Maybe my background is such that God has prevented a ministry .
My desperation led me to Romans 6 and 7 material and ofcourse Norman Grubb Yes I Am . That's why I am pleased to announce there is a life off Genesis 3. The Devil has no jurisdiction off the Genesis 3 platform .
This is why the Bible announces : submit to God , resist the Devil and he will flee .
But , to realise how deep the Genesis 3 seduction lies in our very souls ....well mistakes can be big . The apostles denied the second Person of the Trinity to His very death . If any Jews think they can't possibly face this , consider the 12 and the 120 who wete petsonally trained on earth by a natural Jesus , yet all of them were the beginning of Jesus own ecclesia on earth .
What is wonderful to me is I now have articulation for why my anointing , my ministry , my calling , my message bars me from the old pyramid system . My message , crystallising through Jack Fortenberry Corinthian Elders , is that Pastor Kings are not a Melchizedek thing. We wait together before the Lord and have Psalm 123 Presence events as per 1 Corinthians 12 and the three diverses .
This takes the pressure off everything I am seeking to do . I will be surrounded by brethren and sisters who will also be ministering in Light . Paul desctibes 14 different types of ministry in 3 lists , and it will work as the first DIVERSE works now , because our eye is single to see what the Lord is doing .
The challenge right now is enough thirdlevellers who are grounded and know Jesus in them as them (Galatians 2.20) outside meetings or even together outside meetings .
We are still having a hard time reading each other and how we all function as new creations having this inner believing .....read 1 Corinthians 12:14-26
Whether homosexual or heterosexual these are painful reads .
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‼️In 1985, Roberts Liardon tried to groom me—or at least, that is what I believe. I haven’t thought much about him in a long time. I wouldn’t be writing this post detailing his sexual abuse if it weren’t for the fact that, over the past month, I’ve seen him appear three times on socia¡¡,l media. I saw him lecturing at a major charismatic Bible school. I saw that he is hosting a conference at Christian Retreat in Bradenton, Florida. And I saw Alan DiDio interviewing him on YouTube about anointing, mantles, and impartation—not holiness, character, and self-control.
I’m writing this because I’m concerned that Lairdon is a predator. In my upcoming book, WHEN SHEPHERDS PREY, I tell the story of how I met a young Roberts while in Bible school. Because I began noti2cing him becoming more ubiquitous on social media, I did my best to find out exactly what happened between him and the youth pastor under his authority more than 20 years ago.
A YOUNG STUDENT MEETS A “PROPHET”
In 1985, I was in Bible school at Christ for the Nations—not in Texas, but at a smaller satellite school in Stony Brook, Long Island. My mentor and primary professor was Dr. Michael Brown. He was only 30 at the time and spoke in glowing terms about his friend—a 19-year-old prophet who had been to heaven. I had already read his book, I SAW HEAVEN, which my youth pastor in Virginia had given me. I was certainly intrigued.
Dr. Brown brought him to the school as a guest teacher. One day, I walked into Station Pizza, the primary off-campus hangout for students. Dr. Brown ate most of his meals there, as I recall. I walked in, and there he was, sitting with Roberts. He called me over and introduced me.
Roberts was deeply intrigued by me—almost mesmerized. He began asking me about myself and my calling. He spoke prophetically over me, saying that I had a great anointing on my life. I believe he told me that I was special.
VALIDATION AND VULNERABILITY
Understand, I was 20 years old and dealing with a lot of rejection—not only from my upbringing but also at Bible school. I was overly zealous and, frankly, too much for many of the other students. To be clear, I had a lot to learn. I was not easy to deal with. So having someone that everyone was excited to hear—a “prophet of God”—tell me that I was special was deeply validating.
He later told Dr. Brown that he wanted to spend time alone with me that weekend. He was scheduled to preach Sunday morning and evening at our local congregation, and it was arranged that I would spend the afternoon with him. I was incredibly excited.
A MASSIVE RED FLAG
After the service, I went back to the pastor’s house, where Roberts and I spent several hours together. I don’t remember much about the conversation except the most important part: he asked me if I would consider leaving Bible school to travel with him as his assistant.
That should have been a massive red flag.
