The HBO documentary The Trials of Ted Haggard dredges up a lot of pain and sometimes blames the church for the Colorado pastor’s problems.

In November 2006 the American evangelical movement was dragged through an embarrassing credibility crisis when Colorado pastor Ted Haggard admitted to a sexual relationship with a male prostitute. This week it’s déjà vu all over again. In a documentary about Haggard’s moral failure, HBO dredges up the ugly scandal and shows us how Haggard is coping with life now that he’s out of the ministry.

After watching an advance copy of The Trials of Ted Haggard, I’m wondering if this film should have been made at all.

“The people I know at New Life love the Haggards and extended forgiveness to Ted from the first day the scandal broke. But Pelosi edits out that side of the story.”

Although the 42-minute movie was directed by Alexandra Pelosi, daughter of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, it is not a political rant. Pelosi followed Haggard and his family around for months (with their full cooperation) to explore how the disgraced pastor survived his ordeal after being fired from New Life Church and then moving to Arizona to seek counseling and a new career as an insurance salesman.

The film itself is both heartwarming and painfully mocking. Haggard is blunt about his sexual struggles (he says he started dealing with gay feelings after experiences in the seventh grade), he apologizes for his behavior and he calls himself “a first-class loser.” His wife, Gayle, explains why she stayed with her husband after the affair became public (“I don’t believe in writing people off”) and says she and Ted enjoy deeper intimacy today because he has faced his brokenness.

Thankfully Haggard makes it clear that he has not changed his views on biblical morality, telling Pelosi that he still believes heterosexual marriage is God’s plan. This is surely the first time HBO has ever aired such conservative views on that subject.

But the tragic flaw of The Trials of Ted Haggard is Pelosi’s attempt to blame New Life Church for Haggard’s problems. She seems aghast that he was fired simply for sexual immorality-and then characterizes the restrictions placed upon him by New Life’s elders as “exile.”

Haggard plays along with the blame game at times. When Pelosi asks him, “Where are your friends now?” Haggard stares across an Arizona sky and answers: “They left. I violated the rules.” When she brings up the subject of his restoration process-which required him to leave Colorado and submit to a counseling process directed by pastor Tommy Barnett of Phoenix First Assembly of God-Haggard says: “The church has said, ‘Go to hell.’ The church chose not to forgive me.”

(The truth: No one at New Life, Phoenix First or any other church wanted Haggard to go to hell. It was unfortunate, however, that one New Life leader was quoted as saying that Haggard needed to “disappear.”)

Pelosi paints New Life Church and Haggard’s restoration team as the bad guys. In actuality, Haggard’s church gave him a generous severance package that included a year’s salary, continual care for the Haggard’s special-needs son and months of counseling.

The people I know at New Life love the Haggards and extended forgiveness to Ted from the first day the scandal broke. But Pelosi edits out that side of the story, except when she shows footage of New Life members crying when they first learned of his fall.

The saddest part of the film features a clip from a sermon Haggard gave several years ago at his church. He tells his congregation to embrace integrity and warns them not to keep secrets or live double lives. Those words, juxtaposed against news clips about the prostitute Haggard visited frequently in Denver, remind us that we will face painful consequences if we preach one thing and live another.

Haggard tells Pelosi: “I can certainly understand why people can’t stand me.” I want to shout from the housetops that the Christian community loves Ted, that we forgave him in 2006 and that we forgive him now (especially since new revelations surfaced this week about another man who says he was involved with Haggard).

The world needs to know that forgiveness doesn’t negate the need for church discipline, nor does it automatically solve the complex problems people create for themselves and others when they fall as hard as Haggard did.

It’s tragic that the men who loved Haggard the most-particularly Larry Stockstill, the Louisiana pastor who managed the disciplinary process-don’t get the respect they deserve in this movie. After extending amazing grace to the Haggards, they are skewered by Pelosi, HBO and, at times, by Haggard himself.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I think Haggard should have told Pelosi that it just wasn’t time to air his public pain on national television. He could have stayed in obscurity for a few more years while embracing his healing process-but Haggard chose not only to make this film but also to go on talk shows this week with Larry King and Oprah Winfrey.

