As we are repeatedly confronted with well-known and popular ministers falling into sin or becoming embroiled in scandals, we would like to help weigh up situations based on the truth of God’s Word and see such cases in the light of truth.

 

First, any form of iniquity and turning away from the truth of the Word in the body of Christ is dangerous and not beneficial to anyone. Accordingly, as saints in Christ, we may react with high emotion and strong judgment to specific events, but it is of extreme importance to focus on the sanctification and holiness of God. According to James 3:17, the wise way to deal with what we hear from hearsay or even from ‘first-hand’ sources as best we can in relation to members of the body of Christ is to proceed with purity.

 

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

 

 

According to the current motto for 2026, which is about our Lord making all things new, connected with heaven and earth, it is a spiritual principle. To this end, it is inevitable that God allows upheavals and mess, which, according to His Word, are meant to serve greater glory (cf. Hebrews 12:26-27 i.c.w. Haggai 2:6-8).

 

26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’

27 The words ‘once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken – that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

 

6 ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,” says the Lord Almighty.

8 “The silver is mine and the gold is mine,” declares the Lord Almighty.

 

Thus, our focus cannot be on our concern for events related to the fall of well-known servants in the body of Christ, because according to Romans 8:28, all things must work together for good, and we must also prove ourselves. We are tested in every way in how we position ourselves in relation to what happens within the kingdom of God (cf. Romans 8:28 i.c.w. 1 Corinthians 11:19).

 

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

 

19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.

 

For us, these testings involve a change, depending on the degree of our authority in relation to the situation, from one glory to a new glory of God, which is to be much greater than the former (cf. Haggai 2:9 i.c.w. James 1:3-4).

 

9 “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,” says the Lord Almighty. “And in this place I will grant peace,” declares the Lord Almighty.’

 

… 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

 

It is therefore very important that we do not exalt ourselves above others or judge them if we are not responsible for guiding them or contributing to their restoration (cf. Isaiah 11:3b i.c.w. Matthew 7:1).

 

… 3b He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; …

 

1 ‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

 

 

It is clear and biblically grounded that when spiritual abuse and sins occur in connection with the use of spiritual gifts and leadership, those affected should seek advice and inform the responsible leaders, co-leaders and believers in the community to contribute to transparency and protection. Likewise, all leaders are responsible before God to examine the circumstances arising in their field of authority and alignment (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:20; 1 Corinthians 13:1-7.9 i.c.w. Matthew 18:15-17).

 

20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

 

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. …

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ...

 

15 ‘If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.

16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that “every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

 

When dealing with a ‘poisonous circumstance’, it is important to bind it with the application of the ‘flour of God’ in the form of truth and love with integrity (cf. 2 Kings 4:39-41 i.c.w. Matthew 18:18).

 

39 One of them went out into the fields to gather herbs and found a wild gourd plant and picked as many of its gourds as his garment could hold. When he returned, he cut them up into the pot of stew, though no-one knew what they were.

40 The stew was poured out for the men, but as they began to eat it, they cried out, ‘Man of God, there is death in the pot!’ And they could not eat it.

41 Elisha said, ‘Get some flour.’ He put it into the pot and said, ‘Serve it to the people to eat.’ And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

 

18 ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

 

If we, as members of the body, and as the ecclesia in this end-time phase, obey to this, we will not give the enemy any room to hinder us through unnecessary division, doubt, and unbelief regarding the grace and truth of God. Unfortunately, there are structures of churches and ministries that contribute more to confusion than to the equipping of saints -according to Ephesians 4- by strongly promoting fame and human honor and ‘stardom’ (Note: a form of reverence from servants in the body as for ‘stars and celebrities’ in the secular realm), which is not useful or a blessing.

 

 

In our assigned stewardship and ministry in the kingdom of God, we must reflect on the extent to which this applies to us and turn away from it or repent, because it must be all about Christ, to whom we give account for everything we do (2 Corinthians 5:10).

 

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due to us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

 

We must also understand that we remain responsible and vigilant and pray until the coming of our Lord, who has only good things in mind for all of His saints (James 4:17; James 5:9 i.c.w. Matthew 12:35-37).

 

17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

 

9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

 

‘… 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.

37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.’

 

God’s Spirit wants us to seize what He has in store for us to lay the enemies at His feet and not be overwhelmed by the enemies of God, which does not bring glory (cf. Isaiah 43:19 i.c.w. Psalm 149:6-9).

 

19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

 

5 Let his faithful people rejoice in this honour and sing for joy on their beds.

6 May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, 7 to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, 8 to bind their kings with  fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, 9 to carry out the sentence written against them – this is the glory of all his faithful people. Praise the Lord.

 

The greater glory that God intends with everything involves a transfer like the process of a rotating water wheel, in which water is brought from a lower level to a higher level. In this process, the truth of God’s Word within us is led into a greater realm of knowledge, which is intended to lead to revelatory truth within us. Through this process, the wheat is also separated from the tares in a spiritual context, if we allow it (cf. Matthew 3:12).

 

‘… 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’

 

 

When we are ready to do so, it helps us, as saints in Christ, to walk in our spirit in a new spiritual realm of heaven, while we continue to move on earth in the body of Christ, doing the will of the Son, Jesus Christ, as our head, to whom we are growing, for the glory of the Father (cf. Ephesians 4:15-16).

 

15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

 

Therefore, as members of the body of Christ, we must learn to understand unity, because it clearly shows us in what we have access and where our involvement in situations must be soberly examined, which protects the body and gives the adversary little opportunity for destruction.

 

According to the Word of God, we are clearly exhorted in apostolic teaching to examine what is connected with prophetic ministry, as well as to use our tongues correctly according to 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22. When we hear about terrible events affecting spiritual ministers or churches, Christians tend to react in many ways, expressing themselves through their speech or comments on social media.

 

19 Do not quench the Spirit.

20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.

 

However, the Lord’s standard is clear in this regard: we should be very careful and wise so as not to harm the body unnecessarily. If we cannot contribute effectively to restoration or transparency, apart from our prayer in the Holy Spirit, then according to the truth of God’s Word, we should only speak as much as it honors God, who may want to give grace to those affected to get back on their feet (cf. James 3:6 i.c.w. Proverbs 24:16-17).

 

6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

 

16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.

17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, …

 

 

Hence, let us remain sober, fully focused on the increasing glory of the Lord in this hour and in eager longing for the Bridegroom, who wants to take us as His ecclesia to Himself to celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb with His bride adorned with the righteous deeds of the saints, and to wipe away every tear from her (cf. Revelation 19:7-8 i.c.w. Revelation 21:4-5a).

 

7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

 

4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death” or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’

5a He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ …

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel und Tina Glimm