"I Clean House Before I Visit"
Eight reflections on current conflicts in the American church
The American church is a mess right now. And yet, at the same time, I’ve never had more hope for our future.
Starting in 2020, many high-profile prophetic ministries dramatically and publicly missed predictions of the pandemic and the election. Since then, there has been a seemingly unending series of revelations of sexual immorality, financial corruption, cover-ups, and coercion from high-profile leaders. Many leaders I greatly admire have been credibly accused of serious ethical violations.
Apart from the high-profile ministries, a similar dynamic is at work in local church communities as well. Every single church I know personally has been shaken to its core since the pandemic.
Just last week, a new, very difficult situation came to my attention, something that had been covered up for years. In that same week, our own Matthew Lilley felt compelled to share his story.
What is happening to us? And, what is a godly response to these painful revelations? Should we circle the wagons and defend fallen or accused leaders? Or use this as an opportunity to expose sin and seek justice?
I’ve been pondering these things in my heart over the last weeks, and I wanted to share eight insights on what’s going on, starting with the appropriate way to handle sin in the church.
I’ll conclude by sharing more about why I am so hopeful about the future of the church in America.
1) Due process is essential
Matthew 18:15-17 is often brought up in situations of correction in the church.
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.”
Jesus’s command is to first bring the issue to the individual, then bring another person or two as a witness, and finally, if the matter is not dealt with, to bring it before the entire church. This is part of the “due process” that is necessary in dealing with sin in the family of God.
1 Timothy 5:17-25 is another key passage to understand norms for correcting problems with church leadership.
“Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.” 1 Timothy 5:19-21
Evidence of charges against church leaders should be brought to church leadership by at least two or three witnesses. Paul enjoins elders not to show partiality or prejudice in judging, but to honestly evaluate the evidence.
It is a very great error to excuse the sin of a senior leader because he is the “man of God.” The opposite error, to punish or remove a senior leader over a flimsy, unsupported accusation, is equally serious. I have seen both take place with disastrous results. God requires church leadership to be able to deal with these difficult situations without partiality.
2) Public rebuke is the (required) last resort for unrepentant sin
In both Matthew 18 and 1 Timothy 5 public rebuke for sin is the last resort in dealing with unrepentant sin.
I don’t think any of us would like the worst things we have ever done to be shouted in public for all to hear. The Lord is kind to us—he does not desire to expose us. He does not want to publicly humiliate any of his children. He went to the cross so He would not have to ever think about our sin, ever again.
However, when believers refuse to repent of serious sin after repeated opportunities, the issue must be made public to the church as a last resort. This step is not optional. It is the biblically mandated last resort in both Matthew 18 and 1 Timothy 5.
If elders persist in sin and refuse to repent, there must be a public rebuke. This rebuke serves multiple purposes: it warns those who are following the elder about their bad character. It is also a mercy to the elder, allowing them to feel a severe consequence for their sin, with the hope that this will lead to eventual repentance.
The public rebuke should occur at the level where their ministry operates. If it is a local leader, at the local level. For a leader with global influence, the public rebuke should reach those who are impacted by their ministry, so they can be warned about the individual.
3) Public exposure of sin should cause fear
As the sin of leaders I admire has been exposed, I noticed a prominent emotion in my soul—Fear.
As it turns out, the public rebuke of sin is intended to produce that very result.
“As for those [elders] who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.” 1 Timothy 5:20
We are no better than the people who have fallen into these sins and are subject to the same temptations. These revelations are intended by God for our good, to stir up the fear of the Lord and move us to self-examination, so that we can be spared a similar fate.
If instead of fear and sadness, you’re experiencing feelings of superiority, joy, or a delight in vengeance, be warned, you’re in serious danger of falling yourself.
4) Conspicuous sin, trailing sin
The Apostle Paul, writing in his old age, had seen a few things by the time he wrote 1 Timothy:
“The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others trail behind them. So also, good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.” 1 Timothy 5:24-25
Some of the leaders who have crashed and burned are not surprising. Even if I did not know them personally, I could tell from listening to them for five minutes that there were major problems with their character. Their sins were conspicuous.
