Losing your Vision

Losing your Vision

I read somewhere recently that a minister had, as the Anglican Book of Common Prayer puts it, “erred and strayed like a lost sheep." He had. Not to put too fine a point on it, done a little bed-hopping. Not satisfied with that, this previously ‘wonderful man of God’ had refused all correction and rebuke and repatriation, and had in fact gone the whole hog and left his old church and started a new one with his, by now, new wife. No names – no pack drill – as they say in the Army, but just suffice it to say that the story made secular headlines as well.

So what happened?

One of the things which happened was that he, like so many before him, broke his marriage vows – vows made and witnessed before God and before a congregation of probably quite a few people. All very public and ultimately, all very sad. Another thing that happened is that he lost his vision. Not his sight but his vision.

As one ancient story tells us, a blind person once asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision."

You see, God had given that man a vision, possibly two visions. One was for him and his wife – the original one. The other was for his church and ministry. In the end, the man trampled royally over both of them. That he lost his vision for his marriage was obvious. What was only slightly less obvious was his voluntary loss of vision for his church and ministry. What happened to his vision? I guess that Satan put a bigger and more powerful one in its place and persuaded him to chase that. Chasing it has started this good man’s downfall.

When he set up his new church, a great many people misguidedly followed him but this will only last for so long. They will slowly come to realise they are in a dead church led by a dead leader. The Lord will take first his anointing, then everything else until all is left is a very hollow shell of what might have been if he had stayed on the straight and narrow. It doesn’t matter how much he fights to retain everything, his church was founded on a rift and every such church itself is constantly divided by more rifts until the whole house of cards crumbles and falls.

Has what he has done inexcusable? No. Is what he has done unforgiveable? No. However, unless he repents publicly and steps back from public life then he has all the adulation and praise he is ever going to get right here on earth. In fact, I fear for his very salvation. I fear the gates of Hell are not far from his door. Did not our Lord say that many will come to Him saying, “Lord, Lord, did we not heal the sick, did we not cast out demons all in Your Name.” But the Lord replied, “Away from me. I did not know you, you evil doers.”

I am sad about any story like this and I pray for all concerned – especially the jilted wife. I hope she can find forgiveness in her heart for him or she too may lose her own state of Grace.