He didn’t know me. He didn’t know what was best for me. Still, I was deeply intrigued and in that short period of time, imagine, traveling the world and preaching with Roberts—but I loved being in Bible school. That evening, as I walked into the service behind Roberts, carrying his books like “his boy,” Dr. Brown noticed. He came right up to me and said, “Don’t get any ideas about leaving Bible school.”
I don’t know if Dr. Brown discerned that prophetically or if Roberts had said something to him—but I sensed he was looking out for my best interest. Back then, Dr. Brown was very prophetic, to the point that students were nervous to walk by him for fear that he knew the secrets of their hearts. And it was definitely the right decision.
EARLY QUESTIONS AND LATER SKEPTICISM
I did notice that Roberts was effeminate, and I wondered about his sexual identity. There was even a distant suspicion that his motives might be nefarious. But I reasoned that there was no way someone who had "gone to heaven" and had powerful encounters with God as a teenager could be living a homosexual lifestyle.
Let me add: I’ve since grown quite skeptical of people who claim to have gone to heaven—especially when they use those encounters to gain fame. When Paul wrote about going to heaven, he did so in the third person, almost embarrassed. He said that he “heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.”
Yet today we have people claiming to go back and forth from heaven, writing books about it, and getting rich from it. Entire ministries have been built on alleged heavenly visits, often amplified through media platforms.
Let me show you how easy it is. I could write a book tomorrow called, "I ALSO WENT TO HEAVEN." I could make up a story: describe how heaven has so many colors we've never seen, that the laws of physics don't apply, and that I flew with angels... I'm a pretty good storyteller. No one could prove I am lying. And if I put it online or got someone who's known for interviewing people who've been to heaven to interview me, the book would sell. I am 99% sure there are people who do not fear the Lord who are doing that right now. There is a massive segment of charismatic Christianity that cannot get enough of that type of material.
Yes, I’m skeptical—but at the time, I believed it.
A MANIPULATIVE “PROPHECY”
Fast forward a couple of years. I had moved to Maryland and met a beautiful Israeli believer—Elana Vaknin. We got engaged and planned to get married that summer. When I was visiting my parents in Richmond. I heard that Roberts would be speaking and was eager to see him.
I went with a few friends, and during his message, he said at least four times: “There is somebody here who is about to marry the wrong person.” He made it appear that he was trying to preach his message, but he could not get away from this warning—someone in that audience was about to make a major life decision that was a mistake.
I was terrified. Was he talking about me? How many people in a room of fewer than 200 were engaged?
My best friend Bryan told me to ignore it. In those days, I was extremely impressionable when someone gave a “prophetic word.” I didn’t yet understand how much those words could be filtered through human emotion—or even fabricated.
Looking back, I believe Roberts may have sensed that I was getting married and became jealous. This was before I had any concrete evidence regarding his sexuality. Maybe someone had told him—I never asked. This was before social media, after all.
LEARNING TO DISCERN
I appreciated Bryan’s ability to completely dismiss the warning. We need to learn to hear from God ourselves and not become overly dependent on prophetic words—especially when they contradict what we feel God is saying, and the counsel of trusted people. Everyone in our community believed that Elana and I were meant to be together. And now, 38 years later, it’s clear that it was the right decision.
THE SCANDAL
About 15 years later, in the early 2000s, news broke that Roberts had engaged in a homosexual relationship—as a senior pastor—with his youth pastor. I was not surprised. What little was written about it did not accurately portray the situation. It was framed as consensual.
There is no such thing as a consensual sexual relationship between a senior pastor and a youth pastor under his authority.
ABUSE, NOT CONSENT
I know for a fact that the youth pastor—out of sheer agony and frustration from manipulation and abuse—ended the relationship and made plans to leave. Roberts begged him not to. The youth pastor (whose name I will not mention, and I urge others to keep it that way) called Roberts’ own pastor the next night and reported what had happened.
It was abuse. It was manipulation.
Staff members had heard rumors about Roberts’ sexual behavior in the past, but those concerns were dismissed as gossip, meant to hurt his reputation. I have reached out to leaders who were around at the time, and no one has responded. Many of them cut off the victim as quickly as possible—all except one, whose name I will also not mention.
That was more than 20 years ago.