What’s done is done. Hopefully secular audiences will focus more on the positives of Haggard’s faith and less on his cynicism. One thing is for sure: The trials of Ted Haggard are not over. Stay tuned for the sequel.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma.

Charisma editor picks best movie of the year! Slumdog Millionaire, which was nominated in 10 categories, won eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Below is J. Lee Grady’s review of this rags-to-riches story.

Fox Searchlight Pictures
Directed by Danny Boyle
Rated R for some language and scenes of violence

It’s not a Christian film, but Slumdog Millionaire gets my vote for the best movie of 2008 because it deals so honestly with the issue of exploited children.

Set in modern India, it is the story of Jamal (Dev Patel), a low-caste boy raised in the slums of Mumbai amid religious violence and cruel poverty. Orphaned and with little schooling, Jamal and his brother eke out an existence by begging in the streets, riding on top of trains and giving bogus tours of the Taj Mahal to naive tourists.

 

Amid this chaos, Jamal learns a few seemingly trivial things about his world—from who starred in India’s biggest movies to who is pictured on an American $100 bill. These facts come in handy when Jamal, at age 20, ends up an unlikely contestant on India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He competes not to become rich but to find Latika (Freida Pinto), his childhood sweetheart who has been abducted by an Indian mafia boss.

Through flashbacks, we learn how this kid at the bottom of society learned the answers to a game that changes his life forever. Was it just coincidence—or destiny? The film is painful to watch at times, but American audiences need to be reminded that children in developing nations are beaten, enslaved and even blinded with acid by their slave owners. The moving climax of Slumdog Millionaire will have you cheering in the aisles.

The film is in English and some Hindi with subtitles. It already won the Golden Globe award for Best Picture, and last weekend 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director (Danny Boyle), best adapted screenplay (Simon Beaufoy) and best original song and musical score. (Don’t leave the theatre before watching the closing credits—which offer a musical surprise.)

This review was published in January in Charisma‘s Buzz e-newsletter. Slumdog Millionaire went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture on Feb. 22. You can subscribe to The Buzz from Charisma by clicking here.

We must pray that our new president will honor the God of our fathers and seek counsel from His prophets.

The hearts of millions of Americans were stirred on Tuesday as we watched Barack Obama place his hand on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible and swear to uphold his duties as president. The cynicism and divisiveness of politics gave way to civility for a few moments as Obama stood on that massive stage in front of the Capitol and spoke of a “new era of responsibility” that he hopes to initiate.

We’ve seen similar patriotic moments in our lifetime, but Obama’s speech chiseled a landmark in our history. His message was especially poignant when he noted that his own father might not have been served in a local restaurant 60 years ago—yet today he “can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.” The tears of older African-Americans in the crowd testified that Martin Luther King’s dream has been realized.

“If President Obama truly wants to make the most positive mark on American history, he cannot simply position a few token Christians on his stage while the prophets of Baal surround him.”

I salute Mr. Obama as my president and I welcome the racial reconciliation that his election symbolizes. But we all know that presidents aren’t proven by ceremonies, nor are they ultimately judged by their speeches or the response from the crowds. Today the inaugural stage will be dismantled, the decorations will be put away and the confetti will be swept up. And President Obama will face one of the most challenging jobs on the planet.

I am praying that he will learn the lesson of Barak.

Yes, there is a man in the Bible who shares our president’s name. Barak was chosen by God to lead Israel at a time of serious military and economic crisis. The Canaanites were plotting an invasion, so Deborah—the prophet of the Lord at that time—called on Barak to defend Israel even though Jabin’s iron chariots far outnumbered Israel’s ragtag army.

