Take Heed Lest You Fall
By Pastor Chuck Swindoll
The Enemy’s Clever Ways
“The enemy is so clever, he can give you creative ways to secretly practice your sins, all the while destroying you down inside while you go through the perfunctory motions of ministry. Even the Sunday before, the audacity of the man to lay his hands on four men being ordained into ministry, on the heels of six months of adultery. And it’s easy to sit here and shake our heads and cluck our tongues and maybe even weep, but if you don’t take heed, you also can fall and quite likely will.”
Take Heed!
“‘Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.’ A simple little observation. Sandwiched between standing and falling is taking heed. Between the standing, or at least thinking we stand, and the falling, the potential of falling, is ‘take heed.’ That’s what we’re doing today. We’re taking heed. Taking heed. We’re allowing the Spirit of God to drill into our brains the importance of taking heed, lest we fall.”
The Need for Witnesses
“So understand, we’re not to have a suspicious spirit. We’re not to go by hunches. We’re not to listen to hearsay. We’re not running a Gestapo with a cross on top. It’s a church. It’s a family. It’s a body. It’s brothers and sisters in Christ. And so there will be occasions when accusations will be made. Don’t believe it just because somebody says it. You have to check it out. You have to get the facts. You have to investigate. You have to do nasty, dirty stuff. You have to get into the details. You do, as the leader, you have to do that. But you have to be discerning. You have to know who to listen to. You have to make sure that the people are credible who are telling you. Otherwise, they might just be trying to get back at a pastor they don’t like. So he makes it very clear that you must not go by hunches and speculations and suspicion. And it harks back to Moses’ words in Deuteronomy. So he says you need two or three witnesses. More is even better. Less than two is not.”
Rebuke Those in Sin
“If the person is continuing in sin and you catch them, that’s continuing in sin to the moment you catch them, to the time they’re brought in for confrontation, then you need to rebuke them. It means exactly what it says. And I use the word when I confront the person who’s guilty. I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ. How dare you take advantage of the body? How dare you betray this staff? How dare you deny the Lord your God with your action of sinfulness over the months of time you had during which I spoke more than a few times on the subject of the importance of personal purity.”
Don’t Play Favorites
“You can’t play favorites. What if it’s a pastor everybody loves? Can’t play favorites. What if it’s a young pastor? Can’t play favorites. What if it’s senior pastor? Can’t play favorites. What if it’s the music minister who has loved us and led us and helped us in giving our praise to God? Can’t play favorites. I mean, it’s really clear, isn’t it? Maintain the principles without bias doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. No prejudging. No exceptions.’”
Additional Resources
First, sign up for our Chuck’s Insights on Ministry email where we bring you his best thoughts on preaching, leadership, and ministry each week. By signing up, you’ll instantly receive a one-page checklist with 20 preaching insights from Chuck. See this page’s sidebar.
Second, check out our new Preach The Word articles and video series on YouTube where we’re teaching Chuck’s best insights on this important calling.
Third, listen to Chuck’s messages to those in ministry through our Seminary Chapels page. For decades, he offered students at Dallas Theological Seminary his best thoughts on church leadership and ministry. Now, we have put them at your fingertips. Also, you can find them through this YouTube playlist we created for you.
Fourth, if you don’t own a copy of Chuck’s book on preaching, Saying It Well, we highly recommend you add it to your library. It’s his preaching memoir that is also like a practical preaching manual. You won’t be able to put it down.
About the author
Pastor Chuck Swindoll
Pastor Charles R. Swindoll has devoted his life to the accurate, practical teaching and application of God’s Word. He is the founding pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, but Chuck’s listening audience extends far beyond a local church body. As a leading program in Christian broadcasting since 1979, Insight for Living airs around the world. Chuck’s leadership as president and now chancellor emeritus at Dallas Theological Seminary has helped prepare and equip a new generation of men and women for ministry.
