It is always a touchy subject. People squirm and eyes bug out every time name Jesus Christ is mentioned. Truthfully when you talk to someone about Jesus you never know what you are going to get. Some people have say he was an alien, others say he was a man, some say he was enlightened, some say he was a prophet and others of course say he is God. So, what are we to say, who side do you stand on? What Jesus God, or merely man? Was he from Mars or born of virgin? Does it even matter?

Well, the truth is, it does matter. It matters more than you know. Really, by saying who Jesus is, points and directs us to his motive. What was his purpose for being here? Let me give you an example. Lets say Jesus came from Jupiter, an extra terestrial from another planet. He arrived on the scene for the purpose of what? Pointlessness. He lied and decieved us and he is by no means a person worthy of following. All this talk about going to the Father and preparing a place for us. All this talk about saving the world. All this talk about being the Way Truth and Life means nothing if Jesus is an alien.

Had Jesus just been a man, we are left with some serious issues to discuss. For instance we have to deal with the fact that Jesus outright claimed to be God. He not only claimed it, but did nothing to stop others from saying it. In John 4 Jesus is chillin out with a gal at a well. He dives into her life and shares with her truths about God. She says to Jesus that when the Messiah comes he is going to clear this all up and Jesus reply to her, "I who speak to you am he."

Well, if Jesus were human, he must have also been a little delusional. Not only delusional, but a little suicidal as well. When confronted with this same question facing death, he also continued to back his claims as God. (Mark 14:61-62) Not only that, but the Jewish leaders of that day wanted him to be killed, why, for blsphemy, for claiming to be God. If Jesus was a man he was delusional, decietful and suicidal. He doesn't sound like a great prophet, or a great man to me at all. Unless of course, he was GOD!

John explains this quite clearly in John 1. Jesus was with God, he was God and he became flesh. In the book of Philippians Paul describes Jesus as having the very same nature of God and being equal with him and leaving his Godliness to take the form of a human. Jesus is God.

It is also important that Jesus is God simply because he is the only worthy sacrafice. Let me repeat that again. If Jesus was not God than his death on the cross was basically meaningless. Nothing more than a martyr. Jesus death was far more than that. He took on the sins of the world, a perfect sacrafice. The sacrafice of God. That is why Jesus says "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me." As God he was an worthy sacrafice. As man, he was just another crazy hung on a tree.

Some would say that I am exclusive and closed minded. No, God is exclusive and closed minded. It's his world, he could have saved us however he wanted to but he didn't. He sent Jesus part of the us from Genesis 1:26 to earth to live with us as an example, to show love and grace and to die for our sins. So that God would be glorified. He could have changed up all of history, taken back all the promises made and prophecies that spoke of who this Messiah had to be. No, God was very clear about who the Messiah would be, it would be God. Immanuel, "GOD WITH US." Not, some guy, or an alien from Pluto. Jesus had to be God.

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Fall From Grace?

It has been a challenge for me to understand the happenings this last week with Pastor Haggard from New Life Christian Church in Colorado. Read about the story here. It is sad and disappointing on so many levels. His prominence makes this story that much more devastating but the truth is, he is not alone. Every year I hear of another pastor I know personally, who is caught in his sin his secret life exposed, a family devasted, a church blindsided. What have we learned? What can we learn?

The first thing we can learn, is that pastors are people too. They are still tempted, they still have good days and bad ones. They struggle just like anyone else. By no means is that an excuse yet we should not be surprised, sin is sin. Pastors are tempted and have just as much opportunity to sin as anyone. The position they hold does require the church handle it properly. As we see in 1 Timothy 3, the leadership of a church is held to a much higher standard and must be held accountable for and removed from their position. A sinful pastor is no longer "above reproach," and the church needs leadership they can trust. Pastors must be ministered to in these circumstances but must be removed from their leadership roles.

The next thing we need to learn, if you are in ministry and in sin. GET OUT! If the reports are true, Haggard has had an ongoing relationship with another man for three years. That is a long time. There are a lot of people that are or will be hurt by this sin. It would have saved himself and his church a lot of heartache and humiliation had he been honest with his struggles years ago. He lived a lie, denyed accountability and lived in sin. If you are in ministry, don't lie to yourself, your sin will harm your church and the longterm effects can devastate. Get out of ministry now!

I also think about Pastor Haggad's lack of accountability. Not that he didn't have others around him that he could talk to, he may have. Yet in the midst of it all, he chose not to be held accountable. We all need someone we can trust, someone we can share those deep dard secrets with. Some one who can hold our feet to the fire and cares enough to love us as when we need it most. Few people and even fewer pastor's have someone like this, but we all need it, and we should all be seeking it.

The next few months and years are going to be hard for Haggard's church and family. Sin like this is devastating. Gay activists are calling Haggard to "come out of the closet." Ministries across the country are asking, "why?" Pastors a like are devasted and heart broken to see another one fall to temptation. Another battle lost. We should all be praying, not only for Haggard and his church, but for the leadership of our church's and churches across America.