Communication

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The prominent Pastor Ted Haggard is in the news as I am sure you have heard. Once again, one of the flock has strayed. This has been heavy on my heart since I heard it. I don’t know why I am writing this and I really don’t know what God is telling me to say except to call all Christians to pray for him. And especially pray for his family. He and his wife have five children who must be crushed by these allegations. Also please pray for the unbelievers who have seen this and say “See, I knew they were all hypocrites!” It doesn’t help the cause of Christ at all, that’s for sure.

I don’t really think this a political ploy because the same sex marriage amendment is on the ballot in Colorado right now. That doesn’t make much sense to me. We don’t know what the real story is. Pastor Ted has admitted to buying the drugs but says he never used them. The phone voice mail message that was played on the news was obviously his voice and he didn’t sound like a “first time buyer.“ He says he called the male prostitute for a massage - nothing more. Then why not go to a Chiropractor? They are licensed to do therapeutic massage

Somehow, his story doesn’t ring true with me, personally. If these allegations are true, I wish he would just admit them and repent. At least Jimmy Swaggert was man enough to stand on national television and admit he had sinned before His Lord and repent. He was sorrowful. I haven’t seen any sorrow in Pastor Ted’s eyes. Only denial, and maybe…..fear. Is he fearful of losing his status in America? He must be! This is a man who is President of the National Association of Evangelicals! He has conference calls with the White House weekly. His integrity has now been ruined, whether the story is completely true or not.

If the allegations are true, questions haunt me: How can a man supposedly called by God stray so far? How can he preach the Kingdom to thousands and be so far away from it at the same time? If he was truly seeking God on a daily basis, COULD he have done the things described? Something is wrong with this picture. Has he merely strayed from the will of God or was he ever a true man of God? In one interview he claimed “I was tempted (to buy the drugs) but didn’t use them.” This was when I somehow discerned he was lying. He made me think he was comparing himself to Jesus who was also tempted, but without sin. That made my heart sick, if that was his implication. I pray it was not.

The Bible tells of many who strayed far from God. Look at David. The Bible calls him “a man after God’s own heart.” He committed adultery, then killed a man for his own personal gain. Yet, God still loved him. He punished him for his sin, but He never stopped loving him. God still loves Pastor Ted as well. He loves all of us with a love so great, it surpasses our own understanding! One of my favorite verses in in I Corinthians 10:13. It says basically that everyone is tempted but God is faithful and will not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to bear, but will make a way to escape. If Pastor Ted has been having a homosexual affair for the past three years, he obviously wasn’t looking for God’s way to escape.

I pray that if Pastor Ted is guilty of the accusations, he will come clean and admit them. I pray he will explain himself as a sinner and repent before God and his congregation. If he is guilty and truly a man of God, he will have to. The damage has been done. Can you imagine the hurt his congregation must be feeling knowing they paid tithes to further the kingdom of God when those same tithes were being used to buy drugs and sex from a homosexual prostitute? I am sure most of those tithes were being used in reputable ways but still, I would feel betrayed if I was a member of New Life Church. I pray for them also. How many lives have been shattered by all of this!

I hope I am not coming off as judgmental in this article. I know that sin knows no boundaries. We are all susceptible to fall away from the grace of God. The deceiver is very good at what he does and we must be aware at all times: Take heed, lest we also fall! That is why it is so important to stay in God’s Word, to talk with Him and pray to Him without ceasing.

Even if (as Ted Haggard says) only some of the allegations are true, he allowed himself to be put in the position to fall away from God’s mercy and grace. The Bible admonished us to “stay away from ALL appearance of evil. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

The only thing left for Pastor Ted to do is submit himself before Holy God. Only with true repentance comes cleansing and restoration. Please join me in this prayer: God, I pray You break his heart, call him to true repentance. In Jesus precious and Holy name, Amen

God can take the ugliest situation and turn it around into something beautiful for His glory. God has a plan for all of this ugliness, you can be sure of that!

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