture of honor demands that our love covers up the multitude of sins and abuses being committed by the wolf. A good shepherd takes ownership of the sheep and protects them no matter what, even if it comes at great personal cost to him and his ministry. God is looking for good shepherds in our day who can bring justice to victims, restore safety in the Body, and begin to rebuild trust where it has been so badly broken. If we can’t trust our leaders to protect us, then we can’t trust them to teach us the word of God or watch over our souls.