Greetings, dear friends! Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!We are still talking about the importance of accountability. We established that it is accountability and Christian fellowship that helps us to grow spiritually and to live a godly life. God has never meant for His children to live separate from one another. It is quite the opposite; God desires for His children to live in love, unity and cooperation with one another. And it is the system accountability that helps us to come to it.
- We need continual support and encouragement from other people:
«Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing»(1 Thessalonians, 5:11).
- We need the help of other Christians in order to overcome sin and to stay firm in our decision to live a godly life:
«…but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today’, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin» (Hebrews, 3:13).
- We need the help and insight of other brothers and sisters in order to see our sins and to repent of them:
«Brethren, 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).
- We need to confess our sins before other believers and to be accountable thus breaking the power of sin over ourselves:
«Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much» (James, 5:16).
Yesterday I told you about a minister who was struggling with pornography that he hid from others. And I told you that he was losing this battle because he tried to overcome his sin on his own and did not look for the help of the brothers and sisters in the local church God had placed him in. So, how did he get free of this sin that had been tormenting and oppressing him for such a long time?He was once invited to the TV studio to participate in the recording of a TV show hosted by his pastor. There were just two of them in the studio and this minister felt very strong inner pressure and urge from God to tell his pastor about the struggle he was going through, but he did not. The recorded the show and were getting ready to go home. This brother decided that it was all over and he could relax and stop thinking about what he was supposed to do. But he did not know that God had planned to begin to deliver him from his sin. When the recording was over, his pastor suddenly got an idea to record another show about
what to do when a minister gets entangled in moral sin.As this brother late wrote, this is what happened afterwards:«This moment was totally ironic, because all the time God was pushing me to confess my sin to my pastor. All day long I was filled with condemnation, but then the pressure from the Holy Spirit became unbearable – all this time while I was sitting in the studio and helping my pastor to record his message. In his message my pastor addressed all the ministers of our church and asked them to be open and confess their hidden sins so that they would not destroy their ministry.Even though the Holy Spirit pressured me to confess my sin, I argued with God saying, “God, do You really want me to reveal my sin to the pastor? I promise You never to look at pornography, if You spare me this confession!”I was so happy to see that the pastor was in a hurry to get home after recording. But then suddenly he called his wife and asked if it was alright for him to come home later because he needed to spend some time with me. At that moment I accepted the conviction of the Holy Spirit and understood that I had to tell him everything that was happening with me. I knew God would not let me go home without making things right. At the dinner table I confessed my sin to my pastor. I told him that I didn’t want to stay where I was; I knew this sin could destroy my life, my family and my ministry. God had showed me that my disobedience in this area could harm the ministry my pastor was building his whole life. All this time I wanted to get out of the vicious circle but could not because I did not seek for help. My pastor forgave me and set up some rules for me to help me live in holiness before God and people».Fortunately, his pastor was a mature and spiritual man. What this precious brother was afraid the most was rejection. He thought that his pastor would cast him off as soon as he told him about his sin. The devil uses fear to keep people from being accountable. His pastor understood him and loved him and helped him get out of the pit of moral degradation.Tomorrow we will talk some more about this story.Every one of us needs forgiveness. And it is through accountability and spiritual fellowship that we learn forgiveness:
«And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you» (Ephesians, 4:32).
God bless you!Pastor Rufus Ajiboye
