Lessons from a Fallen Preacher

Many brethren have heard the sad and disturbing news of the gospel preacher from Auburn, KY allegedly having consensual sex with a 13 year old girl over the weekend. He has since turned himself in to the authorities and is being held on rape charges. In addition to being a preacher of the gospel, he is also a husband and father. The thought that such a man would do this is both puzzling and disturbing.

I don’t know this man very well. I met him briefly a year or so ago when I attended a gospel meeting at the church in Auburn where he worked. I won’t speculate as to why he did this or what path he took to get to this point. But there are some very important lessons in this story that all Christians need to remember.

  • Don’t put your trust in men. Not only was this a Christian, this was a preacher. It is one thing to see a weak brother fall into sin – it’s sad, but it’s not always surprising. But to see one who is (or should be) a model of faith fall like this, it can be very discouraging. If brethren place too much faith in men, they can be in danger of falling away themselves if these men go off into sin. If their role models fall, then they believe that they can no longer stand either. But we should not forfeit our faith because of the actions of one man. Christ is still our King. The word of God is still truth. The church is still the Lord’s. We must not place so much trust in men that we lose sight of these constant truths.
  • Don’t flirt with sin. Many people in the world have no problem committing sin. They either don’t believe it really is sin, or they believe that sin is not a problem. But it seems that many who understand the terrible nature of sin try to get as close as they can to it without crossing the line. Our goal as Christians is not to walk the line between good and evil. We are to strive for perfection (Matthew 5:48; 1 John 2:1). Whenever we think about the line, we need to turn the other way. Paul told Timothy to “flee from youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22), not to see how close he could come to sin. This begins in our minds. We must work everyday to think on the good things (Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:1-2), rather than the things that can lead us to destruction (James 1:14-15).
  • Be ready to forgive and help. When a brother sins, even a sin as horrible as this, we must be ready to forgive him if he repents (Luke 17:3-4). We also need to be willing to offer whatever help we can. If a brother needs to be taught, restored, or encouraged (1 Thessalonians 5:14; James 5:19-20), Christians must work to do these things.

So as we think about the news of this brother, let us remember these lessons. Do not let something like this cause you to lose your faith in God. Move as far away from sin as you can. Be ready to encourage any weak or erring brethren you have opportunity to help.

In this particular situation, pray for all those involved: the preacher who did this, his wife and children, the girl who was the victim, her family, and the church where he was laboring. Pray that their faith in God might be strengthened and that they would all be able to work through this.

In that request is another reminder. When you sin, often times there are many others who are affected. In many cases, even with private sins, you are hurting more than just yourself. So put away sin. Strive for holiness.

Since writing this, I have seen the statement released by this brother. He understands how terrible his sin is and has expressed remorse. Obviously, this does not remove the physical consequences for what he has done. But let’s hope and pray that he will continue to turn to the Lord so this does not result in eternal damnation. God is merciful and will forgive those who repent and serve Him. Hopefully our brother will continue to seek after God.


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Comments

  1. Excellent Article.

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  1. […] few days ago I posted an article about lessons we can learn from the Auburn preacher and his affair with a 13 year old girl. Today I received an email from Aaron Erhardt who has visited the preacher, Jody Lusk, in jail. He […]

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