That’s what I tearfully shared with eight lead pastors on an early Tuesday afternoon.

Every Tuesday, I lead a meeting for lead pastors to provide coaching and support for faithful men who are serving their flock and leading their teams.

While our agenda predominantly revolves around the execution of our discipleship strategy, I will carve out a few minutes at the top of the meeting to provide relevant leadership thoughts I believe may be beneficial.

These leadership thoughts can range from the theological to the strategic.

And then there are other ones, like this Tuesday afternoon, which was simply a plea for them to be men of integrity.

Three Saddening Moments

I grabbed a marker and wrote out three dates on the white board:

April 12. April 17. June 10.

What happened on these dates?

April 12 - Stronger Men’s Conference controversy in which the conference host and a conference speaker broke out in an on-stage disagreement in the public eye of those gathered.

April 17 - Orange Conference announced that its founder, Reggie Joiner was stepping down after an inappropriate relationship with the newly announced CEO, who also resigned.

June 10 - Respected Tony Evans announced he was stepping away from Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship after a 48-year Senior Pastor tenure citing a sin from the past.

I then asked the Lead Pastors how they would categorize each of the three according to ministry emphasis or theological tribes. They were (rightly) all over the map:

“Mens ministry.” “Family ministry.” “Bible Teaching.” “Semi-Reformed.” “Attractional.” “Assemblies of God.” “Baptist.” “Non-denominational.” “Bible-based.”

One Sobering Reality

Sin does not care that you attend or work at a well known church or one that nobody has heard about. Sin does not care about your tribes, affiliations, or theological convictions.

Sin is simply “crouching at the door” (Genesis 4:7) trying to deceive us for an implosion.

How deceptive and dangerous is sin?

Sin deceives enough to make grown men act like children at a men’s conference themed around being strong. Sin is dangerous enough to infuse destruction into the very lives (and homes) of those who have helped build one of the largest family ministries conferences. Sin is patient enough to wait 48 years to impact one of the most well-known and beloved Bible teachers in the country.

And sin was able to accomplish this within a 9 week window.

Zero Stones Unturned

I stood in that room and asked the following rhetorical questions:

1. What’s happening in your private world that if exposed would cause you to be embarrased?

2. How would your spouse (not you) evaluate the quality and health of your marriage?

3. How does your kid(s) feel when you come home?

4. What is “just a little off” right now that sets you on a trajectory of great pain and regret ten years later?

We invited each other to “watch our lives and doctrine closely” (1 Tim 4:16) and to guard our hearts for “from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). We agreed it was important to have real relationships, within and beyond our church, where we can be vulnerable and transparent.

Final Thoughts

I don’t believe in dualism.

I don’t believe God and Satan are co-equals locked in an endless cosmic battle. Jesus is the King who rules over all.

But the gospel of the Kingdom also corrects naive triumphalism. Yes, sin has been decisively conquered in an objective sense through Christ’s work on the cross, but sin must also be subjectively fled from and avoided in the cross-carrying journey of the Christian.

As it’s been once said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”

It’s worth closing the door and turning the locks.

Sin is crouching at the door.