JPhillipJones.com

Greetings in Jesus name,

In the world of medicine, strict attention is paid to a doctor's behavior and performance. A doctor who consistently looses patients or prescribes the wrong treatments for various deceases is soon in peril of loosing his license. Likewise, in the legal world a lawyer who practices unethically or commits crimes in his business is held accountable by the Bar Association. Bankers and financial decision makers are all held accountable for the performance of the funds that they manage. A financial manager that repeatedly looses his clients' money on bad investments will soon find himself in another line of work.

So why is it that in the church we refuse to hold accountable those who are in the ministry to even the most basic of standards? Now this obviously doesn't speak to every church or ministry, but all too often I see ministers who are the practitioners of unrighteousness be allowed to continue to represent the church.

A minister, a preacher, a pastor, or a bishop is charged with something much more crucial and something far more important that the duties of a doctor or a lawyer. The assets
they handle and work with are far more precious than money. I'm talking about the souls of men and women. And yet, so many seem to be content in allowing their church leaders to participate in sometimes the most base behavior without even censure.

I have seen it, and it is a great evil on the Earth. It brings a reproach on not only on themselves, but also the church of God.

In the opening chapters of first book of Samuel we find such a story of a man named Eli and his sons who were priests in Shiloh. The priesthood had devolved into a club for self-indulgence and the exploitation if innocent Israelites. Reading through those scriptures, and I encourage you to do so, one finds that the priests were using their positions for their own personal gain and base pleasures:

1 Samuel 2:7 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.

I want to concentrate on that last piece of the Scripture. It says that men abhorred the offering of the Lord. What a horrible witness these sons of Eli had. What kind of Spiritual encouragement or help could anyone receive at the hands of these ministers? None, all they offered was abuse and corrupt council.

That's why it's so bad to allow corrupt ministers to continue in the church. They act as a barrier between man and what man needs most, salvation. And they pollute the only place that man can go to get salvation, the churches of Jesus Christ. They are impostors and as Jesus drove the profiteers out of the temple, we should also drive these pretenders out of the churches to a place where they can't harm the tender young souls of the congregations. And we do this by holding them accountable.

Matt 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Matt 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Matt 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Matt 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Matt 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Matt 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.