Breaking
Silence
A guide for Church Leaders on dealing with issues

Silence is Inaction – A call to be
Charitable
• Deu 22:4 You shall not see your
brother's donkey or his ox fallen
down by the way and ignore them.
You shall help him to lift them up
again.

The Stray Donkey – How much more
humans!
• Exo 23:4 "If you meet your enemy's ox or his
donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to
him.
• Exo 23:5 If you see the donkey of one who
hates you lying down under its burden, you
shall refrain from leaving him with it; you
shall rescue it with him.
– Ponder: When you ignore this command and
choose a path of silence then are you justified?

Silence
Birth ofTraitors

The Silent Watchman is a traitor
• Eze 33:6 But if the watchman
sees the sword coming and
does not blow the trumpet,
so that the people are not
warned, and the sword
comes and takes any one of
them, that person is taken
away in his iniquity, but his
blood I will require at the
watchman's hand.

Silence Perverts Justice
• Lev 5:1 "If anyone sins in that he
hears a public adjuration to testify,
and though he is a witness, whether
he has seen or come to know the
matter, yet does not speak, he shall
bear his iniquity;
Yet
does
not
spea
k

There is a time to act – “if you keep
silent”

Silence : Blinded by Self Justification

Silence
Holding a grudge in Silence is No Good Speak Frankly in the spirit of
Christ

Don’t cork it! Deal with it
• "You shall not hate your brother in
your heart, but you shall reason
frankly with your neighbor, lest you
incur sin because of him. (Leviticus
19:17 ESV)
–Mat 18:15 "If your brother sins
against you, go and tell him his
fault, between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have
gained your brother.

Witnessing v/s Gossip
• Pro 16:28 Gossip is no good! It causes hard feelings and comes between
friends.
• Pro 11:9 Dishonest people use gossip to destroy their neighbors; good people
are protected by their own good sense
v/s
• And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be
a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; Then shall ye do
unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put
the evil away from among you. (Deuteronomy 19:18-19 KJV)

The voice of two
Witnesses
Remaining Silent Perverts Justice

A process – Two witnesses required
• Do not admit a charge
against an elder except
on the evidence of two
or three witnesses. (1
Timothy 5:19 ESV)
But, when witnesses or judges remain silent they condone evil

Silence shattered - a Great
Responsibility
•The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him
toput him to death, and afterward the hand of all
the people. So you shall purge the evil from your
midst. (Deuteronomy 17:2-7 ESV)
But, when witnesses or judges remain silent they condone evil because of their fears
Witnessing has consequences. Can put your life in peril in high profile cases.

The Fear Factor
All of us Fear for our reputation and life

Fear leads to Silence
• Joh 9:21 But how he now sees we do not
know, nor do we know who opened his
eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for
himself."
• Joh 9:22 (His parents said these things
because they feared the Jews, for the
Jews had already agreed that if anyone
should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to
be put out of the synagogue.)

Fear silences us
• Joh 12:42 Nevertheless,
many even of the
authorities believed in him,
but for fear of the
Pharisees they did not
confess it, so that they
would not be put out of
the synagogue;
• Joh 12:43 for they loved
the glory that comes from
man more than the glory
that comes from God.

Intimidated to Silence
• Deu 1:17 You shall not be partial
in judgment. You shall hear the
small and the great alike. You
shall not be intimidated by
anyone, for the judgment is
God's.
People
typically follow
a majority
&
History has
shown that
justice will
favor the
powerful

Silence shattered - Pressure of Many
• Exo 23:2 You shall not fall in with
the many to do evil, nor shall you
bear witness in a lawsuit, siding
with the many, so as to pervert
justice,

Silence shattered - Pressure of Many
• Mark 15:15 So Pilate, wishing
to satisfy the crowd, released
for them Barabbas, and having
scourged Jesus, he delivered him
to be crucified.
When Justice is perverted the innocent suffer

Pressure and Selfishness leads to
poor judgment
• Acts 24:27 But after two
years Porcius Festus came
into Felix' room: and Felix,
willing to shew the Jews a
pleasure, left Paul bound.

Don’t give in under pressure
• Trust in the LORD
• Love the LORD with all your heart and soul and strength
• Aaron succumbed to pressure but was accountable
– Exo 32:21 And Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you that
you have brought such a great sin upon them?"
– Exo 32:22 And Aaron said, "Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You
know the people, that they are set on evil.