Barak had an unusual response to Deborah’s request. He told her: “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go” (Judg. 4:8, NASB). This may sound like an admission of weakness, but Barak was no mama’s boy. He is actually listed as a hero of faith in the book of Hebrews (see Heb. 11:32). So why did he insist that Deborah accompany him?

Barak knew he could not be a successful leader without the Lord’s prophet by his side. He needed the counsel of God. He wanted the supernatural wisdom and favor that comes from honoring the Lord and His word.

Every leader in the Bible was measured by his or her reliance upon the one true God. The Bible gives us a long list of the kings of Israel, and each one either stood or fell depending on how he aligned himself with God and His true messengers. Those who honored God and listened to His prophets experienced economic prosperity and military victory; those who turned to idols and listened to false prophets failed miserably.

Saul disobeyed Samuel’s counsel and ended his rule in disgrace. Jeroboam set up golden calves for the people to worship, and because he disregarded the prophetic warnings of Ahijah he also failed. King Ahab refused to listen to Elijah’s rebukes, and instead surrounded himself with the prophets of Baal. His rule ended in tragedy.

There were a few kings in Israel, however, who chose godly counselors. David gave the prophet Nathan access to his palace and permission to speak into his personal life. After David’s sex scandal and political cover-up, Nathan’s confrontation brought him to repentance.

After King Hezekiah realized that he faced the most serious military threat in Israel’s history, he repented and prayed for deliverance. Isaiah the prophet then showed up and told him: “Because you have prayed to Me … I have heard you” (2 Kin. 19:20). Isaiah predicted the demise of the Assyrian army, and in one night the angel of the Lord slew 185,000 men.

Many other leaders in the Bible responded faithfully to God by choosing godly counselors to guide them. King Josiah consulted with the prophetess Huldah. Even kings of pagan nations were blessed when they listened to God’s prophets. Darius and Cyrus appointed Daniel as a top adviser, and King Ahasuerus elevated Mordecai to his highest cabinet post.

How will Barack Obama be measured as a president? Hopefully he will be much more than just a symbol of racial healing. I am praying that he will seek out the Lord’s prophets and turn to God with the same fervor that Barak exhibited when he sought Deborah’s guidance.

Obama sent a few signals during his inauguration ceremony that affirmed our nation’s Christian values. His choice of California pastor Rick Warren to offer the invocation hinted that our new president is willing to include evangelical Christians in his policy discussions. But if President Obama truly wants to make the most positive mark on American history, he cannot simply position a few token Christians on his stage while the prophets of Baal surround him.

The racial healing our nation is experiencing right now will prove to be superficial if Obama veers our nation away from the God of our fathers and rejects His moral principles. In his speech on Tuesday, President Obama said he felt “humbled” by the events surrounding this historic election. The test of his humility has now begun. It will be made obvious by who he listens to.

Many secular forces—from inside Congress, from Hollywood and from foreign nations—hope to use Obama to promote wicked agendas. Will he seize this moment and recognize his ultimate need to depend on God? Will he turn to God like Barak and lead our country into its greatest hour of victory? Or will he follow the path of Ahab and become a stooge for Jezebel and her false prophets?

It’s time for the church to pray like never before that true prophets will have access to the White House and that our new president will honor God in the way he leads America.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma.

Forces in our culture want to rip the foundations of Christian faith right out from under America. Here are four lies we must challenge.

This past week I spent four days preaching at Emmanuel College, a Christian liberal arts school in northeast Georgia. I love speaking to college students because they are spiritually hungry, they love passionate worship and I don’t have to wear a tie.

On the third night (after a young man got saved and delivered of drug addiction—yeah God!) I told the kids I needed to get brutally honest. They gave me permission to shoot straight. Because I genuinely care about them—and because they will be spiritual leaders before too long—I warned them about four lies they must confront.

