Welcome to BCNN1’s The Gospel According to Greenleaf Episode #25. This episode is titled, Kicking Sin Out the Front Door of the Church, While Letting An Abomination in Through the Back Door; In Greenleaf World, Can There Be At Least One Good Pastor?; The Acceptable Sin of Grace’s Fornication; and When Secrets Are Revealed, Don’t be Afraid to Deal With It
Let’s look at four issues that were raised in the last episode of Greenleaf, titled “Two by Two,” (which, incidentally, equals four).
1. Kicking Sin Out the Front Door of the Church, While Letting An Abomination in Through the Back Door.
In the previous episode, Bishop Greenleaf led the charge to get Basie Skanks removed from his position as pastor after his gambling and other financial indiscretions were revealed. This is something that should have been done. But, in this episode, the bishop pays a visit to Carlton, the fired homosexual choir director, and asks him to come back while Charity is away. This is something that should not be done. We have a habit, in the church, of condemning some sins while allowing others to continue unabated. We overlook some people’s sins if they are giving a lot of money, if they provide a service to the church, or if they are uniquely gifted for their role and are thus seen as “indispensable.” No one is indispensable to God. And the church must not be afraid to stand against all unrepentant sin, meting out discipline where necessary, and trusting God to provide the right people for the job — people who will honor Him not only with their service, but with an obedient life.
2. In Greenleaf World, Can There Be At Least One Good Pastor?
We know that what makes Greenleaf a good TV show is the drama and conflict between different individuals that often comes about because of sin. But there is always room for the depiction of the good pastor who is above reproach, and striving to do the right thing. (By the way, Grace, who is trying to populate the church with the abomination of homosexuals and at the same time is committing fornication with Darius Rucker, is not good.) And in a show about the church, there certainly ought to be one pastor who depicts the Bible’s ideal of a man being a shepherd to the flock. There are bad ministers in the world, and the problem is they often get all of the attention. But there are many who are doing the right thing. It would be great to see a television show such as Greenleaf shine a light on them every now and then.
3. The Acceptable Sin of Grace’s Fornication.
Grace Greenleaf, who was at one time the heir apparent at Calvary, committed fornication with the Darius Rucker, the reporter she is dating, and it barely caused a ripple in the last two episodes. Certainly, Bishop Greenleaf and Lady Mae suspect what is going on, and they have said nothing about it. (Though, knowing this show, it’s going to turn into a big problem down the road. Our friend, Darius the Reporter is going to start reporting. He looks like a negro who would kiss and tell.) Their silence is a reflection of the church’s growing acceptance of premarital sex in the church. According to a study reported on by The Washington Post, 80% of unmarried evangelical Christians have engaged in sex, though they typically wait longer than other groups of people to do so. The church must be overwhelmingly committed to God’s design for sexual relations between a man and a woman within a marriage. The pastor must preach it; Christian parents must teach it. Fornication cannot become one of those silent sins that everyone knows is going on, but no one says anything about.
4. Christian People, When Secrets Are Revealed, Don’t be Afraid to Deal With It .
After the revelation last week that Lady Mae had committed adultery with another pastor years ago, it took the entire episode before she and Bishop Greenleaf talked about it. Instead, they spend all day tiptoeing around each other, giving suspicious glances and uttering snide one-liners. The only way true healing and reconciliation can take place is through open, honest discussion, with nothing held back. When a secret is revealed, family members, friends, and other relevant parties ought to come together — not for a time of blaming each other, sniping, or revenge, but for a time of confession, honesty, forgiveness, and the start of reconciliation or other damning secrets will begin.
Let’s Pray
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In closing, if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can be forgiven of your wicked sins of the past no matter how dark, God is available to hear your prayer of confession and to hear you ask to be saved from sin and from the punishment of sin which is eternal hell and separation from God. And you can begin a light-filled relationship with God Almighty today.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s laws. You have done some bad things. You have broken the commandments of God. So have I. And so has the Pope. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…” We die physically because of sin and we go to hell to burn forever, to be tormented forever because of our sin. God does not put us into hell; we put ourselves into hell because of our sin.
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ, the loving Lord of glory, preached more on hell than anybody in the Bible. He preached more on hell than he did about Heaven. He said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Now that is bad news, and I know most people do not want to hear any bad news. But you have to hear the bad news because the good news is good news because there is bad news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins. He is the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world, your sins and mine. And all we have to do is trust Him and believe that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you and me so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
And please believe these words found in Romans 10:9 & 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Saved from what? Saved from sin and the punishment of sin which is hell.
If you believe in your heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, that He died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer and mean it from your heart: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life — even some of the sins being brought out in this show called Greenleaf. I am sorry for my sins, and today, please have mercy upon me a sinner. I believe with all of my heart that You died for me, was buried, and rose again. Now, Lord I pray that You would fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to repent of my sins and to follow You for the rest of my life for Your glory, praise, and honor, and, from this point on, to be the shining light that You want me to be. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray, and for His sake, Amen.
Beloved friend, if you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read my pamphlet titled, “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.” Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Until next time, my beloved, may God bless you and keep you. We look forward to seeing you for the next Gospel According to Greenleaf podcast.
The Gospel According to Greenleaf 