Bereans Corner
Bereans Corner
Iron Sharpens Iron #8- Pastor Tony Evans – Accountability and Repentance in Leadership
Why is Pastor Tony Evans stepping down shrouded in mystery? Join us as we unpack the controversy and dissect the scriptural teachings that frame this issue. By examining 1 Timothy 3:1-4, James 3:1, and James 5:16, we navigate the qualifications for church overseers and the elevated standards for teachers. We delve into the contentious debate on whether Pastor Evans should disclose the specifics of his sin, emphasizing the critical role of transparency and accountability within the Christian community.
This episode also draws a poignant parallel between Evans' situation and the biblical story of David, focusing on the themes of repentance and accountability. We reflect on the importance of seeking God's judgment while discussing the potential paths for Evans—whether it be restoration or retirement, considering his extensive years of service. We urge our listeners to pray for him during this challenging time. Don't miss this thought-provoking discussion, which offers a vital reflection on the responsibilities of church leadership. Share this episode with your loved ones to explore these essential scriptural teachings together.
How is everyone doing? I hope that you are doing well. I want to touch a little bit on this topic of Pastor Tony Evans stepping down Now. A lot of Christians online have been talking about this for the past few days and I want to give some thoughts on it, as I have seen people on both sides of the fence. I've seen a lot of scriptures thrown around. As usual, those scriptures are out of context, so let's just look at some of that.
Speaker 1:Let's start out with 1 Timothy, chapter 3. We're looking at verses 1 through 4. It is a trustworthy statement. If any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach the husband of one wife temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious but gentle. Not addicted to wine or pugnacious but gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity. Now, that last part keeping his children under control. From what I understand about Tony Evans, he does have that part down thing about Tony Evans. He does have that part down. People who have seen his children out and about or who know his children, have said that this man raised good kids and they seem to be a very good example of what a pastor's you know children should be.
Speaker 1:But the main part right there in first Timothy chapter 3 is everything that it says about being an overseer. Now, the reason why I went to that scripture is because there's lots of people online arguing about. Well, you know, you hear the same things all the time. We all fall short of the Lord's glory. You know, we all have our issues, but in first Timothy three, it is very clear that if you are to be over the Lord's people, in other words, if you are to be a shepherd over the sheep or the flock, as they would say that there are things that you are to stray away from, things that you are not to do. Yes, it is true that we all walk around in the same flesh, but, just like in the old Testament, when you go through exodus and leviticus and you see that there were certain laws given, there were also certain laws that the lord gave for the high priest, there were things that the high priest had to stay away from. Now, the lord wasn't saying that the other people, let's say, like you and I can do these things, but there are certain things that you are to stay away from. Where am I going with this? Tony Evans came out and said that there was something that he did a few years ago we don't know if it was two, three, four or five years ago that now is causing him to sit down and people are in the uproar about it.
Speaker 1:Let's go to the next scripture, james, chapter three, james, chapter 3, and we look at verse 1. Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such, we shall incur a stricter judgment. Why did I bring up that scripture? Because the same thing that Tony Evans said that he wanted to hold himself accountable as he would hold other men accountable. The word is very clear. That is, when you become a teacher, you are held to a higher standard, as we just read there in james. Why are you? Why are you in james? Turn to chapter 5. Let's get another scripture james, chapter 5 and verse 16. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Why did I read that scripture? Because tony evans said that he met with his closest advisors and that they all came to the conclusion that he should step down.
Speaker 1:Now part of the argument out here is that there are Christians who say that a man cannot go public with his sins. Well, excuse me, go public and say that he's sinned, but not actually say what he did. And there are those, on the other hand, who say, well, it doesn't really matter to us what he did. He has to be accountable to God. But we know that in first corinthian fives it tells us that believers are to be accountable to other believers. We are to be accountable to each other. We are not supposed to hide in our sin and just say, well, you know what, man, that that's not really your business, that's between me and the lord, or that's just between me and my head elder, and it's not anybody else's business.
Speaker 1:Where I come out on this. My belief is that if you have something that you want to talk about with your elders and you have elders who you report to and when you're a pastor you should have elders to report to that's fine. If you want to talk to those elders, talk about your sin, pray about your sins and say, hey, you guys, this is what I want to do. I want to sit down and, you know, deal with this sin. But it's a different thing when you go out in front of the people and you say, hey, I have done some things. I'm not going to say what they are, I'm just going to say that I've done some things, because now you kind of leave your people hanging and they want to know what's going on, because it could be something terrible, egregious that you have done. You know you could have done, you could have done some of the unnameable things and the people feel like they have the right to to know about that, because it may not be a matter of sit down, it could be a matter of you need to go away forever. Now I know I'm kind of jumping from thing to thing because I just want to get some thoughts on this, but one of the other thoughts I want to touch on is david. A lot of people in some of these videos I've been watching I've been, you know I like to read the comments people are talking about David and they're saying, well, didn't David sin and didn't David take a while before he admitted to his sin? Well, the truth is is that it was a while, but it wasn't that David admitted to his sin, it was that he was confronted with his sin.
Speaker 1:Turn back to second Samuel, second Samuel, and when you get to second Samuel, go to chapter 12. Let's let's touch on this. Let's touch on this thing because people want to bring up David. So let's touch on this thing with with David and see how it really went down. Now I'm going to give you the backstory. David saw Bathsheba from the top of his palace. He knew, even before he called her up, that she belonged to another man. Matter of fact, one of his soldiers, one of his advisors, told him that David didn't care. He brought her up, had relations with her, she's pregnant. He tried to get Uriah to come back to push it off on him. When Uriah didn't give in, he had Uriah put in the front of the fighting that had him killed.