Every Christian in this country must learn to dissect these lies using the Word of God. The devil is working overtime today to gain control of our nation’s soul. We are in a life-and-death struggle. This is not a time for Christians to be squishy in their faith or spineless in their convictions. We must plant our feet on the bedrock principles of the Bible and oppose each of these lies:

“We must start preaching about hell again instead of worrying about who might leave our church or how it might affect our TV ratings.”

1. Hell does not exist. Jesus preached about hell more than anyone in the Bible. His words dripped with love, but He didn’t soft-pedal when addressing the eternal consequences of sin. When He began His ministry, he read from the book of Isaiah, announcing that He had come not only to “proclaim the favorable year of the Lord” but also “the day of vengeance of our God” (Is. 61:2, NASB).

The real gospel is a double-edged sword that offers both the “kindness and severity of God” (Rom. 11:22, emphasis added). That’s why hell is one four-letter word we should use more often—not to condemn people in mean-spirited judgment but to warn them that mercy has a time limit.

The world rejects the concept of hell because it’s too exclusive. Our Oprah-ized culture insists that everyone deserves a warm and fuzzy life free of consequences. “How can a loving God send anyone to hell?” people ask. If we truly love them we will explain that hell is not a metaphor—it is a real place of dreadful separation from God that sinners choose when they reject Him. We must start preaching about hell again instead of worrying about who might leave our church or how our unpopular message might affect our TV ratings.

2. God didn’t create the world. 2009 is the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species, so you can be sure the scientific community will bombard us this year with more “proof” of this sketchy theory. The mainstream media and academia insist that evolution is pure fact. Anyone who dares to challenge it is considered a religious idiot.

What people don’t realize is that Darwinism, besides being laughably lacking in scientific basis, has roots in spiritualism. Welsh naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace shared many of Darwin’s beliefs and encouraged him to publish his book. Wallace believed in spirit guides, participated in séances and was intrigued by all things paranormal. He promoted the “science” of evolution because it supported his anti-God views. Is it any wonder, then, that this doctrine he and Darwin propagated has been used to undermine Christianity ever since?

The world does not want to believe in a Creator because if He is real, then He has ultimate authority over His creation. On the flip side, man has no moral responsibility if he crawled out of a primordial soup, grew fins, then legs, and then became a talking ape. Evolution is not really about science at all—it is about rebellion against God’s rule over us.

3. All religions lead to God. This isn’t a new lie, but it is enjoying a revival today. President Bush has obviously flirted with the idea, since he has told reporters that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Barack Obama attended a church for 20 years that teaches that Jesus is not the only way to salvation—and he has publicly acknowledged that he believes this.

The doctrine of universalism—which states that all people will ultimately gain salvation and enjoy heaven—has become the religion of the masses. Even some charismatic and Pentecostal preachers such as Carlton Pearson of Oklahoma and D.E. Paulk of Atlanta have abandoned biblical orthodoxy to embrace this heresy. They are now on a crusade to rewrite Christian theology—and they have allies in some mainline denominations (such as the Episcopal Church) where the authority of Scripture is denied.

Christians who embrace universalism are like the prophets of Baal in Jezebel’s court who had been neutered. They preach a powerless message that cannot change anyone. We must arise in the spirit of Elijah to confront this deception and prove to the world that the one true God answers by fire.

4. Man can redefine morality. This is perhaps the most deadly lie of all. Everywhere we look today, leaders in media, politics, education and entertainment are plotting the virtual overthrow of conventional morals. They want a hedonistic world with no rules and no guilt. This was most obvious last month when Newsweek published a cover story brazenly claiming that the Bible approves of same-sex marriage.

A lying spirit has invaded many mainline churches and is convincing weak Christians to change their views about homosexuality, abortion and fornication. Evil is called good while those who stand for the biblical values of purity and traditional marriage are labeled bigots.

If we ignore these lies they will engulf us. We need a zero-tolerance policy for spiritual compromise. While we must demonstrate overwhelming compassion and love for sinners, God requires us to oppose cultural brainwashing. We cannot be silent on the issues the devil is attacking.

