By Pastor Scott Thomas, President of Acts 29 Network
Ted Haggard was the founder of a megachurch in Colorado Springs and president of the politically powerful National Association of Evangelicals who was forced to resign nearly four years ago, after admitting that he had bought methamphetamine from, and had a sexual encounter with, a male prostitute.
Ted Haggard speaking to his new congregation meeting in his barn.
In a letter to the congregation, Haggard confessed to sexual immorality and described himself as "a deceiver and a liar." Describing a lifelong battle against temptations that were contrary to his teachings, Haggard wrote in his letter he had sought assistance "in a variety of ways," and while he had stretches of "freedom," nothing proved effective. "There is a part of my ...
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By Yancey Arrington
How often have we exposed ourselves as pretenders when it comes to battling indwelling sin? All of us have approached a certain temptation in our life with confidence only to wind up succumbing to its pain-inflicting consequences. We are often exposed – assuming ourselves to be contenders when we are truly impotent in our ability to defeat a seemingly unimposing sin.
How can we fight sin well and not fool ourselves? One of the ways we do that is by discovering what kind of repentance we employ in our fight against sin.
Repentance is the essential aspect of spiritual growth. Martin Luther penned in the first of his “Ninety-Five Theses” these words: “Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ…willed the entire life of believers to be one of ...
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Killing Ourselves in Jesus’ Name
By Habitual Sabbath-Breaking Pastor Scott Thomas
July 23, 2009
[for a PDF version, click here]
I am driven. As far back as I can remember I wanted to excel, to accomplish, to produce and to be successful. As a teenage kid in my backyard, I shot basketballs strategically, religiously and sacrificially until 11:00 pm most nights. I dreamed of playing college basketball because my only perceived avenue to get to college was a sports scholarship. I played college basketball on that scholarship, and with my degree and sports accolades in hand I set out to succeed as a pastor.
As a driven pastor, working seventy hours a week was common. Days off were notional. I felt justified to work non-stop because the need was ...
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