The Lie of Double Lives

Hi everyone,

By now most of you will have heard about former pastor Mike Guglielmucci and his exposure as a fraud. For those who haven't heard, here's a nutshell overview:

Mike is famous for his involvement with Planetshakers and Hillsong, the songwriter of "Majesty", "Evermore" and "Healer", among many others.
He has claimed for two years to have cancer - that was a lie. He has been stood down as a pastor by his denomination.
The real reason for his physical condition was his pornography addiction.

Call me cynical, but i'm not surprised. I've heard so many stories like this - a divorce, a scandal, or some other unfortunate situation is exposed, and initially the details are sketchy, but when people dig down and the truth comes to light, there's often a common theme. It shows itself in symptoms such as pornography addiction, adultery, and other things, but when it boils down to it, it's about men's inability to understand and control themselves, especially their sexuality.

I'm sure the church in Australia will be dealing with the fallout from this scandal for years (although deleting references to Mike from the Planetshakers & Hillsong web sites seems like the wrong way to go about it). The most important thing we can do about this is look at ourselves, and when we do we'll rediscover the truth that we're all hypocrites like Mike to one degree or another. Mike is just a higher profile "crash & burn" than the rest of us. He gave in to the lies of the enemy and forgot that there is no such thing as a double life.

Let me say that another way to make sure we all get it: who you are in your thought life is who you really are. That's right - when you're at home surfing the Internet or watching TV, or sitting on the train looking at that beautiful woman across from you - that's who you really are. Some of us fool ourselves into thinking that we can manage it or get away with it (or even that it doesn't matter), but it's not true. Sin is crouching at your door - it wants to rule you, but you must master it (Gen 4:7). Who you really are will eventually come out.

Do you like who you really are? And more importantly, does Jesus like who you are? If not, take action now! Find a trusted friend you can be accountable to, get into some of the resources designed to help you, and start the journey of following Jesus with all of your heart. There are no double lives - make the one life you do have count for him.

God bless,
Paul

References:

Birkdale Baptist Church
Life, Heart and Hope in Jesus

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