Learning from the Fall

It's good to see others have also thought about what we can learn not only from our own errors and experiences but also from those of others. Bob has some good comments on the Haggard Sad Saga that are worth repeating in short form. For a more detailed look check out the expanded commentary here.

• Sin is Universal - everyone sins and everyone's sin is the problem.

• Sin is Deceptive - everyone needs to be diligent against sin and the lure of temptation.

• Sin has Consequences - everyone should remember that there are personal ramifications of sin and sometimes public ones - either way it doesn't bring glory to God.

• Sin has One Ultimate Solution - everyone should strive not to sin and we need accountability. God's provision of forgiveness, grace and strength should be what we trust in.

• Sin doesn't have the Final Word - everyone has failed to live righteously and the scriptures reveal many poor sinners used greatly of God. God's plans will not be thwarted and He is still in ultimate control.

Every single event of every day in everyone's life confirms we need a Redeemer. Thank God we have one.

Photo Friday: Friendly Freeloaders

Arrive home after a long day at work and greeted by a friend at my mailbox.

Then walk out the back and find his freeloading wife and kid.

Pastor Preservation

There is a new book Preaching the Cross due for release in 2007 and advance details have been provided to Tim and Justin. Compiled from the teaching sessions from the Together for the Gospel conference C J Mahaney has written a chapter entitled 'Watch your life and doctrine' addressed to pastors in order that they make it a priority in their everyday (and spiritual) life.
It considers a number of very important aspects of sound doctrine is not enough and recommendations for pastors to practice accountability measures and the consequences of neglect.

Here is an exerpt:-

As pastors our lives can be filled with reading, studying, sermon preparation, sermon proclamation, and counseling. Ironically, a busy schedule of absorbing and communicating truth can leave little time for practicing truth. But truth must be proclaimed and then applied, heard and then obeyed, preached and then practiced. For until I practice truth, I will not experience the transforming effect of truth on my soul. Faith practices truth by crying out to God in the midst of suffering. Love practices truth by actions of kindness and patience. Humility practices truth by specific confession of sin. Forgiveness practices truth by overlooking an offense. Hope practices truth by recalling the mercies of God. Indeed, I have never truly, fully learned truth until I have practiced truth. In this book, you will encounter much rich truth. I hope you read every chapter, and more than once if necessary. But please understand: according to James, if you consume truth without applying truth, you risk the false and dangerous impression that spiritual growth was achieved without application. But it never is. Never. We must be ever wary of the self-deception of which James speaks. Let’s recognize the limitations of sound doctrine, and make the practice of truth a daily priority. Never stop watching your life.

May we all take such advice and apply the truth, God's truth to all aspects of our lives.

(H.T. Justin and Tim)

Sad Saga

The developing sorry state of affairs of the Haggard Saga shows us that everyone has secret sins and when exposed - well it hits the fan pretty hard and then everyone gets a spray.

What can we learn from it?

What should we learn from it?

Andrew Jackson has already thought about this:-

The sad Haggard saga should not drive Christians mad, it should drive us to truth, the Bible. The message that should be filling the Christian blogosphere is that our lives and ministries are so very fragile unless we are anchored and deeply rooted in biblical truth. Unless truth is ruling our heart affections, the tornado winds of this evil age will blow us to and fro. This is the time for all of us to remember that things around us change all the time, but God’s word stands forever. It is in it I take my refuge.

Reformation Required Again

It’s only been a few days since the anniversary of Luther’s nailing of 95 theses onto that famous castle door in Wittenberg on 31st October 1517 declaring a challenge for change to the Roman Catholic Church and birthing of the Reformation. This was a much needed opposition to the indulgences and effrontery with which priests and the church licensed themselves. It was a transformation that was needed. A redefining and reforming of biblical principles that had been disregarded or manipulated over the years. Now we see those biblical principles degraded yet again. Evangelicalism is in need of a serious overhaul. It has become a self-grandizing, over indulgent glutton devouring the hearts and minds of many. If evangelicalism started to get back to proper principles of being an evangelical by re-examining themselves and thereby seeing the need for reformation.

The deepest doctrines of Christianity, the ones which are not on the surface of the scriptures but lie waiting in its depths, were quarried through disciplined theological meditation and patient discernment. It was not academics or aesthetes with too much time on their hands who did this work, but busy pastors, suffering martyrs, and bishops overseeing the evangelization of entire cities. As they preached and taught and suffered for the gospel, they worked out the deep logic of the revelation of the Trinity, the incarnation, and redemption.

The more seriously they took the life-changing power of the good news, the more concentration they devoted to the details of sound doctrine. ...

J. I. Packer once defined evangelicalism as “fidelity to the doctrinal content of the gospel,” taking care to not to bypass the “doctrinal content” in the rush to get to a gospel. Fidelity to the gospel requires recognition of doctrinal content, and those who would preach the gospel must make use of the tools of theology.

There is too much emphasis on being pragmatic and following the herd of market driven fads of being popular and entertaining when inside they are morally bankrupt instead of standing for the doctrines of Christianity. For a sad classic example of this is the latest revelations of the downfall of Ted Haggard.

Haggard has since resigned from the presidency of the National Evangelical Association which also issued a rather generic statement without many details and reads pretty lame as though they are making excuses for him.

Yesterday, National Association of Evangelicals President Ted Haggard submitted his resignation from NAE leadership when serious allegations were made on a Denver radio talk show. In response to Rev. Haggard’s admission yesterday to church leaders in Colorado that there were some indiscretions, the eleven-member Executive Committee met today via teleconference and unanimously accepted his resignation with regret.

We can only hope that the subsequent investigation is timely, accurate and truth tolerant. Naturally every accused person is innocent until proven guilty however, he has admitted to some of the allegations but some of the response are reminiscent 'Clintonesque' in their truth and one would hope Haggard is vindicated (if only in part) after being so publicly vilified.

May this be a valuable lesson to all ministers and preachers world wide of the need to follow sound doctrine, biblical principles, obedience to God's trusted word and above all else the truth.