What the Chief Shepherd is saying in my heart and ears about Church leadership: 2025 and beyond….

Accountability: The role of the Shepherd in leadership.

Church scandals. Mega ministry abuses. It seems The LORD has picked up the rug and is shaking it out in the wind, in the son-light, and hanging it on the wash line for all to see.

The floors are being swept — and there is no running from the Carpenters broom. The time has come.

The LORD has been wooing, calling, pleading, and speaking the last 50 years from, what I can recall.

When I was a 20-something, and dramatically born-again in the late 70s — [during the Catholic Charismatic Renewal days] — I remember, even new to hearing The Holy Spirit, back in those days, prophets were prophesying about things — that we older believers, are seeing happening across The Church landscape.

I’m seeing fifty-year-old prophesies that I recall, they are happening now, en masse!

Now those days are here.

I have this strange sense that I’m living through the end and the beginning of God’s epic poem about the failures and triumphs of His Church.

Just before the one true King came on the scene, LORD Jesus, unrecognized by society at large, but known by true seekers, Heaven sent an unlikely spokesman to herald His time on the world stage.

John the Baptist was the trumpet of The LORD to speak bold truth to a covenant nation whose ways were too much like the godless.

God’s prophets today aren’t eating wild locusts and honey, clad in camel hair.

They may have a podcast, a blog, or online following- but nonetheless — they are the voice our Father in heaven is choosing to speak through.

He owns all flesh, all the souls. It is His purview to use whom and how it pleases Him.

Not much has changed in 2,000 years. The Church, like Israel, as fallen from the place of holiness, and her leaders — often look no different from the world.

But that will all change. The ‘John the Baptist’ voices are on the scene now.

Just as prior to Jesus’ entrance — not all recognized John, the one whom God had sent — to cleanse the template for Messiah’s arrival.

Many in the Church-ianity hierarchical system — do not recognize the unknowns and nobody’s God has chosen for His divine end-time hour cleaning crew.

This crew will sweep the Church of decades old hirelings and false shepherds.

The once true shepherds, who refused to repent or leave their sinful ways — while still playing Church, will be removed by God, unless they truly repent, and come down from the perch and ivory ledge they still lean on.

Unrepentant sin and refusing to heed the voice of the true Shepherd — leads to apostasy. Deception. Eventuality — death.

♥ Let me be clear, not all have fallen. Remember what God said to Elijah:

“I have reserved 7,000 in Israel who have not bowed their knees to Baal nor kissed him,” 1 Kings 19:18.

I wonder how many leaders, prophets, ministers, God has in the Church, who have not played with the Babylonian system or kissed (intimacy) the corrupted Church power brokers?

Only God knows who has defiled or corrupted and still guards His sheep. He knows all our hearts well.

There are still many good honorable ministers, shepherds who lay down their self-interests for the sheep.

There are good Churches and Ministries. There are probably far more that have walked right with The LORD and others.

Perhaps small Churches, Fellowships, Home groups. But as the old adage goes… absolute power corrupts absolutely, so where money, power-control, and avarice go unchecked — every kind of vice is there. It’s epidemic!

But — so many church voices we once looked at as living what they preached — have been found out to be in long-term hidden sin.

Often against children. This has been in the news (legal proven facts — not allegations!)

Slander is an allegation which can ruin a reputation. Once known sin has been legally proven — it becomes a fact.

A proven fact of child molestation or rape is a legal fact, not gossip. It then becomes a crime in the court of law. There is a difference.

The Word says not to warn sheep that are being preyed upon makes one in authority as culpable (guilty) when the innocent sheep are at risk. (Micah 5:8, Ezekiel 34:10, Ezekiel 34:12, 1 Samuel 17:35, Ezekiel 34:22)

Even in the gospel of John 10:12 — Jesus makes it clear that the sheep do not belong to anyone else but Him. Anyone who teaches a controlling submission doctrine is as a hireling.

Whether you’re a pastor, prophet, evangelist, bible teacher, podcaster or whatever role you play in the Kingdom of God — you — me — us — we are ALL HIS Sheep.

We are all His sheep. Shepherd and sheep alike. Anyone who tries to usurp that role, Jesus says, says is a hireling.

I’m quoting from the mouth of the Chief Prophet, Priest, King Himself — the one true Shepherd and LORD, Jesus.

The Charismatic and Pentecostal movement (which has birthed great intimacy in worship, personal Holy Spirit encounters) which is a good thing, sadly — in time — this movement neglected the weightier aspects of the law and grace.

It neglected the foundational doctrines of holiness, accountability, godliness, and scandal-free living.

This Truth came from Jesus — which He then breathed upon the Apostles. (Romans 10:3)

There is a profound lack of wisdom, understanding and rightly discerning the written Word of God in the modern Church today.

Even the Bible versions have become so overtly seeker friendly — to the point where the original text has been supersized dumbed down.

