The Truth About IHOPKC

You should neither be surprised nor concerned if you see or hear of weaknesses or flaws in a ministry. The opposite is true: You should be very concerned if you or someone else believes that a specific ministry is perfect. If that’s the case, run!

Otherwise, you may be a part of something that is an idol that replaces Jesus. Even though every ministry will not be perfect until Jesus’ return, this should never give us an excuse to isolate ourselves (one of the most damaging things I have done) and it should also never give us an excuse to slam a ministry publicly (one of the most damaging things that I have experienced because of all the nasty blogs that came out).

Unfortunately, it’s the kid who is screaming the loudest who gets the most attention.

There are many legitimate reasons someone can be hurt by a ministry; and I am sure that’s the case for many, but that should never justify us, as the body of Christ, to publicly bash that ministry and to share that to secular magazines and newspapers, including one that publicly bashes Christians and enjoys seeing churches and Christians fall hard.

How is that justified when Scripture clearly tells us: “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to the law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? … If then you have judgments dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint as judges those who are least esteemed in the church? I speak to your shame. … But brother goes to the law against brother, and before unbelievers, at that” (1 Cor. 6:1, 4-5, 6).

Magazines have discovered that when they write a story about a celerity’s fall (divorce, cheating, stealing, failure, etc.) they get many more sales than when they write one about a celebrity’s accomplishments. Sadly, there is a rise in the church of people dishonoring each other and various ministries publicly. Unbelievers love publicizing those kinds of civil wars. Let me tell you, I am one of hundreds of thousands who are a living and breathing example of the fruit that came out of IHOPKC; I don’t expect to get as many shares as the other blogs, but that’s not the point.

The point is to encourage you, wherever you are and with whatever ministry or church you are part of, to honor the bride of Christ. If you see flaws and weaknesses in her, I pray that you approach her in love and kindness. If she refuses correction, quietly and honorably distance yourself and find another healthy spiritual family for yourself and choose to never expose her (Matt. 18:15-17).

Again, there are many legitimate reasons someone can be hurt by a ministry. The Bible has given us a process to take in those circumstances, but public dishonoring and revenge have never been a biblical option. Sadly, the foundation of those blogs, without quoting them, state that they are putting it out there because it’s the action the writer(s) needed to take for not being honored. Jesus never taught that revenge and/or publicly bashing another believer or a ministry due to disappointment is justified, even if the other person is found guilty:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other as well” (Matt. 5:38-39).

“Repay no one evil for evil. Commend what is honest in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘Vengeance is Mine. I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom. 12:17-21).

The first thing some readers will accuse me of is: “You are encouraging abusers to get away with their abuse!” Before you make that assumption, I am not encouraging a believer to hide knowledge about illegal activities happening within a ministry.

Of course, if you learn of any illegal activity or abuse within a ministry (which was not the case with any of the blogs I read), go to the police directly—not to a media outlet. What we are discussing here is people-bashing and publicly criticizing ministries for negative experiences; whether those experiences are valid or not, the list of verses above are unconditional in how we are to handle these matters.

Jesus didn’t say if the person is wrong then feel free to slap them in the face—He said the exact opposite: If they are wrong, turn the other cheek.

I have had several opinions about IHOPKC and a list of things that they can improve in. I shared my constructive criticism to leadership in love and in private. It’s not up to me to make them change.

In fact, I can compile a list of 100-plus things that I disagree with in all the ministries and churches I was part of. Also, I can publicly share stories of several people who pointed fingers at IHOPKC, but I refuse to share those things publicly because honoring another believer or ministry is a choice we are commanded to walk out, even when it’s difficult (James 4:11-12; Matt. 18:15; Gal. 5:15).

Finally, I would like to add a reminder: Jesus said that “You will know them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:16). I urge you that when you have someone speaking out loud about a church or ministry, observe the fruit of that individual’s life and that ministry they are speaking of.

After all, even though the concerns or criticisms may be true, the way they are handled shows so much about the person. I know several people who left IHOPKC and other ministries due to disagreements, but they did it in an honoring way and those individuals are now thriving in different communities. That’s a sign of Christ’s power that is able to make us humans forgive, love and honor.

A big reason I was tempted to get bitter toward IHOPKC (and I got bitter toward God) are issues beyond the ministry, but it’s easy to get delusional and blame shift when we are angry.

I believe this is a story of many who walk away from the faith because of a ministry.

As Westerners, the first thing we are tempted to do is blame it on the ministry, but we can’t blame a ministry for someone walking away from the faith. Even if the ministry is found at fault, what are the reasons? 

The difference between Christianity and any other religion is that we believe that each of us has the living Holy Spirit in us who can guide, heal and renew our minds. It’s one thing to be hurt by the church, but it’s another to walk away from the faith altogether while blame shifting.

If you are one of those who left God because of a bad experience in a church or ministry, I am truly sorry for the experiences you have had that failed to reflect God’s love. I pray, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to forgive and find another spiritual family. I heard a TED talk today and the speaker said a quote that I really like, “You have to decide to divorce your (past) story and marry the truth.”

I believe God is calling those who are hurt to run back to the body of Christ, and I will be sharing more blogs on that topic. I am thankful I am running back.

Johnny Youssef is an entrepreneur and speaker. As a real estate broker, Johnny has been involved in hundreds of real estate transactions. He is the owner of an investment company that specializes in rentals and rehabs. Johnny was born in Cairo, Egypt, and moved to Richmond, Virginia, at the age of 15; He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.S. in Mass Communications with a concentration in Broadcast Journalism. He has a special passion for storytelling, public speaking, creating videos and interviewing people. His primary topics of interest are related to entrepreneurship, faith and culture. For more of his writings, visit www.johnnyyou.com.