If you are wavering in your faith on any of these four fundamentals, get honest about your doubts, repent of your lukewarmness and dig in God’s Word until your mind is renewed. Don’t become a brainwash victim.

The church today faces a serious leadership crisis. The only way to solve it is to embrace three forgotten virtues.

The people of Israel faced a leadership crisis during their sojourn in the wilderness. From morning until evening, dozens of people would line up outside Moses’ tent to ask him to resolve a dispute. When his father-in-law, Jethro, saw the crowds outside his door, he pulled Moses aside and gave him wise advice that ended up being recorded in Scripture.

Jethro warned his son-in-law that he would burn out if he continued to govern the nation by himself. He told Moses: “You shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens” (Ex. 18:21, NASB).

In the middle of the Sinai desert Jethro taught the first management seminar. But his counsel was not just about the principle of delegation; he was also stressing the importance of godly character in leaders. In fact, he makes it clear that people who lack character should be excluded from leadership positions.

“True spiritual revival will not come to the American church until we take Jethro’s counsel seriously, remove corrupt leaders from their positions and replace them with those who match the biblical standard.”

Jethro could have identified other qualities as prerequisites for leadership. He could have mentioned charisma, sex appeal, preaching ability, musical talent, intellect, organizational skills, business know-how, wealth, pedigree or high ratings in political polls. But none of those are God’s requirements. Jethro mentioned three qualities that we desperately need in the church as well as in mainstream culture.

1. Leaders who fear God. A person who fears God lives in a continual attitude of reverence—whether he is alone or in front of a crowd. He is aware that God is watching his actions and weighing his words. Because this person cares more about pleasing God than people, he takes God’s moral standards seriously—and he depends on the Holy Spirit to help him make right choices.

You don’t have to look far to see that the American church has fallen short when it comes to the fear of God. In 2008 one popular charismatic preacher led a series of revival meetings and then ran off with another woman after four months. Another popular minister from Atlanta assaulted his wife in a parking lot and was arrested; after his divorce he cavalierly announced that he wanted a new wife who was “sensual.” Another preacher in Baltimore fathered a child with a mistress and then bragged from the pulpit that he was “still the man” even though he had committed adultery. And one preacher in Florida carried on an affair with a stripper and then divorced his wife when she found out about it.

If we apply the Jethro principle, every one of these men should be out of the ministry today. The sad truth is they are all still preaching—and they have large crowds following them.

A person who fears God is never flippant about morality. Because he keeps his conscience clean he is immediately convicted if he makes an unkind remark, entertains a lustful thought or sets a bad example. He’s also aware that if he doesn’t quickly repent when he grieves the Holy Spirit, his conscience could become callous. So he regularly examines his motives, conversations, appetites and relationships to make sure he’s not veering off-course.

God, give us leaders who fear You!

2. Leaders who tell the truth. In 2008 we heard the tragic story of Australian worship leader Mike Guglielmucci, author of the popular worship anthem “Healer.” He told audiences that he wrote the song after he had been diagnosed with cancer. He even performed on stage with an oxygen tank while telling his fans that he was in intense pain from his treatments. But he admitted last summer that he made up the whole story to mask a pornography addiction. Today Guglielmucci faces a possible criminal sentence for fraud because he used the bogus story to raise money.

We live in a dishonest culture. The current financial crisis was triggered, in part, by people who lied when they applied for home loans. Bank executives have admitted that mortgages were even granted to people who worked service jobs and yet claimed six-figure salaries. When people who lied about their incomes couldn’t pay their mortgages, they defaulted on their loans and the system imploded. The greedy financial sharks who sold those loans lied too. Now taxpayers are paying for the ensuing meltdown.

Our moral system will suffer a similar collapse if we don’t return to truth. The church should set the standard for integrity—and that includes honest accounting practices, full financial disclosure and an end to the “evangelastic” stretching of the truth that is so common in our ranks. If we realized that heaven keeps a record of “every careless word” we speak (see Matt. 12:36), we would stop exaggerating our ministry reports.

