When our Lord Jesus Christ built His church, He provided for its development and growth with a strong organization of leadership. "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:" Ephesians 4:11-13. The church needs strong and faithful men to lead it, and we thank God for our faithful leaders.

However, we must not think more highly of men than we ought. Romans 12:3. Man is mortal and, far too often, one of our prominent leaders fails God, the truth, and his brothers and sisters in sin sometimes in egregious sin. When this happens, great disappointment is felt, and good works suffer great loss. The more prominent and influential the person is, the more disastrous the consequences. Yes, those who would be teachers shall receive a greater judgment. James 3:1.

Yet, God's children must and will go on. Great effort must be made to restore the fallen. Galatians 6:1. Sin must be reproved even as Paul withstood Peter. Galatians 2:11. Repentance must be sought and forgiveness given. Luke 17:3-4. Time is too short; souls are too precious; heaven is too wonderful; and hell is too hot to do otherwise. May God have mercy on us all. Albert.

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