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In Numbers 32:23, Moses gave God’s people the following warning: “You may be sure that your sin will find you out.” Of course, not everyone believes this truth, so naturally, some are willing to press their luck.
But this guy should’ve known the reality behind this passage…mainly because he preached it for so long!
For 11 years, Rev. Jack Schaap pastored First Baptist Church of Hammond, IN, but his tenure came to a sudden end on July 27, 2012 when the Board of Deacons fired him due to a sexual relationship he’d carried on with a 16-year-old girl from the congregation. (Though the age of consent in Indiana is 16, an FBI investigation was launched to determine if underage sexual encounters transpired across state lines.)
The affair Schaap carried on with the teenage girl spanned a number of months, and might still be ongoing were it not for the incredible timing of a graphic text message.
Following a sermon, the senior pastor inadvertently left his cell phone on the pulpit. A thoughtful deacon saw it, recognized it, and decided to take it to the pastor. While the deacon was in the process of returning the phone to its owner, a text message came through…with an attached photo of the teenage girl and the pastor making out.
Talk about making a mess out of messaging….
Since his dismissal, Schaap has already begun the legal process of trying to clear his name, mainly by claiming he didn’t know it was illegal to take an underage girl across state lines to have sex with her. It’s an absolute certainty at this point; he’ll spend at least 10 years in prison for his crimes, and that punishment may increase to a life sentence pending the outcome of the trial that’s set to begin in January of 2013.
God’s Word rings true again. No matter how good we may think we are at hiding our sin, it will eventually be uncovered and we’ll be left to face the consequences.
Click here for the online report.
Topics Illustrated Include:
Adultery
Consequences
Evidence
Hypocrisy
Leadership
Pastor
Sexting
Sexual Immorality
Sin
Technology
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
