Stop the Scandals

Dever offers some great advice on how Christians can prevent private sin from becoming a public scandal. How do we fight sin among us? Dever writes, "Here's the good news: corrective discipline doesn't have to be public! Actually, in a healthy church, private corrective discipline is happening all the time. People in the church sin. But growing Christians welcome other Christians into their lives for the purpose of confessing their sins to one another (James 5:16, 1 John 1:5-10). That is, in large part, how spiritual growth happens-by accepting biblical correction. You need to be modeling this kind of humble accountability as a pastor and encouraging it in other members.
Confessing our sins to one another makes us bring our sins out into the light, where they can be dealt with in the context of mutually sanctifying friendships in which people are strenghtening each other through prayer, encouragement, and application of the Word. Sin needs darkness to grow-it needs isolation disguised as "privacy," and prideful self-sufficiency disguised as "strength."
The church needs to be a web of meaningful spiritual relationships in which people are engaging each other in casual conversation, spiritual conversation, mutually encouraging and sanctifying discipling relationships, mutual accountability, and small groups."

Whatever the sin, you are not alone. Persevere in Church fellowship.

Dever, Mark. The Deliberate Church. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2005), 68-67