I just saw the news that the leader of the Evangelical Association Dr. Ted Haggard has resigned in disgrace over publicly admitting to "some indiscretions." He had been accused of buying and using amphetamines and securing sex from a male prostitute. Obviously, there will be an investigation by his congregation and others. Rev. Jimmy Swaggart admitted to some immoral behavior a few years ago and his church basically disintegrated within a week. Jim and Tammy Faye Baker left in disgrace from the PTL network and he served some time in a penitentiary following a very public trial.
I mention these for a couple of reasons. Obviously it is news when a religious leader admits to conduct that is sinful and disgraceful. And yes, the actions make him or her seem to be a hypocrite. Makes you want to throw up when someone who is a moral leader - a role model - acts just like many others. It doesn't have to be a minister because we have all been mortified by the actions of other of our heroes too.
But here is my point: what the church is all about is forgiveness and grace. I don't know any of these men personally but what I do know is that they are human beings just like me and just like you. As a minister, we all struggle with various sins and yet we stand, week after week, in the pulpit and offer God's forgiveness and grace to others who struggle with sin. Can we not also offer forgiveness and grace to national religious leaders and ministers who sin?
I suppose that the problem has to do with our judging each other. Ministers often are held to a higher standard than other persons and probably should be. But that doesn't mean that they should not also receive God's grace and forgiveness as well as ours. We preach and teach about little David slaying Goliath with a stone and hold him up as a great example to our children,yet King David committed adultery and murder.
I suppose I am rambling and I don't mean to do that. What I do want to say is that God offers forgiveness to these national leaders. I hope we can. Would you like to talk about this? Come by on Sunday and let's visit. Allen
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Yahoo! has an article out right now that asks what happens to the members of the fellowship once a pastor falls from grace? Well, if the members are following man rather than God, they will leave. My concern is whether the members of any congregation understand that they do not go to church, they are the church. Unfortunately, we have divided ourselves into so many different groups that we have forgotten that there is only one church, and Christ Jesus is the head of that church. Since Jesus built the church, God can set us as members wherever He feels that we will be best fitted. Yet so many of us decide that we will attend a fellowship because we like the music, the pastor, or any other reason besides submitting to God and being set in a fellowship that He feels is best for us. This is why the true church struggles. We have thousands of people attending megachurches that do not even belong there, so God's will cannot be accomplished because people are not in their right place. We must understand that as one body, we have created this situation. How do we begin to correct it? Go to the Lord, and find out where He desires for us to be set, and begin carrying out our assignment at that fellowship.
I agree that when people follow a man instead of God then they will fall out of the church. Of course, that also shows us that the church is made up of sinners who need God's grace. Sinners who come for the wrong reason and sinners who lead them. I think we are now facing life as first century Christians did more than ever because the culture says we should go where the "action" is - we go where the music fits or the preacher is attractive or something other than the right reason. It is my hope, that when people do that, the Holy Spirit can eventually get through to them that they need Jesus and not what is most popular at the time. Thanks for writing. Allen
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