MINISTRY AND REALITY
I’ve been in pastoral ministry since the late ’80s. You cannot be in ministry long without encountering people who experience same-sex attraction. Early on, I did everything I could to help one individual, naively believing a little that inner healing or deliverance would eliminate temptation entirely.
This led me to engage with experts. A leader of a ministry helping people out of a homosexual lifestyle, as one who once lived as a homosexual, shared with me that, after years of being happily married, he still dealt with temptation regularly. That has been consistent with most people I’ve known in similar situations.
With Lairdon becoming more visible again, it is his responsibility to address this publicly. How is he different? What guardrails does he have? Has there been any additional offenses? Does he understand that what he did was abusive?
Most of you know my position: if you have a sexual relationship with someone under your authority, it is predatory—period. No matter how anointed you claim to be, you are disqualified from public ministry. Preaching is a sacred honor, not a right.
So yes, I am deeply concerned when I see him gaining access to students who are unaware of his past. I am concerned when he teaches about the “generals of the faith,” discussing their moral failures and recovery, while withholding his own history—a history that caused deep harm to another person.v
NINETY DAYS?
Lairdon stepped away from ministry for 90 days.
Ninety days!
He used his position of power and prophetic authority to draw someone into a sexual relationship—and was sidelined for 90 days. How long do you think it took the young man he abused to find healing? I can assure you it was far longer than 90 days.
In an interview with Alan DiDio, he says, “Well, everybody great has done something stupid. Sometimes we all know about it, and sometimes we don’t. But they have all done it.” I believe he is alluding to his own failures when he says this. Part of how he justifies his behavior is by pointing to the moral failures of others—suggesting that many of the “Generals” fell in similar ways. And yes, we could certainly add more names to that list in recent history.
COMPASSION WITHOUT PLATFORM
I do have compassion for Roberts. He grew up in a dysfunctional home, even though they were all people of faith. I believe he was also exposed to things he shouldn't have been, growing up without a father in the house. That part is his story to tell, but I only mentioned it to say that while I don’t believe he should be in ministry, I am concerned for the wholeness of his soul. Every person, through repentance, can be restored to Jesus.
Did he go to heaven? Did Jesus appear to him and tell him to study God’s generals? I don’t know. I don’t particularly care.
I care about him as a person. My prayer is that he finds full and lasting healing. But not as a minister.
And as someone who believes he began grooming me when I was a Bible student, I do not believe Roberts Lairdon should have access to young, impressionable students who are hungry for God and easily captivated by claims of heavenly encounters and spiritual authority.
A FINAL WORD ON THE CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT
Roberts has long emphasized the power and anointing that flowed through the “generals of the faith.” I see similar tendencies in parts of the charismatic world today—an overemphasis on apostolic authority, prophetic utterance over nations (that are mostly wrong with no accountability), and apostolic decrees.
To be clear, I am 100% charismatic. I believe the Book of Acts is a blueprint for the Church today. But the original apostles put more emphasis on personal sanctification, humility, in spiritual formation.
But too many excuse sexual sin as a minor obstacle rather than a disqualifying issue.
That is why people can overlook what Roberts did. This is why shepherds who prey are rarely disciplined effectively. Abuse is often overlooked. Crimes are often not reported to the authorities. Nothing can interfere with this great man of God’s calling. Certainly not God’s standards.
A SOBERING WARNING
Let me close with the words of Pastor Alexander Venter:
"Personal sanctification from the works of the flesh and old patterns of uncrucified appetites—that come out in living a double life sexually among leaders, where they are molesting young girls, having affairs behind the scenes, and stealing money—money, sex, and power. So, power abuse, driven by unmet ego needs and platform-driven ministry.
"All of this underlying reality points to a lack of spirituality, a lack of Christian character. So spiritual formation, character development—the old theological word, sanctification—is all but absent in restoration theology (that you find in Bickle, Wagner, Joyner) because it’s all about: if you have the restoration of the Holy Spirit in your life, you’re fine. You’re now equipped as the Elijah generation to join Gideon’s army and wreak havoc in the kingdom of Satan and bring revival. Just pray and preach and prophesy, and revival will come.
"Whether you are still struggling with unresolved inner issues—both from past wounds as well as uncrucified flesh, even disordered sexual appetites—that’s not considered a major issue, because the Spirit is seen as empowering you to do the work of the kingdom regardless."
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