Saved By Amazing Grace!

I have been thinking so much about the Lord's amazing GRACE! This past weekend, Patty spent many hours reading to me from Gayle Haggard's book "Why I Stayed". Gayle is the wife of Ted Haggard who many of you may know as the former Pastor of a large church in Colorado Springs, CO. As Patty read to me, my heart was glued to what she was reading. The one thing that kept racing through my head is why do Christians have such a hard time showing and expressing GRACE when people mess up? Why is it that the world can be more sympathetic and kind but people in the church can be so cruel? I have experienced some of these same feelings because of some poor judgements on my part in regards to my family. Although the church talks about reconciliation, do they really mean it? Ted had pastored that church for 22 years and had such an amazing heart for helping people. But once people found out that he had messed up, it was as if everyone didn't' want anything to do with him. He was kicked out of his own church and even asked to leave the state. Is this the way Jesus operates? I don't think so. In fact, when I read the Bible I see Jesus hanging out with all kinds of sinners. He won people to Him by His love for them. This really makes me sad because I wonder how many people have given up on church because the "church" is so judgemental. You don't dare be yourself or ever tell anyone how you're really doing because you just might get kicked out. So what happens, people continue to live in their sin with no hope of ever getting better. Why wasn't Pastor Ted restored to his position? Why were so many lies said about him to make the overseers look good? Why were they not allowed to defend themselves or share their side of the story? What were the overseers so afraid of? I believe that a church that truly thrives is a church that embraces the heart of Jesus. I know we are all sinners and not one of us is perfect, but why do church leaders categorize sins as being unforgivable in the church? The Bible I read says that pastors or leaders should be restored gently and that those doing the restoring should be very careful not to judge because they just might fall themselves.

I'm writing about this topic today because I know how dangerous bitterness can be. Satan would love nothing more than to see the "church" destroyed because of a lack of love. Even in some of my own situations with the church I have had to fight so hard not to become bitter. Being bitter, or taking an offense is what John Bevere calls the bait of Satan. He wants me to become bitter and angry so that my heart will become hard and unforgiving. And this is what brings me back to the Haggards. As I listened to several different interviews with them, including their most recent visit to Grate Lakes Church here in Kenosha, I couldn't help be see their forgiveness for those who had hurt them so badly. So many of their friends who abandoned them in their darkest hours, people they had worked along side with for 22 years, and overseers who were supposed to gently restore Ted back into the church. Ted and Gayle could have just given up and I know there were times when Ted wanted to give up,but he refused to allow his heart to get hard and he allowed the love and forgiveness of not only his wife Gayle, but of Jesus to infiltrate his very soul and helped him get back on his feet knowing that he was totally and completely forgiven.

I was so blessed, not only by Gayle's amazing book, but by their testimony! They are true examples of people who are walking out their faith. Some people think that Ted is still arrogant but I don't see it that way at all. I see Ted as a man who truly understands what true forgiveness is all about and what it feels like. I'm so very thankful that I have had a chance to learn more about this precious couple and I pray that my life will also show what God's amazing grace has done for me. This is what we need in the church! A bunch of folks who are eager to pass on that amazing grace to a hurting and dying world. When the people in our communities start to see that grace in action .... watch out because church will never be the same!!!