Quote:
Originally Posted by Freedom
Part of being a good leader is making responsible decisions and living up to the consequences of those decisions. Most people understand that leaders will make mistakes along the way. I believe that all leaders, especially church leaders, should be willing to stand behind their decisions and own up to their mistakes.
With that in mind, I must say that I find Ed’s response unacceptable. As an elder of the church in Anaheim, he signed a letter concerning matters that were no small issue. Thus, his signature is not something that he or anyone else should take lightly. I do not consider it unreasonable at all to ask for an explanation regarding his signature on the letter to PL.
Even 30 years later, he should still be willing to either stand behind his decision or admit to making a mistake. That’s part of being an accountable leader. If he truly believes that his signature was justified, then there is no reason why he couldn’t argue his case. Likewise, if he feels that his signature was a mistake, there is no reason why he couldn’t come forth and admit that. For him, as a prominent LC leader to admit to just being “a monkey” is unacceptable. His response should be of concern to any LC member who sees him as a leader worth following. I don’t find anything admirable in leaders who boast about being able to see no evil, hear no evil or speak no evil.
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Matt 18:1-4
I think it is very difficult for many of those on these forums to put themselves into Ed's shoes. How difficult it must be to replace JI. When you are a new Christian life is simple, right is right, wrong is wrong. But when you become a "leader", especially in someplace under the microscope like Anaheim you have to weigh every single word, action, deed. It is as though your Christian walk now requires a Phd in calculus. You have to weigh the impact of every word, the unintended consequences, how will this be perceived, etc. And you need a second degree in the intricacies of the the byzantine world you now find yourself in, perhaps a Francis Ball to guide you through the mine field.
But in reality we all have these experiences, to one degree or another. We are faced with deciding what to do, and it can be totally exhausting. At one point in our life we may have thought how smart we were to have arrived at this exalted position, but now later on it just seems exhausting. Because you can't please everyone is going to always be true.
How do you know what the right path is? In my experience whenever I think of taking the cross it always causes me to sweat blood. The Lord actually told me in July that I needed to return to the LC meeting, and I have been sweating bullets of blood ever since. It took me three months to comply. I went many other places until I finally felt cornered and had to comply. The cross is a simple choice, a terrifying choice, but simple. And why would the Lord want me to return if not that He cares about Ed's salvation? The Lord gave me a chance to repay my debt to Ed. Praise Him.
On the other hand there are fancy calculations and mind blowing logic that can justify taking any other path. And even though those calculations always result in this bizarre calculus where certain interests that you never ever considered when you were just a babe in Christ now get taken out to infinity whereas the concerns for the "lost sheep" is run to 0. How to justify that? Something about the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few, kind of like Noah building a boat. If we don't build this boat everyone dies, but if we do at least some survive. If we save just 1 it is infinitely better than 0. The little innocent babes in the church don't understand this, they don't understand the grief that these elders and leaders take, the inward struggle, the pain, all "for the greater good".
And you hear from so many different voices. In my experience the words from the Lord are rebuking, they wound the soul, yet somehow I love them because I know they are faithful and that He is the one I can trust. All the other voices are telling me how I don't have to go to the cross, I don't have to have this happen, think of the pain you would cause your mother, and to others you care about, etc.
But when you do choose the cross it is as though someone flipped the switch. All those who spoke so kindly are now gnashing on you, skinning you alive, screaming for blood while within you just feel wonderful. A great sense of peace. A great sense of clarity comes over you, then you realize hey, don't cry for me, this judgment you see me enduring it is coming on all of us. It is so much better to embrace it, choose it, what better place to meet the Lord than on Golgotha? And, whereas before all you felt was shame, now you sense glory. To choose to take the path to the cross is something that separates the genuine believers from all the posers.
I realize that when Ed says "there is always another side" this is what he is referring to and I also realize that when the Lord said "unless you become as children" this is what He was referring to.
The Christian life is simple, terrifying, but simple. Right is right, wrong is wrong, and in the end the only one we are accountable to is the Lord Jesus. The only one we will have to answer to is the Lord Jesus. If you want to be a servant of Christ you won't be able to be a person who pleases man. It is a simple choice. You can take the path that listens to those who will promise you the world in exchange for your soul, or you can take the path of the one who paid the ultimate price to save your soul.