Others, like Ravi Zacharias or Mike Bickle, seemed like gracious and humble statesmen. And, indeed, they were. Their sins appeared later. We can sometimes tell in advance when someone has a sin problem, but no one can tell all the time.
5) Vultures are necessary, but don’t hang out with vultures
While God is working to clean house in the church, that does not mean that everything happening in the name of “justice” is his will. Paul says,
“if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” Galatians 6:1
When sin is dealt with but gentleness is absent, watch out—correcting sin with arrogance leads only to more and greater sin.
I'm referring to those who have made it their business to expose others and sometimes profit, either financially or reputationally, from publicly accusing prominent leaders. Just because something is necessary does not mean we should focus on it. Vultures serve an important role in cleaning up dead flesh, but I wouldn’t want to hang out with vultures.
Similarly, I would recommend we learn from what’s happening but not hang out and feed our souls on the latest revelations or exposures.
6) Rebuke and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
The American church is in a season of rebuke.
From celebrity Christianity, to our regular use of spiritual gifts for wealth and fame, to sexual immorality, Jesus is walking among the lampstands and calling us to account. Without a doubt, we are under His rebuke.
However, with God’s rebuke, comes an incredible opportunity. Did you know that Scripture repeatedly links receiving a rebuke to receiving the outpouring of the Holy Spirit?
In Proverbs 1:23 Wisdom says, “Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you.”
Incredibly, this is one of the Old Testament promises of the Holy Spirit, and it’s linked to responding rightly to God’s rebuke.
Proverbs 25:12 says it similarly, using the language of oil to picture the Holy Spirit:
“Let a righteous man strike me, it is a kindness—let him rebuke me, it is oil for my head, let my head not refuse it!”
In contrast to the one who ignores God’s rebuke, Prov. 1:26 says, “I will laugh at your calamity, I will mock you when your terror comes.”
A rebuke is never enjoyable to receive. It hurts viscerally. It’s awkward. It is painful. It means change, correction, the unknown, and a death to part of ourselves. However, how we respond to God’s rebuke is a matter of life and death. It can result in the Holy Spirit being poured out, or in destruction.
Let’s welcome the Lord’s rebuke, knowing it is oil on our head. On the other side of rebuke is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
7) Feed your soul on the good things God is doing
I mentioned earlier that while vultures are necessary, that doesn’t mean we should hang out with them, much less eat with them. In times of the Lord’s rebuke, it’s important to fear, to repent as needed, and fix what’s wrong in areas under our authority.
To help us overcome the sting of God’s rebuke, we should feed our souls on the many good things that God is doing.
The American church is a mess. Yes, in part.
There’s also an unexpected revival taking place among Gen-Z. Young people are coming to Jesus in droves. I’ve heard many older believers compare what’s happening today to the Jesus movement in the 1960s.
Each week, I hear so many good reports from around the globe on what the Lord is accomplishing through His people. Humble, godly, and anointed people are laying down their lives sacrificially for Jesus and producing incredible fruit.
Since the pandemic, our international church planting partners are reporting unprecedented church growth—I believe we are living amid a literal “billion-soul harvest.” The Bible is nearly translated into every known language, and the great commission will likely be completed within our lifetimes. Meanwhile, there is an unprecedented global prayer movement, a house of prayer for all nations, that is seeing the events of the book of Acts taking place all the time, all around the globe.
I’d encourage you to check out www.10daysfilm.com, where we share just some of the stories of what God is doing. In times of rebuke, we need to feed our souls on good news.
Yes, the church has problems—but even with these current blemishes, there is no place I’d rather be.
8) “I Clean House before I Visit”
Recently, as I was speaking to the Lord about these matters, I heard him say this:
“Now is the time to get things in order. I clean house before I visit. Get ready for visitation!”
Just as any woman cleans the house before visitors come over, the Lord is cleaning house. He is walking among the lampstands [churches] and releasing His judgments. He is dealing with what has been wrongly swept under the rug. Now is the time for us to get things in order—how are we falling short of the glory of God? What do we need to change?
He cleans house before He visits—are we ready for a visitation from the Lord? Are we ready for the outpouring that comes when we receive a rebuke?