God give us leaders who tell the truth!

3. Leaders who hate dishonest gain. Most of us breathed a collective sigh of disgust last month when we heard about Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s outlandish bribery scandal. After being arrested for attempting to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat, the embattled Illinois politician dug in his heels and insisted on appointing state Attorney General Roland Burris to the vacant spot. Blagojevich turned the evening news in December into a three-ring circus.

You know it’s bad when the governor of a populous state gets caught telling people that he wants a wad of money in exchange for a political appointment. It shows how deep moral corruption has infected our system. What’s worse is that this corruption is mirrored in many of our churches.

Greed has actually been morphed into a virtue in some charismatic circles, where pastors take hourlong offerings and guest speakers require limousines and five-figure honorariums to maintain their celebrity lifestyles. It’s especially bad on some Christian TV channels, where spiritual extortionists sell medieval-style indulgences disguised as “Day of Atonement offerings” and use other ridiculous ploys to rob Christians.

God give us leaders who hate dishonest gain!

It’s time for a leadership reformation. God requires us to drive the greedy moneychangers out of His house. True spiritual revival will not come to the American church until we take Jethro’s counsel seriously, remove corrupt leaders from their positions and replace them with those who match the biblical standard.

While our nation faces its toughest financial crisis since the Great Depression, the church is wandering in a wilderness of disturbing uncertainty. Ministries that enjoyed success two years ago are announcing layoffs. Some churches have been squeezed to a breaking point because donations are down.

There’s no reason to fear if our trust is in the Lord. God can provide manna in the desert even when banks and politicians fail us. He can use this perfect economic storm to purify our movement—and to test our foundations.

In late 2008 three once-popular charismatic churches fell on hard times. Without Walls International Church in Tampa, Florida, once attracted 23,000 worshipers, but it shrank drastically after co-pastors Randy and Paula White announced in 2007 that they were divorcing. In November their bank filed foreclosure proceedings and demanded immediate repayment of a $12 million loan on the property.

In Duluth, Georgia, near Atlanta, sheriff’s deputies arrived at Global Destiny Ministries on Nov. 14 and ordered Bishop Thomas Weeks III to leave the property. Weeks, who divorced popular preacher Juanita Bynum in June, owed more than $511,000 in back rent to the building’s owners. He was escorted out while a church service was in progress.

In another part of Atlanta, leaders of the Cathedral at Chapel Hill announced that their church is officially for sale. The gothic building—which once had a membership of 10,000—lost its credibility a few years ago after lurid sex scandals triggered a mass exodus. The church’s founder, Bishop Earl Paulk, turned his 6,000-seat church (valued at $24.5 million) over to his son, D.E., who has now abandoned orthodox Christian doctrines.

Why are these ministries suffering? It’s not just the credit crisis. I believe judgment has begun in the house of God.

Before Weeks was charged with assaulting Bynum in a hotel parking lot in August 2007, he told the men at a Global Destiny marriage conference that they should use profanity during sex to heighten their experience. He also brought couples on stage to play a game in which men were asked to name their favorite female body parts.

God’s answer to that kind of blasphemy? Eviction.

Many parishioners walked out of Earl Paulk’s church 16 years ago when it became known that he and other staff members were involved in wife-swapping. Paulk created a bizarre culture of secrecy to cover the immorality, which included his affair with a sister-in-law-and resulted in the birth of D.E. (who thought he was Earl Paulk’s nephew until last year). The church has had only a few hundred members in recent years.

Today, D.E. has embraced the inclusionist doctrines of Oklahoma pastor Carlton Pearson, who left the faith in 2003 and was labeled a heretic by a group of African-American bishops. The younger Paulk now preaches that all people, not just Christians, are saved. A pulpit that was already defiled by diabolical perversion is now the breeding ground for unthinkable deception.

God’s answer to that? Eviction.

