Accountability

RMNI.org
Jim Sutherland, PhD, Director

Everyone But God is
Accountable
Everyone else is under authority.
Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God. (NIV is used, unless
noted)
Even within the godhead, there is subordination.
Jesus was sent by the Father, and submitted to the
Fathers will.
John 8:29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left
me alone, for I always do what pleases him."
Philippians 2:5-8
5
Your attitude should be the same as that
of Christ Jesus:
6
Who, being in very nature {6 Or in the form
of} God, did not consider equality with God something to be
grasped,
7
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature
{7 Or the form} of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled
himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a
cross!
The Spirit Came from
the Father
The Father sent the Spirit into the world
through the Son (He proceeds from the Father,
through the Son). The Spirit is, thus, under
authority.
Luke 11:13; John 14:16,26; 15:26; Acts 1:4; 15:8; 1
Cor. 2:12; 2 Cor. 1:22; Gal. 3:5; 1 Thess. 4:8;
1 John 3:24

Authority Structure
God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit,
angels, man, woman, (children), animal and
plant world.
1 Corinthians 11:3 Now I want you to realize that
the head of every man is Christ, and the head of
the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to
them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the
earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the
sea and the birds of the air and over every
living creature that moves on the ground."
This is termed the creation or dominion mandate.
Chaos of Authority
What would a world of authority chaos
resemble?
On July 13, 1977, New York Citys power went out
for 25 hours. Over 550 police were injured fighting
looters and 3,400 were arrested for looting. Cars
stolen from car lots were driven in a parade. There
were 850 fires. http://www.nydailynews.com/features/bronxisburning/blackout/The-
Lights-Go-Back-On.html
There have been almost 60 Italian governments
since 1946 http://italian.about.com/od/italianculture/a/aa111605a.htm, accessed 10/23/08
Judges 17:6 In those days Israel had no king;
everyone did as he saw fit.
Were Judged Against
Absolutes
The Bible is absolutely true. What is contrary to
biblical truth is absolutely wrong, and our life
will be measured against its moral absolutes.
Ethics is accountability before people; morality
is accountability before God. Morality is
absoluteethics is relative, varying according
to group norms. (Arthur Custance, Noahs Three Sons, 1975, p. 29)
Barna Research found that only 22% of
American adults and 6% of teens believed in
moral absolutes.
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=106 , accessed 10/27/08

God Does Hold Us
Accountable
The fact that we physically die, and most
die spiritually (Matthew 7:13-14), is due to
God holding Eve and Adam accountable
to a single command not to eat of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil
(Genesis 2:17;3).

The Freedom of
Accountability
The more genuinely accountable we are to
God, the less we will need to be accountable
to people. We still are accountable to people,
but our life will be above reproach (1 Tim. 3:2).
Thus submission to God results in freedom.
Stated another way, the more we control
ourselves, the less we need to be controlled by
others.
The less genuinely accountable we are to God,
the more people will hold us accountable.
God Enforces His
Authority
That is why there is a day of reward and judgment.
Romans 2:6-11 God "will give to each person
according to what he has done.
7
To those who by
persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and
immortality, he will give eternal life.
8
But for those who
are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow
evil, there will be wrath and anger.
9
There will be
trouble and distress for every human being who
does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile;
10
but
glory, honor and peace for everyone who does
good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
11
For God
does not show favoritism.
The Hammer Does Fall
2 Peter 2:4-10
NIV

4
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned,
but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for
judgment;
5
if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the
flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of
righteousness, and seven others;
6
if he condemned the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of
what is going to happen to the ungodly;
7
and if he rescued Lot, a righteous
man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men
8
(for that
righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his
righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)--
9
if this is so,
then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold
the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their
punishment.
10
This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt
desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant,
these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings;

