Posted on 12/31/2009 10:16:01 AM PST by truthandlife
Pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor of the large Bay Area Church, Abundant Life Christian Fellowship, abruptly resigned this past weekend. Sheppard who is widely credited for growing the church from 300 members to well over 6,000 resigned due to a "moral crisis" in statement read to the congregation on Sunday.
According to sources who were in attendance at the church on Sunday, an associate pastor stood up for the morning announcments and read a letter from Pastor Paul Sheppard to the church. In the letter, Sheppard admitted having an extra marital affair. In addition, he asked forgiveness from his wife, Meredith, and from the members of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship. According to church members that The Church Report spoke with, all were shocked and saddened by the news.
Paul Sheppard had been the senior pastor of Abundant Life Christian church since 1989.Sheppard is also a board member of the National Religious Broadcasters and has served as a speaker at many large Christian conferences across the country including Promise Keepers, Family Life and others, according to his website.
Interim pastor, Wayne Jackson, released a statement, saying, "It is with great sadness that we announced this past weekend (December 19-20) the resignation of Pastor Paul Sheppard from our church. Pastor Paul had been the Senior Pastor of Abundant Life for the past 20 years, and his ministry touched countless lives. We honor God for Pastor Paul’s service and the good fruit borne of his ministry, even as we regret the circumstances of his resignation. Please join us in keeping Pastor Paul, Sister Meredith, and their family in prayer."
Calls to the church for comment were not returned.
A good example of why we don’t follow men, but God... A man that puts himself in the middle of such great responsibility and betrays his trust is no man of God, but an evil doer... from the moment he began entertaining his lusts, his works, however righteous became tainted and began crumbling. May God preserve us from choosing such a course, and place the love of spouse and family so firmly in our hearts, that we could not bear the pain of doing such a thing. Amen.
The bible says: But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:28 So yes EVERYONE has commited adultery, if you feel you haven’t then: If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8. We all need to pray for Jesus to come again or take us, but until them for Hime to make us more like Him everyday.
My argument isn’t with the meaning of sin and the nature of our fallen condition. It is with the man that holds himself out as a righteous man while acting on his lusts in the dark, a hypocrite. And yes, we are all hypocrites, but there are varying degrees and varying consequences. The difference between an evil doer and the nature of evil in every man’s heart is potential. The evil doer, as the phrase suggests, is a doer of evil, not just a thinker. You can think evil thoughts all day long but not act on them, and I agree, that if you don’t surrender those thoughts to the Holy Spirit you will surely act on those evil thoughts in some degree at some point. All believers do think evil thoughts, ha, even me. The difference here is, my friend, is that thousands of souls were under the care of that shepherd and that shepherd was secretly devouring his flock in the dark. As a result he has wrecked havoc in the flock and by extension, the kingdom. My main point in the beginning of my comments was, while everyone was saying that we must lift this man up in prayer, I saw no comment of concern for the ramifications of this man’s actions, i.e., the wife, mother and children of the man and the tender hearts of many in the flock who will no doubt leave and may even give up. Burns me up... As far as the pastor is concerned, I have not pity, but for the sake of others, I will pray today.
go minister to those who’ve been devastated by this man’s dark acts, starting with his wife and kids, then to those in the congregation who looked up to him and are now blasted... better that a mill stone be tied around the man’s neck and be cast into the deepest see, than that he hurt the faith of the little ones...
if you or i or anyone for that matter were looking up to pastor paul, he would be the first to tell you or me that we weren’t looking high enough. pray for him and his family and everyone around the world who has found our Lord and Savior through his message!
I expect that it's very much higher.... Certainly the temptation and opportunities are greater than most folks will experience.
It's why St. James cautioned us, Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. (James 3:1-2)
I think mega-church founders tend to have a sort of narcissism about them -- it's not necessarily all bad, but it perhaps makes them more prone than most to be tempted.
I think that's probably not correct.
John 8:7 (New International Version)
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Kick him to the curb. He traded his ministry for sin.
Agree, he did what scripture tells him to do...confess to others, attempt to make amends and ask forgiveness from those he injured......
I’ve made my case, and this the last I’ll comment on it... if anything, the pastor is among the stone casters, for they were of the Pharisees and priests, the ones with the power... funny isn’t it, that’s what the clinton sycophants ran around saying, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone”, and besides, that scenario was a setup to try to catch Jesus in a slip up regarding the law. No, I’d give the first stone to his wife. I’ll be right behind her with the second.
AMEN!!! I am so glad that I know and serve a loving and forgiving Savior and don’t have to depend on humans to forgive me! We are all subject to fail. None of us is perfect. Paul Sheppard is not God; he is no different than anyone else. The enemy of our souls is constantly,as indicated in 1 Peter 5:8, walking about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Satan’s desire is to devour Christians to include Christian marriages. The only thing he can really do is to ruin our testimony, he can’t take our salvation...glory to God! This is why Peter, in the same verse mentioned earlier, encourages believers to be sober and vilgilant so that we don’t fall into the snares of the enemy. Beloved, we need to lift Pastor Paul and his family up in prayer. He, as well as his wife and family members need our prayers, not our condemnations. Posted with love.
Matt 7:1-5
1)Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
2)For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3)Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4) Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5) You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
I have been a preacher and minister for the past fifteen years in the Pasadena Ca. area. I can say with all certainty that Church leaders and particularly preachers are laser-targeted by satan in areas of personal struggle or weakness.
the opposite sex/morality, pride and money are key areas satan traffics in and where all church leaders and Christians (particulary pastors and ministers)should exercise extraordinary caution...this is where the fiery darts will come fast and furious.
satan's time is short...and he knows it. We are in the latter part of the last days.
Walking a true Christian walk, as it's been said, "Is not for the faint of heart." In these last days those who commit fully to preaching the full counsel of the Word must be prepared to face the full onslaught of satan's barrage of fiery darts, tricks, temptations and assaults on every level.
It's not an easy walk...but oh the benefits. After hearing Paul on local radio for a few months I had decided to go see him at Lake Ave. church just down the street for a preachers conference, but I had a check in my spirit. Then in talking to my fiancee, who is highly anointed, she suddenly just said, "No, don't go." All of us are just seconds away from sinning at any moment as we still must live in these fallen bodies.
Staying in the WORD OF GOD is the biggest single key in my opinion to staving off the attacks of the enemy and walking holy before the LORD.
"He sent His word and healed them." My heart breaks for Paul and I love him with the love of Christ. I pray for his full restoration to the ministry.
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God...it's true. But...thank God for his unspeakable mercy.
To whom much is given...much is required. If we fall, we have an advocate with the father...Jesus.
RSB-Altadena Ca.
I agree with you Pastor. We need to remember that Christ said whoever looks at a woman with lust in his eyes is guilty in his heart of adultery, something most of us men have done at least once in our lives and more than once for me. We need to pray for Sheppards restoration as this could one day be any one of us. I have less trouble with this if he is truly repentant,not condoning this neither, than a charlatan who preaches a false gospel or deceptive theology and doctrine, as so many do now. My thoughts and prayers are with the Sheppard family.
Another one bites the dust...
Laser-targeted by Satan???
You are a fruitcake!
Another one bites the dust...
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