“The wisest man in the Bible fell into sexual sin,
the strongest man in the Bible fell into sexual sin,
and the godliest man in the Bible fell into sexual sin.
For me to think that I’m above falling into this sin is to think
that I’m wiser than Solomon, stronger than Samson, and
godlier than King David.”
– Voddie Baucham
In his 1995 book Finishing Strong, Steve Farrar recounts the following story.
“John Bisagno has been pastoring First Baptist of Houston for a number of years. When John was just about to finish college, he was having dinner over at his fiancee’s house. After supper, he was talking with his future father-in-law, Dr. Paul Beck, out on the porch. Dr. Beck had been in ministry for years and that was inevitably the subject toward which the conversation turned.
“John, as you get ready to enter the ministry, I want to give you some advice,” Dr. Beck told the younger man. “Stay true to Jesus! Make sure that you keep your heart close to Jesus every day. It’s a long way from here to where you’re going to go, and Satan’s in no hurry to get you.”
The older man continued. “It has been my observation that just one out of ten who start out in full time service for the Lord at twenty-one are still on track by the age of sixty-five. They’re shot down morally, they’re shot down with discouragement, they’re shot down with liberal theology, they get obsessed with making money…but for one reason or another nine out of ten fall out.”
The twenty-year-old Bisagno was shocked. “I can’t believe that!” he said. “That’s impossible! That just can’t be true.”
Bisagno told how he went home, took one a blank page in the back of his Bible and wrote down the names of twenty-four young men who were his peers and contemporaries. These were young men in their twenties who were sold out for Jesus Christ. They were trained for ministry and burning in their desire to be used by the Lord. These were the committed young preachers who would make an impact for the Lord in their generation.
Bisagno relates the following with a sigh: “I am now fifty-three years old. From time to time as the years have gone by, I’ve had to turn back to that page in my Bible and cross out a name. I wrote down those twenty-four names when I was just twenty years of age. Thirty-three years later, there are only three names remaining of the original twenty-four.”
In his book Surviving the Annointing, David Ravenhill, son of the British evangelist Leonard Ravenhill, writes that “only one out of ten people going into the ministry today will still be ministering at the age of 65,” and that “1,500 ministers leave the ministry every month, with the number one reason being moral failure.” Ravenhill’s book was published in 2007.
Numbers like these boggle my mind. I have a difficult time believing that everyone in ministry has a 10% chance of finishing well. Regardless of where the true numbers land, there has been a constant flow of Christian leaders and those with large platforms falling for decades. Philip Yancey, whose books sold millions and recently disclosed an eight-year affair, is another. More are sure to come. For the moment the Christian media world is frothing about Yancey. Some write they are shocked, and there are a mix of articles with differing slants on grace, forgiveness, Yancey’s sin and his responsibility, condemnation and judgement, the trauma and pain his wife is going through, and even questioning his salvation.
What I rarely see in the articles of a Christian leader falling is acknowledgement of the intense spiritual battle that is set against every believer, leader or not. The closer to the front lines they get, the more intense the firefight. It’s almost as if many are secular Christians and don’t want to go on the record publicly about how the demonic realm is assaulting God’s people and winning way too many battles.
Which is a big part of our problem. If we see everything through a horizontal lens we’ll miss out on the big picture that we’re at the end of the age and the enemy is attacking the church and taking many believers out. If moral failure is a sin issue alone we don’t need to worry about spiritual warfare.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Ephesians 6:12
“And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.”
Luke 4:13
“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
“‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
Revelation 2:8-11
“There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.”
– CS Lewis
We gain clarity when we step back and look at the current environment through the scope of war. Our brothers and sisters are being assaulted. Marriages and families are being attacked. You can see a Christian counselor for years and they won’t say a word about the spiritual battle set against you or help you understand how critical your prayer life is. Heck, you can even go to some churches for decades and won’t be equipped in these areas. We see this all the time with the people who come to us for help. Many have no idea that the lies that are flowing through their mind or that many of their struggles in marriage are a result of warfare.
There have been plenty of situations when I’ve talked about spiritual warfare or sexual issues with a brother or sister in Christ and they gave me a blank look. Horrors. We surely don’t want to pop anyone’s comfort bubble.
By now it should be clear that the enemy has used sexual sin for centuries to destroy lives; he’s still employing it effectively today. Sexual issues, warfare, and prayer should be at the top of the priority list in every church, mens, wives, and youth groups.
Lest we think that sexual sin is only a young man’s thing, Philip Yancey is 76 years old. We see seventy-year olds coming to us for help. Porn, adultery, and other forms of sexual sin hit every age group, gender, and level of the church.
None of this lifts the responsibility of the believer to keep short accounts with sin, put their flesh to death on a daily basis, stay out of isolation and remain accountable to a tribe of committed believers, devote and immerse themselves in prayer, soak in God’s word every day, and choose to be equipped in spiritual warfare.