God wants us to walk in
the light
1 John 1:5-7
5
This is the message we have
heard from him and declare to you: God is
light; in him there is no darkness at all.
6
If we
claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in
the darkness, we lie and do not live by the
truth.
7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in
the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us
from all sin.
Walk in the Spirit
We are commanded to walk in the Spirit
(Gal. 5:16 [peripateo--walk, go or move about; live, conduct
oneselfBarclay-Neuman]; Gal. 5:25, [stoicheo, to be in line with, walk
by rule or principleLiddell-Scott]; Rom. 8:4 (peripateo, present
activewho continue to walk). We live in the Spirit, try to
conform to the Spirit, and keep living by the
Spirit. If we walk in the Spirit, well walk in the
light.
Those impatient by nature may try to get ahead of
the Spirit, instead of waiting upon the Lord. Those
more sedentary will tend to lag behind the Spirits
promptings.
Why Do Christians Need
to be Held Accountable?
Romans 7:18-23
18
I know that nothing good lives in me,
that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is
good, but I cannot carry it out.
19
For what I do is not the good I
want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-- this I keep on
doing.
20
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I
who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21
So I find this
law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
22
For in my inner being I delight in God's law;
23
but I see
another law at work in the members of my body, waging war
against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of
the law of sin at work within my members.
I interpret this to mean life as a Christian.
1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in us.
Denial of Sin
Psalm 90:8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
Even Christians have an amazing ability to be in
denial about their personal sins, including obvious,
habitual sins.
Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24
See if there is
any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Proverbs 28:13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Mutual Accountability
Matthew 18:15-17 "If your brother sins against you,
go and show him his fault, just between the two of
you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother
over.
16
But if he will not listen, take one or two
others along, so that 'every matter may be
established by the testimony of two or three
witnesses.
17
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to
the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the
church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax
collector.
Christians are encouraged to confess their sins to
one another (James 5:16).
Restore, But Gently
Galatians 6:1-2 Brothers, if someone is caught
in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore
him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may
be tempted.
2
Carry each other's burdens, and
in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. [We
must judge sins we dont practice.]
Matthew 7:4-5
4
How can you say to your brother, 'Let me
take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a
plank in your own eye?
5
You hypocrite, first take the plank
out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to
remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Accountability to Our
Wife
She knows us best. Her future is bound up with
ours. If your half of the boat goes down, so will her
half. She is not always right, however.
Even in areas where your knowledge exceeds hers, her
intuitive reasoning can be a great asset.
Her neural connections between the brains hemispheres is more
intact than in a male. She is able to size up a situation more
quickly than we are, generally. I run investment decisions past my
wife first.
If you deceive your wife by hiding expenditures or income,
you are avoiding God-given accountability to your peril.
Judging
God expects us to make moral judgments
about ourselves and others. How can we help
a brother overtaken in a fault if its a sin to
identify a fault?
The cautions are against hypocrisyto not practice
the sin we expose in anotherand against pride, to
correct humbly, knowing that we could fall the
same way within the next day.
We must make moral judgments in companions,
selection of a pastor, of a spouse, an employee,
etc.
Other Accountability
Forms
Join a small group of like-minded men.
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one
man sharpens another.
Make a covenant to honor confidences.
Proverbs 11:13 A gossip betrays a confidence, but a
trustworthy man keeps a secret.
Find a man with whom to pray each week.
Take down the No Fishing sign (Joe
Novensons term). Be completely open and
honest. Invite inquiry. Ive done this over the
past 35 years, in three towns.
Limits to Groups
We can still hide in a group. I was in a group of
five men for about 5 years. The wife of one of
them left him and moved away. He didnt admit
the abandonment until afterward, as he was
planning to remarry.
Personal information can be used against us, so
we must share information with discernment.
Pastoral Accountability
A Chattanooga pastor of a church of 2000 had
a strong teaching and preaching ministry.
The pastor required his financial officers to sign a
confidentiality agreement.
He was paid $3,000/week. He sold two pieces of
church property without the church leadership
knowing itone of 173 acres.
He ran up a $49,000 bill at a local tailor and had
substantial bills at local country and city clubs.
One church account went from over 1 million to
$110.30. Xerox filed suit for $45,000 and other bills
had not been paid. http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_133701.asp
Ministry Leaders and
Good Stewardship
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has opened an
inquiry into six ministries.
Bishop Eddie Long lives in a 9-bathroom mansion on 20
acres, receives nearly 1 million per year as a love offering
and drives a $350,000 Bentley. Benny Hinn has an 8-
bedroom mansion valued at 10 million.
David and Joyce Meyers spent $30,000 for a conference
table and $11,000 for a French clock.
Kenneth Copelands ministry jet had layovers in Maui, Fiji
and Honolulu. Hinns jet stops at popular tourist locations.
www.alternet.org/story/72539 accessed 10/23/08
A Governing Board
Not-for profit organizations (501-c-3, in the
USA) should be board-governed, in fact.
The Board should advise, direct and hold the
ministry leaders accountable for activities and
expenditures.
I encountered a ministry leader who was proud that
he did not have a BoardGod, by the Spirit,
directed him. He didnt need a board.
Do We Avoid Correction
in a Preacher?
2 Timothy 4:2-4
2
Preach the Word; be prepared in season
and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-- with
great patience and careful instruction.
3
For the time will
come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to
suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great
number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
4
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to
myths.
This is true today. We sometimes gather preachers to teach us
how to prosper, feel good and get what we want from God. We
want to hear about getting to the next levelhow to succeed
and become rich, not how to become more holy.

