Purging His Bride

I read with heartache the news about Pastor Ted Haggard yesterday. It is always difficult when any man of God is found to be less than pure or upstanding in his life. I pray that the accusation against him will be nothing more than the rantings of a person with a vendetta against a man of God. But if they are found out to be true, we as the body of Christ need not judge, but show grace and a willingness to forgive and restore within a proper time frame. I know in my heart what God has done for me, and delivered me from. I also know that like any Christian, I still deal with things that I would never want broadcast to the world, let alone the church. Because of His grace towards me I can honestly say that if the men of God in my life, in my church ever stumbled, I'd be the first to offer a hand up, knowing that they aren't just my pastors, but they are my friends too, and we don't turn our backs on our friends, regardless of what they do or what others say about them. I heard the news about Ted Haggard yesterday afternoon, and a scripture I had read earlier came to mind, one that if we would follow it would help keep us out of trouble. The Apostle Paul wrote in Phil 3:17 "Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example". When I read that it made me stop and ask myself, how does my life compare to Paul's? When we read the Bible we get a pretty good idea of what type of person he was. He had no other desire or motive other than to preach Christ. He had no other pursuit than to get closer to the One whom he served. He was single minded in that pursuit, not caught up in titles or prestige or making a quick buck. Paul was a humble man who was even willing to spend eternity in Hell if it meant the salvation of Israel. He gave up everything he had worked for in his life for the purposes of God. And in the end, he even gave his own life for the gospel he enjoyed preaching. I'm praying God deliver me from the American mindset that says by its works more than its words that we shouldn't suffer for Christ, we shouldn't lack money or material things, we should only expect and receive the best, and God forbid if we face persecution, (which is next to impossible with the watered down messages we preach behind our pulpits). If we're to compare our lives to Paul's, then I've got a long way to go, but I'm willing to take that journey, because God is doing what He said He would do in the final days, He is purging His bride! And that my friends is the reality of it!