How did our movement reach this level of disgrace? I hear the sound of bricks and steel beams crashing to the ground. The wrecking ball of heaven is swinging. It has come to demolish any work that has not been built on the integrity of God’s Word.

All of us should be trembling during this season of testing. There is more wreckage to come. God requires holiness in His house. He is loving and patient with our mistakes and weaknesses, but eventually, if there is no repentance after continual correction, His discipline is severe. He will not be mocked.

God is not married to our buildings, nor will He prop up our flimsy success. If He allowed foreign armies to burn Jerusalem and its glorious temple, He will also write “Ichabod” on the doors of churches where there is no repentance for compromise.

I pray the fear of God will grip our hearts until we humble ourselves. Let’s re-examine our priorities as we enter 2009. Let’s throw out the wood, hay and stubble and build on a sure and tested foundation. It is the only way to survive the meltdown.

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J. Lee Grady is the editor of Charisma. You can read his previous online columns, as well as comments from readers here.

 

Don’t keep wandering in yesterday’s wilderness as this new year begins. It’s time to challenge your giants and claim new territory.

I spent the last couple of months of 2008 buried in the book of Joshua. Casual readers might dismiss the narrative as nothing more than a description of military conquests, but when I delve into its pages I discover the revelation of Jesus Christ—our “Joshua”—who invites us to engage in a spiritual adventure beyond our wildest dreams.

The message of Joshua has been particularly relevant to me lately because I am contemplating some big transitions in my career. Change is scary—especially in a time of economic crisis. But when I read Joshua’s story I am encouraged to take the risks necessary to claim my spiritual inheritance.

“You are not entering this year alone. Go forward in faith, leave your wilderness behind and take the territory God has given you.”

God is calling many of us today to shift from the wilderness to the promised land. Christians who have grown uncomfortable with the status quo are now contemplating big moves. Likewise, church leaders sense a new stirring to grow their churches and influence our secularized culture. As our desire to impact the world with the gospel grows, we hear the Lord challenging us to take bold steps of faith in 2009.

If you want to see big victories in your personal life, your family and your church in the coming year, consider the path that Joshua and Israel took:

1. Swallow your fears. When it was time to enter Canaan, God had to find a fearless leader. He told Joshua: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous!” (Josh. 1:9).

How would you measure your faith level as you step into 2009? Are you dismayed about your finances or worried about your health? Are you crippled by insecurities? The devil waged psychological warfare against God’s people in 2008 with news of global recession, political uncertainty and the threat of terrorism. Many believers grew anxious, timid and confused.

There is no magic pill to relieve us from fear’s torment. We simply must resist it. We must counter-attack it by confessing God’s Word. When fear says, “God will not provide,” we must respond by saying, “My God will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.” When fear says, “You will fail,” we must respond by declaring, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

2. Put on your full armor. When it was time to cross the Jordan, Joshua commanded the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh to dress in battle clothes (even though, since their inheritance was on the eastern side of Canaan, this was technically not their battle). Too many of us have excused ourselves from the battle because we don’t think it is ours to fight. Yet 2009 is not a year to sit on the sidelines. It will not be an easy season, but those who are battle-ready will endure and conquer.

You must bathe this year with prayer and praise. Prayerless Christians will not overcome the assaults that are headed our way. Get ruthless with your schedule, even if you must forfeit a movie, a TV show or an extra hour of sleep to spend time with God.

3. Set ambitious goals. What Joshua set out to do in Canaan was impossible, considering Israel’s limited military capabilities. Yet God said to seize Jericho anyway. So Joshua sent spies into the city, and they learned that the inhabitants were actually afraid of them (see 2:9-11). Joshua’s perception of reality changed when He saw the situation through God’s eyes.

How many times have you dismissed a dream because it seemed too big? How many years have you set that aside that dream of starting a ministry, a business or a new career? In Joshua’s case, he stopped going in circles in the wilderness and instead led God’s people to circle Jericho—and the impenetrable walls fell flat! In 2009, find out what God’s big goals are for you and zero in on them.

