Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
The question has been asked: what would be the proper way of handling the situation at IHOPKC? There is a scriptural mandate for handling any scandal or case like this at any Church. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation according to 2Co 5:17-18 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.
Galatians 6:1 doesn’t say if a man be overtaken in a fault, investigate the matter thoroughly until you come up with who is to blame and then punish the one in fault. The Pharisees operated in that fashion. This was the way they tempted Jesus Christ. They brought one caught in adultery for Jesus to judge the matter, and Christ forgave the sin and called attention to the sin in the heart of her accusers. The priority that Jesus followed was the forgiveness of sin. Restoration must follow the same priority. The forgiveness of sin should be the focus of how this situation is dealt with. If Mike Bickle is guilty, he needs the forgiveness of sin. If the accusers are guilty of lying, they need the forgiveness of sin.
Galatians 6:1 doesn’t say if a man be overtaken in a fault, call together a group of lawyers to navigate the path forward. I understand that there are legal matters to consider. Lawyers may be needed to determine if there is a legal liability, but a team of lawyers is not needed to determine the truth about this matter. The statements from the leadership team imply that the lawyers are interviewing people involved to determine the legitimacy of these allegations. Unless these lawyers know Jesus Christ and walk in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, they are ill-equipped to handle this matter. If there are legal matters to attend to, let them attend to that.
Many of the accusers refuse to give their names, according to the leadership team. An anonymous report cannot be considered against anybody. If we run that course, then someone from a satanic temple can make an allegation against a church leader, and that leader will be shut down. If we are going to operate on the premise of guilty until proven innocent, all of us will be sidelined by the accuser of the brethren, which is Satan.
Mike Bickle and the accusers must be brought together with an apostolic voice or voices present. Forgiveness and restoration should be pursued until all parties in the Spirit of Jesus Christ embrace it.
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