Do you want to be counted with
cowards?
• Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the
faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the
sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all
liars, their portion will be in the lake that
burns with fire and sulfur, which is the
second death."

Fear a Reality - Examples
• The report of ten spies made the people
afraid.
– Num 14:36 And the men whom
Moses sent to spy out the land,
who returned and made all the
congregation grumble against him
by bringing up a bad report about
the land—
– Num 14:37 the men who brought
up a bad report of the land—died
by plague before the LORD.
• 1Sa 15:24 Saul said to Samuel, ”…
because I feared the people and
obeyed their voice.

Fear is addictive & Misleads others
• Deu 20:8 And the officers shall
speak further to the people, and
say, 'Is there any man who is fearful
and fainthearted? Let him go back
to his house, lest he make the
heart of his fellows melt like his
own.’
• Numbers 32:9 (ESV) For when
they went up to the Valley of
Eshcol and saw the land, they
discouraged the heart of the
people of Israel from going into the

Fear is real but there is a call and
strategy to overcome
• 1Sa 16:2 And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it,
he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with
you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
• Do not mess with God and mislead other either
–Jeremiah 1:17 But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say
to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed
by them, lest I dismay you before them.

Fear is real – It did not stop Stephen
testifying against the Jews
who will stand up?
• Act 7:57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and
rushed together at him.
• Act 7:58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the
witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
• Act 7:59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit."
• Act 7:60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do
not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Silence
Examples of Father  son failures

The sin of Eli – No ‘action’ Taken
• 1Sa 2:29 Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings
that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above
me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering
of my people Israel?'
• 1Sa 3:13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house
forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were
blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.

King David as a father
• 1 Kings 1:6 His father had never at any time displeased him by
asking, "Why have you done thus and so?" He was also a very
handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom.
“Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him
to death.” - Proverbs 19:18

Breaking Silence
Examples of Success

Phinehas – Don’t just stand and watch
• Num 25:7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the
priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in
his hand
• Num 25:8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and
pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through
her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was
stopped.
• Num 25:9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were
twenty-four thousand.

It was impossible for men of God to
keep silent
• Ezr 10:10 And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them,
"You have broken faith and married foreign women, and
so increased the guilt of Israel.
• Ezr 10:11 Now then make confession to the LORD, the
God of your fathers and do his will. Separate
yourselves from the peoples of the land and from
the foreign wives."

Do not seek Popularity – Yes you will
be unpopular
• Jeremiah 26:7-9 When Jeremiah finished speaking all that the
LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests
and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, "You must
die! "Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD saying,
'This house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate, without
inhabitant '?" And all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the
house of the LORD.…
Better is open rebuke than hidden love - Proverbs 27:5

There are Dire consequences when
you stand up
• 2Ch 24:20 Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of
Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to
them, "Thus says God, 'Why do you break the commandments of
the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken
the LORD, he has forsaken you.'"
• 2Ch 24:21 But they conspired against him, and by command of the
king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house
of the LORD.
{ Matthew 21:35 And the tenants took his servants and
beat one, killed another, and stoned another. }

Your head on a platter – Ready?
• All he said to Herod was: "It is not lawful for you to have your
brother's wife.”
– Mar 6:18 John

Silent
Leaders
Wisdom # 45: Silence is safe to be at peace with all men

A silent leader is himself deceived and
leads the sheep astray
• “Ignore it and it will go away” strategy
– “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose
them” (Ephesians 5:11).
• “We should show love and not judge”
– But Love itself “does not rejoice in unrighteousness” (1 Corinthians 13:5–6).
How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the
wicked? Selah. (Psalms 82:2)

Don’t Hide - Confront in the spirit of
Christ
• Confront and fear not
– Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who
are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on
yourself, lest you too be tempted.
– 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 If anyone does not obey what we say in this
letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he
may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a
brother.
– Luke 17:3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him,
and if he repents, forgive him,
– 1Ti 5:20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence

Don’t Hide - Confront in the spirit of
Christ
• Don’t be two faced
–Galatians 2:11-14 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I
opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For
before certain men came from James, he was eating with the
Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated
himself, fearing the circumcision party.

Silence – The Tortoise strategy

Called
to Judge
Members in leadership roles should Judge cases that does not require
Criminal prosecution by the law of the land

Do not be incompetent
• 1Co 6:1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the
unrighteous instead of the saints?
• 1Co 6:2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be
judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?

