Don't Disregard The Truths Of Imperfect Fallen Teachers

Ecclesiastes 7:10, “Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these?  for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.”

I am a thankful graduate of Hyles-Anderson College (1985-1993). I don't mention the names of my teachers I had at college, but they are precious to me. I still have all my college notes. Many people are scared to even mention the name of one Bible teacher, who received life in prison for unmentionable crimes. I still have all my notes by him, and I cherish them. Just because the Devil sifted him as wheat, and he chose to go into horrible sin, doesn't negate anything that he taught us students. I had this man for Old and New Testament Survey. I had him for Proverbs, Old Testament Psychology, and numerous other Bible classes. 

I intentionally took senior college classes in my freshman year, because I loved this man's knowledge of the Bible, and his style of teaching that really helped me learn. When he taught, students were sitting on the edge of their seat, wanting to learn. This man was one of the greatest Bible teachers I ever had, but he didn't love the Lord as he should have. This man taught me that many graduates of Bible college fail, because they go from LEARNING to LIVING, but they bypass LOVING. He was absolutely right! Sadly, he didn't take his own advice. Dear reader, you can LEARN all you can learn about theology and preaching, but if you bypass LOVING God and your neighbour as thyself, you will fail at LIVING!

This Bible teacher was also an evangelist, who used to preach week long revivals at my home church in Chicago, where I was saved and attended grade and high school at the Northland Baptist Church, which later moved 10 miles south and changed their name to the First Baptist Church of Marquette. I was there through it all, sitting on the edge of my seat like a sponge, learning all I could about God and the King James Bible. I've read comments online about former HAC students throwing all their class notes into the garbage, because of this man's sins. Not me buddy! I cherish those notes. 

I still have the notes of another Bible teacher who turned against Pastor Jack Hyles in 1989. That particular man was saved in a subway, after a Christian lady handed him a Gospel tract. I had him for my Soulwinning Evangelism class. I still have all my notes. If you think that it is proper to throw away everything you learned from a horrible sinner, then you should throw your Bible in the garbage too, because one-third of the Holy Bible was penned by murderers! Moses, David and Saul (later Paul) were all murderers. Before David was even conceived in his mother's womb, or chosen to be king of Israel, God knew that David would commit adultery and murder, shaming the name of God and His people. Truly God's thoughts and ways are above our thoughts and ways. Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” 

I have heard umpteen people become disgruntled toward their former pastor. Many of them abandon everything that their pastor taught them. I think that is so foolish. I don't care what your pastor did, the things he taught you are good to remember, if they were good teachings. I don't care how sinful or horrible a crime your pastor may have committed, that does not diminish the truthfulness of his preaching, if it was truth to begin with. It is true that a preacher's message is diminished in effectiveness by sin, but you don't have to let it be so. My former favorite Bible teacher I mentioned earlier is now serving multiple consecutive life sentences in prison. Yet, I have never been tempted to trash his notes given in class. I have news for you, YOU AND I my friend are just as much a sinner as HE IS! 1st Timothy 5:24, “Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.” Don't judge others because they sin differently than you do!

As humans we all categorize sins. If we were to take a piece of paper and make a list of what we think are the worst sins, we'd all put murder right at the top. We'd put pedophilia at the top. We'd put adultery at the top. But look at the list of sins which the Bible says God HATES THE MOST in Proverbs 6:16-19, “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” Do you see that the sins we hate are not the same sins that God hates? God hates stinking pride! God hates a proud look! God hates hands that hurt innocent people. God hates a wicked heart that devises ways to hurt other people. God hates a lying false tongue. God hates a person who is always seeking to do evil. God hates those who divide brethren. These are the sins that God hates! To clarify, God does not hate people, He hates the sin!

If you have been hurt or betrayed by someone to whom you looked up to, let it go into God's hands friend. Let God's love permeate your soul and put that smile back on your face. If you give God your heart, He'll put a wonderful smile on your face. By the way, I think the most beautiful quality of a woman is an infectious smile! The only thing more painful than being hurt by someone that you look up to, is hurting someone that looks up to you! That is the worst pain. I can only imagine the pain of soul that my former Bible teacher must have day by day, month by month, year by year, and now it has been decades. The whole story is so sad. But dear friend, it is only by the grace of God that all of us aren't rotting in prison next to him! There but for the grace of God Go I. There but for the grace of God go you! That is why my favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

Many of the truths that I teach online, I learned in class at Hyles-Anderson College. One of the reasons why I work so hard on my website ministry is to help earn rewards in Heaven for my former Bible teacher. My best friend while growing up, Greg, commit suicide at only age 22. He took his father's shotgun and killed himself. I wept uncontrollably at his funeral. I placed my little New Testament Bible into his casket, which I had used to win many people to the Lord. I went off to Bible college at age 18, and hadn't seen my friend for a few years. I personally led him to the Lord in my basement, which was our club hangout. I played acoustic guitar and we used to sing “Victory In Jesus.” In time I went off to Bible college. Not too long thereafter our home church fell apart, and he dropped out for lack of friends, and started drinking booze, listening to Ozzy Osbourne's song “Suicide,” and inevitably succumbed to Satan's influence, committing suicide. 

Since my friend cannot labor for Jesus Christ, I am compelled to work even harder each night and day. I believe that he was a born-again Christian, but like John the Baptist became disillusioned. I can earn rewards for my former Bible teacher who is in prison. I feel sorry for him and everyone involved with the damage and pain he caused. The truth is that every one of us are sinners, who deserve to plunge immediately into the depths of Hell and burn forever! The only happy life is living a righteous life for Jesus Christ. Proverbs 16:8, “Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.” I thank God for the Bible teachers I have had in my life, as imperfect as some of them were, like me and you.