The Voice of the Christian Community, serving Yuba, Sutter, and Butte Counties
We are therefore Christ’s Ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20)
WWW.AMBASSADORNEWSPAPER.COM
August 2010
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The Man vs. The Message by Seth Halpern
M
ost people have seen the recent rants of Mel Gibson. At first glance, one might decry “Mel, Mel, what have you done now?” Others may have responded (more appropriately) by praying for him. In any case, there seems to be a lot of “clean up” or “damage control” when the media focuses on some celebrity who has found him or herself in hot water, especially if they had been previously proclaiming Christ. Some might try to excuse Gibson of his shockingly angry verbiage. Others might shake their head in judgment. There is a myriad of reactions, to be sure. Is Gibson the first to be caught acting inappropriately after extolling the Glory of the Lord? Certainly not. The nightly
Reality tells us that we are in a sinful world with a powerful draw to corruption. Our enemy is helping in the process of leading us to fail. It is always our choice, yet we have many temptations
newscast is often cluttered with religious and political leaders’ moral failures. So, is this really about Mel Gibson? True, he helped bring many of us into a deeper understanding of the suffering of Christ in graphic display through the remarkable film “Passion Of The Christ”. Should we expect more of him? Emphatically “Yes”! In fact, anyone who is in any position of
leadership, especially when it is involves spiritual leadership, should be “expected” to be a role model. This includes pastors (not just mega-pastors), organization leaders, authors, performers, and yesnewspaper editors! This includes anyone who is leading, guiding, or communicating the Truth of Christ. At this
Check out The “Sponsor Spotlight” on page 13 point, many readers might be upset and consider this piece “judgmental”. Hopefully, you noticed that this writer is included in that list. So, when we judge others, we must judge ourselves by the same standard (Mt 7:2). Notice, something else, we should be “expected” to not fall into sin. That’s because we are commanded by God to live righteous and holy lives. Unfortunately, knowing and doing are not always in sync. Reality tells us that we are in a sinful world with a powerful draw to corruption. Our enemy is helping in the process of leading us to fail. It is always our choice, yet we have many temptations. So, while we might “expect” leaders to behave appropriately, it is apparent that they will not always do so. Some make the claim that “since we all sin, we should just expect it, accept it, and forgive it!” That is grace beyond God’s own grace. He calls us to holiness. He expects holiness but when we fall, confess, and repent, He will forgive us (1 Jn 1:9) our sins. Many consequences result from a leader’s inappropriate behavior. First it grieves God. (Do not grieve the Holy Spirit - Eph 4:30). It also gives our faith and the One we serve, “a black eye”. Christians will be falsely accused, the
The nightly newscast is often cluttered with religious and political leaders’ moral failures. Bible says (1 Pet 2:12 ), but to be rightly accused is a stain on the Bride of Christ. However, possibly the most damaging consequence that comes out of a leader’s moral failure is that the lost would discount the message due to the sins of the messenger. For example, The Passion of the Christ film was not only a huge box office success, but also bolstered the faith of many of God’s people and reignited a once dim flame of faith for others. There is no doubt that God used the film for His g l o r y. D o t h e a c t i o n s o f t h e producer/director alter that message? Is the whole message of Truth spoken by the
New BUTTE COUNTY Section! Page 9 mainstream media shines a brighter light on the errors of those who publicly take a stand for Jesus. The world is watching and waiting for His people to fall. It is true that we are not perfect. The world is not looking for perfection in us, merely integrity and character. The only perfect One was and is Jesus the Messiah. If we are to be followers of Him, share His love and spread His Glory, then we need to do so with integrity. Those in our community who do not know the love and glory of Jesus will only see it through His followers. Yes, we should “expect” that leaders will stay on the straight and narrow path, but even if not, it does not invalidate the message of the Truth of our Eternal, Holy, Almighty God.
New Section “Kids Corner” page 7 Ted Haggard’s, Jimmy Swaggert’s, or seemingly countless others, to be thrown out with the proverbial “bath water”? The Message, dear reader, is bigger than the person. The Gospel is larger than the person sharing it. The ministry of The Ambassador is bigger than its editor. The various ministries and good works that we all support are bigger than any one leader. This means that whether a televangelist, pastor of a church (“mega” or not), or, more commonly, a Christian living his or her life before the world, people are watching. Let us not forget that the
WHAT’S INSIDE Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 2 Ministry Resources. . . . . Pg. 3 Inspiration. . . . . . . . . Pg. 4 & 5 Family . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 6 & 7 Media/Entertainment . . . Pg. 8 Politics/Culture . . . . . . . Pg. 10 Community . . . . . . Pg. 12 & 13 Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 15
The Ambassador
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