If you have a good concordance or even a translation of Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, you will recognize spiritual illiteracy when it’s taught or preached today. It is clear.

If people read, studied the Word – first themselves, talked to God one-on-one more, they’d be miles ahead — and deception would be in the rear-view mirror, not ahead.

Church — meeting God with the fellowship of the saints — is more than drums, light shows, sideshow antics.

It should be marked by a Holy Spirit move of His Glory and Presence. When God’s light and glory shows up — you don’t need the acoustics or laser lights — for His Light is the show.

There would be less abuses because people would be able to see through the deception.

That’s how spiritual manipulation takes over.

People don’t have discernment or wisdom because they don’t know the written Word of God and they can’t discern when the wolf teaching comes in.

They can’t discern His Holy Spirit in full — because they’ve been led by man’s flesh in clerical garb.

The real is unmistakable- for the fear of The LORD is clean. (Psalm 19:9)

♥ America saw what happened when wokeism and Marxist-cultural ideology almost destroyed our nation; it’s the same modus operandi [M.O.] in the Church — only Satan and his demons couch the words and such in Christianize lingo. Same M.O.

We were disheartened and grieved — when the allegations against esteemed christian leaders like Ravi Zacharias, Mike Bickle, IHOPKC, Todd Bentley, Dr. Michael Brown, Chris Reed of Morningstar Ministries, and others, became news — and the current Daystar saga (allegedly covered up sexual child abuse), money mismanagement, spiritual manipulation/ control by [redacted] and others there, is in the news daily.

We are not to be hardened by this. And of course — we want repentance and restoration.

Repentance. It is crucial for salvation. We are not supposed to distrust everyone.

I now understand why the scripture stresses, “To know those who labor among you!” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

But we must use wisdom where we lay our heads and where we open our wallets.

Wisdom. It is spiritually unhealthy and emotionally deadening to distrust everyone.

But we are to know the fruit of those who speak into our lives. Accountability. A system of checks and balances. It must be put in place.

The day of celebrity ministers, megachurch platforms is over. God is doing some major house-cleaning — from shepherd to sheep. All of us. No one is immune to examination by the Master. (Luke 19:12-27)

God the Father is taking the Church of his Son, Jesus Christ, back to its original foundation. The Book of Acts model. Accountability. Integrity. Holiness. Holy Spirit is the CEO in charge of all of this.

No more mega- mansions. Millions in donor money spent on lavish weddings. Personal mansions. Jets uses for personal use on widows n’ Grandma’s dimes.

The day of fleecing-the-sheep of The LORD is over. It is the day of Jesus, the overseer and Chief Shepherd.

Look at the apostle Peter, Paul’s words — and how they implemented accountability in Jesus’ Church. Look at the Words of Jesus.

He didn’t mince His words. Look at the early Church Fathers. Old Testament prophets.

What did they say about wolves in sheep’s clothing? False prophets!

Jesus didn’t wash sin under the carpet: He said go and sin no more. It is knee-shaking and teeth-shattering to be a hidden abuser of the innocent, trusting ones: children, sheep, the faithful of The LORD, in this hour.

Yes, there’s forgiveness after sin. But forgiveness comes after truth, confessing, admitting to the sin — not hiding it. After repentance, not before.

Not scrambling to get another church or group of sheep months after going from town to town. Fallen ministers need to sit down — and be the restored sheep.

Call it the Court of Heaven’s term limits.

After been caught in adultery, child abuse, rape, stealing The LORD’s money… to do it again, Jesus isn’t having any of it anymore.

The Word of God has boundaries — Parameters. It has disciplines in place. You don’t get a do-over to hurt God’s people, twice. Or 3x.

God never honors concealed sin, so the Word says. The Word gives the diagnosis, treatment plan, and cure.

But it never ever enables enablers. Forgiven yes. A pulpit again?

Only Jesus decides that. He knows the heart and who has truly been changed.

Wisdom says, the bank robber with itchy fingers is never given the keys to the bank safe again.

Boundaries. Yes, The Church bank robber can be forgiven.

Yet – know being forgiven and being trustworthy are two different issues.

If someone is tempted by ($, sex, innocence (children), manipulating people (control/ narcissism) — you don’t put them in a position to re-offend vulnerable sheep.

The Word has safeguards. Even common sense. Why does not the modern Church leaders, prophets, do as such?

The Word teaches us to be as wise as a serpent — but as gentle as a dove. I believe it was President Reagan who, during the Russian Cold-War years, said, ‘trust – but verify‘.

That wisdom is needed in the House of God toward leadership.

I know the Spirit of Elijah is here — and the windowing fork is in the Masters Hand.

I am hearing from The LORD there is more to come. The Shepherd has His hook — and He is removing all the wolves.

“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” Romans 11:22.

 

~ Elizabeth Cassutto

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Rev. Elizabeth Cassutto
Lightbeacon Ministries, Millsboro, Delaware.

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