Global Ecclesiastical
Crime
Ecclesiastical crime costs more than money
spent on global missions. As of mid-2008,
ecclesiastical crime totaled an estimated 25
billion dollars, or 70 million dollars every 24
hours.
This crime is increasing at a rate of 5.8% per
year.
David Barrett,, Todd M. Johnson & Peter Crossing, Missiometrics 2008: Reality
Checks for Christian World Communions, Intl Bulletin of Missionary Research,
Jan. 2008, p. 30.

Inadequate
Accountability
I received the following email inquiry:
We go to a church who preaches the gospel and
titheing but we never get a yearly report of where
the money goes or how much and who in the
church gets paid. Should we be concerned about
this? I feel every one should be held accountable.
A churchs finances should be open to the
membership, at the least. This revelation might
prompt better stewardship and accountability.
Some church budgets are shameful in their
selfisness.
One Churchs Budget
Recently I received the proposed 2008 budget of over
$220,000 for another African American church. Here are a few
line items:
Salaries: $128,000 (57%)
Benevolence: $5000
Machine lease: $4200
Gifts, funerals, flowers: $4000
Conventions/conferences: $4000
Kitchen: $3000
Recreation: $3000
Waste disposal: $2800
Missions, local or global: $ 0



A Holy Club?
There is no budget allocation for Christian
education literature. Garbage is more important
than global or local evangelism. The similarity
of this church to a religious club or co-op is
unavoidable. A co-op is owned by the
members, existing for the benefit of its
members. However, Jesus said, The Son of
Man came to seek and to save what was lost
(Luke 19:10,NIV). As the Father has sent me, I
am sending you (John 20:21).
Lack of Accountability
Ole Anthony, head of the Christian watchdog
organization Trinity Foundation, said:
The ministries say we have an audited financial
statement. But its a very friendly auditor.
These organizations, for the most part, their
accountability is a relative or just yes menand if
anyone disagrees with them, theyre touching the
anointed of God. Senators Inquiry Into Megachurch Money
Hypocrisy Sparks Church-State Showdown, www.alternet.org/story/72539
accessed 10/23/08
Proactive Accountability
2 Corinthians 8:19-21 What is more, he was
chosen by the churches to accompany us as
we carry the offering, which we administer in
order to honor the Lord himself and to show
our eagerness to help.
20
We want to avoid
any criticism of the way we administer this
liberal gift.
21
For we are taking pains to do
what is right, not only in the eyes of the
Lord but also in the eyes of men.
Its inadequate to simply try to please God in
financial matters.

Financial
Accountability Ideas
Require two signatures for checks over a set
amount. Bond the treasurer.
Have two people count the offering together and
make out the deposit slip.
Give the treasurer online account access.
Provide monthly financial reports to the governing
board and offer financial reports to church
members.
Spend only from funds in handnot on credit.
Audit income over $250,000/year. Have an informal
audit for lesser amounts.
National Accountability
Italy has had 61 governments since becoming a
republic in 1945. Much of this is because of
corruption. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Italy
The Republic of China has been lax enforcing
international intellectual property rights. But this hurts
their own development. They graduate approximately
350,000 engineers per year, and about half of them
want to work to develop phone company applications.
The only way to get the application is through paid
download, so their ideas will be remunerated China, Inc.:
How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World by Ted C. Fishman
Psalm 110:6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
The Gift of a Rebuke
Psalm 141:5 Let a righteous man strike me-- it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me-- it is oil on my head. My head will not
refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers;
Proverbs 9:8 Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
Proverbs 15:31-32 He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will
be at home among the wise.
32
He who ignores discipline
despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains
understanding.
Proverbs 17:10 A rebuke impresses a man of discernment
more than a hundred lashes a fool.
Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.
So be earnest, and repent.

The Bible Urges Us
to Accept a Rebuke
Proverbs 19:25
25
Flog a mocker, and the
simple will learn prudence; rebuke a discerning
man, and he will gain knowledge.
Proverbs 25:12
12
Like an earring of gold or
an ornament of fine gold is a wise man's
rebuke to a listening ear.
Proverbs 29:1 A man who remains stiff-necked
after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed.

Into the Fishbowl
To sum up, putting ourselves into
accountability structures is a discipline
designed to identify what is not Christ-like in
us, and to encourage us to continue to walk in
the way that are Christ-like in us. We
acknowledge our tendency to drift, to err and to
cover up. We ask others to help us to be
transparent in all of life.