When Jesus’ ministry started, the resistance from the religious establishment and leaders was intense. They felt judged by his message, his direct words challenging their authority to speak for God and by his life. Often his message called them out directly and face to face. He called out their leaders for hypocrisy, false speaking for God and their unrighteous lives (all inextricably intertwined). He spoke prophetically to them as he knew what was in their heart of hearts despite their false piety, many worded public prayers, public generosity and perceived calling as God’s shepherds and leaders. Their unrighteous lives were disqualifying and their teaching to the people was accurate but not Godly nor from righteous hearts with righteous motives. This was angering to Jesus . He was angry with them constantly and judging their hypocrisy as they were the blind leading the blind and creating burdens they gave the sheep no help to bear. The System was broke, the Jewish movement was way off path and the leaders were untrustworthy and not worthy of being followed.
The false leaders and their followers were not happy. If Jesus got a following in his opposition to the leaders and their hypocrisy and lifestyle, then Jesus was a threat to their religious system and they knew if his message about the leaders got any traction, the whole system would collapse and they would lose their place of authority or voice in the culture. If the leaders go down, so does the system. The only thing to do was call him a troublemaker, a blasphemer, an instrument of Satan, accuse him of working at the behest of the evil one. They maligned his sonship, denied he could possibly be speaking for God, and mocked his words. Their strategy was to call him names, assert that his message was of Satan and his threat was to the whole national interest or way of life. Take down the messenger, take down the message, save the system.
The same scenario and take down strategy was played out with John the Baptist. The same scenario and strategy was played out towards the apostle Paul and by the false apostles, false prophets and false teachers.
The message of righteousness demands righteous lives of the messengers and leaders. The survival of a move of God can never happen when it is based on unrighteous leaders. A move within the church that begins with habitually unrighteous leaders is not a move of God. Why would He endorse it, encourage it, or bless it ? Movements or religious systems built on men is doomed eventually.
In order for Jesus to be present in a church, a movement or a person for very long, that individual or group or movement has to be led by and known for the righteous words and lives of its’ leaders and people. Protecting a system or movement by covering for the leaders or turning a blind eye is anti-Scripture and counter productive. Basing a ministry or a church on a single man means the ministry or church will rise or fall with the man. The only man a church rises with is Jesus. The rest of the churches and movements that depend on a man will be brought down, not by their sin, but perhaps through it, but not by it. The church or movement based on a man and his followers will be brought down by Jesus like Dagon had his head and hands cut off for daring to be in the same temple as God.