Speaker 1:Now we move on to what happened in second Samuel, chapter 12. Excuse me, we are looking at verses 1 through 15. Then the Lord sent Nathan to David and he came to him and said here, this is Nathan speaking. There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he brought and nourished and grew it up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom and it was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man and he was unwilling to take from his own flock, of his own herd to prepare for the welfare who had come to him. Rather, he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him. Then david's anger burned greatly against the man and he said to Nathan as the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die and he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and had no compassion. Nathan said to David you are the man. Thus the Lord, excuse me.
Speaker 1:Thus says the Lord, god of Israel. It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had not, if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these. Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household. I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. Indeed, you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and under the sun. Then David said to Nathan I have sinned against the Lord. See, now David has confessed his sin. And Nathan said to David the Lord also has taken away your sin. You shall not die, however, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemy of the Lord to blaspheme. The child also that is born to you shall surely die. So Nathan went to his house.
Speaker 1:I went through that to let you all know that people who are pretty much defending Tony Evans are. They're trying to make it seem like, yeah well, david did this thing. Then he felt repentance or remorse and then he gave in. The truth is is that's not what David did. It's been seven, eight, nine months since this thing happened. It doesn't say anywhere in the scriptures that David felt sorrowful for what he did. That's why nathan came and told david that story about the lambs, because he knew that would touch david, because david himself was a sheep herder and he knew that david would understand that.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk about this next thing. Some people have been have said that, well, you know, he should step down. He shouldn't step down. They're using David as an example, making it seem as if David stepped down. But I want to show you something, and it's actually right here in the same chapter yes, david did repent after Nathan brought it up to him, but David did not step down as king, as some people are trying to say. Well, you know, you knowony is doing the right thing by stepping down. You know david never stepped away from the king kingdom. Let me show you something. We're still in second samuel, chapter 12. Drop down to verse 26. We're going to read 26 through 31. Second samuel, 12, verses 26 through 31.
Speaker 1:Now joab fought against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and captured the royal city. And Joab sent messengers messengers, excuse me to David and said I have fought against Rabbah, I have even captured the city of waters. Now, therefore, gather the rest of the people together and camp against the city and capture it, lest I capture the city myself and it be named after me. So david gathered all the people and went to robba, fought against it and captured it. Then he took the crown of their king from his head and his weight was a talent of gold and in it was a precious stone and it was placed on david's head and he brought out the spoil of the city in great amounts. He also brought out the people who were in it and set them, and set them under saws, sharp iron instruments and iron axes and made them pass through the brickling. And thus he did to all the cities of the sons of amnon. Then david and all the people returned to jerusalem. What was my point there? David never stepped down as king.
Speaker 1:Now, david did this sin. He thought he got away with it. Excuse me, nathan comes to him and says the Lord has revealed your sin, david did repent. We know that. After this, david wrote Psalm 51, but notice that David did not step down as king. He was sorry for what he did, he was repentant, but he never stepped down. Why am I bringing that up? Because there are people who are talking about how honorable it is that tony evans wants to step down and there are some who say that he shouldn't step down. Well, like david, david didn't step down and you have to ask yourself he wants to step down, but what is the reason that he wants to step down? But what is the reason that he wants to step down? Is it because this sin ate at him for the last few years and it finally caught up to him? Or was it, like David, that whatever his sin was is about to come out and be revealed? Remember, there is nowhere in the scripture that says that David felt sorrowful, so he came out and confessed his sin. No, nathan had to come to David and he had to tell David to his face the Lord knows what you've done, which David already knew this. But now Nathan knows and David was ashamed because another man knows and he knows that the Lord has revealed his sin. So is that maybe the reason why Tony Evans is coming out with his sin.
Speaker 1:To be honest with you, I don't really have an opinion one way or another. I really just want to touch on some of the scriptures that I heard people talking about. People talk about David and I want to tie this thing into David, but I would like to know where do you stand on this? According to scripture, do you believe that when a pastor, a man who is supposed to be above reproach, does something in the past, do you believe that it is the people's business to know, preferably the people who are in his congregation maybe not necessarily all of us here in the united states and in the world, but maybe don't record it and only talk candidly to the people in his congregation or do you feel that it is no one's business and as long as he talked to his elders, he should be fine? And where do you come out at when it comes to comparing this to David?
Speaker 1:The truth is is that David didn't immediately repent of his sins. Yes, it had been some time, but he didn't come through because it had been some time. It was only because it was brought out and put in his face, and maybe our guy is facing the same thing. All right, people. I just want to kind of get in with this one because it had been kind of bothering me the last few days.
Speaker 1:People have been making videos, people have been at each other's throats about this tony evans thing. The truth is is that god will judge him and he has to seek out the Lord in his heart and do what's right now. As far as I know, this man has not had any issues for 40 years, 38, 40, 42 years, however long that he has been preaching. I have never heard about him having any issues or any skeletons in his closet, but it could be that this could be something that has gone on for years and it is either just now pricking his conscience or somebody else is pricking him saying I know what you've done and you need to do the right thing.
Speaker 1:All right, people, as we should do when a brother or a sister in christ falls, we are to pray for them, and maybe this thing is not as bad as we think and one day he will be restored to his office or maybe, because he is up there in age now, he will go ahead and retire. I I will suggest that you pray for him. I will do the same, and you know what you all pray for me as well. I love coming to you bringing the scriptures. I had to come to you with another iron, sharpens iron. I haven't done this one in a minute, but this story right here just really stood out to me. As always, wherever you hear this podcast, give it a follow, give it a like. Definitely share it with your family and friends. Let them know that there's a brother out here who goes through books of the Bible, verse by verse. That way we get every little bit of meat that is in the Bible. All right, people, that's all I have for now. God bless, thank you.