Cut to the Heart

Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Our friend and occasional guest preacher at The Well sustained his ordination examination this past Friday in Simsbury, CT. He will be ordained and installed as a minister of the gospel on November 10, 2018. As I was in Simsbury, I discovered an incident that took place involving a pastor at a local Simsbury church. Last Wednesday, a man barged into a local church and confessed to a 2014 murder that had gone cold. This put the pastor in a conundrum — the clergy-penitent privilege prevents the pastor from reporting confessions with the exception of child abuse. However, the pastor knew “justice needed to be done.” The pastor and two members of the church took the man to the Simsbury Police Station and had him turn himself in. He said, “I’m here to turn myself in for the murder on Iron Horse Boulevard almost four years ago.” The young man who turned himself in told police that after the murder he wrote many confession letters addressed to friends and family but never sent them. The pastor was able to exercise wisdom in leading the man to do the right thing and take responsibility for his actions. Just as the truth “cut to the heart” in Acts 2:37, the truth convicted this man. As he suffers from the consequences of sin, I pray that he is completely forgiven by placing his trust in the risen Jesus Christ. What about you? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of any hidden sins? As Scripture teaches, "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them (Ephesians 5:11).”