Judges - A Principle setup by Moses
• Deu 16:18 "You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the
LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge
the people with righteous judgment.
• Under the New covenant
– Tit 1:5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what
remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed
you
– Act 14:23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every
church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in
whom they had believed.

Mercy &
Justice
Woman Caught in Adultery
– A Case study

Woman caught in adultery v/s
Herodias

Woman caught in adultery v/s
Herodias
• The woman brought to Jesus was a weak woman
– They could have stoned her without bringing her to Jesus
– They wanted to test Jesus. They had a guinea pig.
– But,
• Were these men capable of dragging Herodias to Jesus?
• John
– John testified against Herodias and his head was cut off!
– John was alone. John lived and died for the TRUTH.
• To ponder upon
– Was John who offered a baptism of forgiveness and repentance himself unforgiving?
– Why did he not retract his statement?
– Was it worth for man like John to waste his live over Herodias?

Is Silence a safe bet?
• Jesus did not condone adultery
– Joh 8:11 And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on
sin no more.”
• The Church’s responsibility
– 1Co 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you,
and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his
father's wife.
– 1Co 5:2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him
who has done this be removed from among you.

Jesus and John had to confront
adultery cases
• Do not confuse Jezebel that led Israel astray with the woman caught in
adultery
– The two cases have to be treated in context!
• John and Jesus spoke thus
– Mat 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his
baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from
the wrath to come? – John
– Mat 23:33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being
sentenced to hell? – Jesus
• Ponder: Was Jesus teaching forgiveness and himself unwilling to forgive?

While Jezebel in Revelation is mostly
symbolic…
• Rev 2:20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel,
who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice
sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
– Did the early church have a leader in their midst by the name “Jezebel”?
– Even if there was one she would have changed her name.
– Jezebel is easily associated with external wicked influences that enters the church and corrupts
the church. (Jezebel a foreigner married Ahab and corrupted Israel)
– The church thought it ok to tolerate this influence:
• practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
• The instruction from Jesus is that Jezebel should be treated differently to the woman he met at the
temple dragged by her condemners
– Ponder: Is there a difference? What is the difference?

Silence
is
Good
Finally…

Power of Silence

Questions
For Meditation and discussions

Question 1
• Do these two verses contradict each other?
– For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the
church whom you are to judge? 1 Corinthians 5:12 ESV
– Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce
you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to
you. Matthew 7:1-2 ESV
• Few References: 1Co 1:10, Psa. 37:30, I Cor. 6:1-5, Malachi 3:18, Rev 2:2, Col
2:16, I Corinthians 11:30-31
– If a church leader cannot reconcile the above two verses then his
judgments will be marred

Question 2
• You notice a brother/pastor pocketing some money from the
collection.
– How should you deal with the situation?
– What is your responsibility?
– Should it be brought to the attention of the church?
– Should that brother/pastor continue in that position if the church were to
find out?
– Should the church take any action?
• Few References: Exo 20:15, Mat 18:15-16, 1 Timothy 5:19, 1Co 5:13, Gal 6:1, Eph
4:28, Luk_3:10-14, 2Th_3:11-12,2Th_3:6-8, 1Co 6:10

Question 3
• Discuss cases in your city or country where justice was obstructed due to
1. Lack of witnesses
2. Incorrect sentences pronounced
3. Incompetent judge

QUESTION 4:
• If a brother brings up a case of cheating against another brother
what should you do?
– Ignore it
– Act Quickly
– Speak to others
– Any other suggestions?
• Few References: Matthew 18:15-16, 1 Timothy 5:19, 1Co 5:13, Joh 7:51, Mat 7:1,2,
Gal 6:1,2, Mat 18:21, Proverbs 26:17, Luke 12:13-14

QUESTION 5:
• Do these two verses contradict each other?
– John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
– Romans 16:17-18 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who
cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have
been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ,
but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the
hearts of the naive.

QUESTION 6:
• You had some suspicion that a married brother maybe having an
affair with another married sister. Time went by when you hear
the news of a marriage and divorces.
– What should you do?
– Should you have acted earlier?
– What should the church do with the newly wed and the divorcees?
• Few References: Exo 20:14, Lev 20:10, Heb 13:4, Rom 7:3, Joh 8:3,4, Luk 16:18,
James 4:11, Rom 2:3, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13