Almost two years to the day after Randy and Paula White announced their divorce, another Florida megachurch pastoring couple has made it official that their marriage is over. Zachery and Riva Tims, the founding pastors of New Destiny Christian Center (NDCC) in Orlando, Fla., have officially ended their 15-year marriage two years after it was discovered that Zachery Tims had an affair with an exotic dancer he met in Paris. You can read the rest of the article here.
I read stuff like this and I just don't know what to do. It pains me to see disasters of this magnitude strike at the heart of Christianity here in America. One part of me really wants to let them have it, because if you think that this makes our ministries easier - you are wrong. I have had too many people come through my church desperate to connect to God and His people, but couldn't. They just can't trust the church or it's people anymore.
One part of me is hurt. Can I understand how this can happen? Of course I can, you can too. Pastors and spiritual leaders don't have a temptation exemption certificate they can show Satan every time he tries to destroy them. Families, children, marriages and spouses are damaged, hurt - sometimes beyond the point of repair.
I just want to scream! It is obvious that from these large mega church ministries, it's leadership was highly qualified, capable people who are gifted of God to do His will in this world. Thousands of people were saved, changed, healed and restored through the mercy of Christ. But now what? How many are going to be lost? How many are not going to be saved? The pastor who should be pastoring thousands is now only going to lead hundreds. Great things for the cause of Christ will never happen. I am not purposing that God is derailed beyond hope because of our mistakes. But what is the real cost of our sins?
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