4. Step in the water. The Jordan was overflowing its banks when God told Israel to cross it. They did not wait until the water level went down (see 3:14-17). In obedience to the Lord, the priests stepped into the water first. Then, after they planted their feet in the rushing current, a miracle occurred and the river stopped flowing.

Sometimes we find ourselves waiting for God to remove our obstacles when He is actually waiting for us to take a step of faith. We are the real barrier. You may feel powerless to stop the river, but you must get your feet wet. Once you start moving in the right direction, He will bring the breakthrough.

5. Consecrate yourself anew. Before Israel could take Jericho, God required a renewal of His covenant (see 5:2-4). Every man who had not been circumcised during the wilderness journey was admitted to surgery! We too have been scheduled for an operation—on our hearts.

Many of us are not ready for the challenges of 2009. We need to set aside time for evaluation, reflection and course correction. We must root out sinful habits, adjust bad attitudes, repent of unforgiveness and destroy idols that have stolen our affections. One excellent way to do this is with fasting. This year many Christians will set aside the first 21 days of January to observe a “Daniel fast” consisting of fruits, vegetables and juices. I encourage you to begin your year with this discipline.

6. Expect new provision. After Israel crossed the Jordan their entire economy changed. They had relied on manna from heaven for their daily food, but when they stepped into Canaan they began to eat the produce of the land—and the manna ceased (see 5:12). They went from eating handfuls of strange, mealy powder to enjoying cartloads of milk, honey, grain and meat; they shifted from scanty daily rations to overflowing abundance.

We can wander in the wilderness so long that we grow accustomed to a hand-to-mouth existence. Our faith shrinks with our limited expectations. We forget that the same God who carried us through the lean times also wants to give us wealth so that we can carry out His kingdom work. In this season of economic upheaval, don’t adopt a poverty mentality. Your heavenly Father wants to entrust you with His resources—even during a time when He is bringing economic judgment on the wicked.

7. Expect a visitation. Just before the Jericho miracle, Joshua found himself standing face-to-face with the “captain of the host of the Lord” (5:14). Bible scholars say this was not just an angel—they believe it was the pre-incarnate Christ. This dramatic encounter marked Joshua forever and gave him the faith and courage to lead Israel to victory.

It is the Lord’s presence that will sustain you in 2009, no matter what difficulties you face. The One who fights your battles is in your midst. You are not entering this year alone. Go forward in faith, leave your wilderness behind and take the territory God has given you.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma.

The birth of Jesus was not about pine needles, eggnog, apple cider or cinnamon candles.

I associate Christmas with sensory overload: Colored lights twinkle, sleigh bells jingle and snow makes cheeks rosy, except here in Florida where we generate that frosty winter feeling with air conditioners. Then there are the holiday smells: Pine needles, cinnamon candles, spiced apple cider, eggnog, roast turkey and that musty smell of boxed ornaments that come out of the attic only once a year. Plus my favorite: White Christmas coffee, a strong brew with a tinge of coconut.

We love these yuletide pleasures, but they have little to do with the original Nativity. The only brilliant light on the eve of Jesus’ birth was the mysterious star that beckoned the Magi. Nobody decorated the manger with boughs of holly. Mary didn’t serve cider or fig pudding to the shepherds, and there were no turkeys in Israel to provide a holiday feast.

But there were certain smells associated with that original Christmas. It would be a good idea for us to remember them as we celebrate with our families and friends this year.

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First, there was the earthy smell of a barn. We don’t know what Jesus’ birthplace looked like, but we imagine it was an open stable or cave full of animals. Some scholars believe it was a simple room inside a house where animals were allowed to stay with humans during the night. Since we know Jesus’ first cradle was a manger—a crude feeding trough—then we can assume it had the faint odor of hay, wool, goat hair and cow manure.

What does that tell us about this Savior? What a marvel it is that the majestic Son of God would not only condescend to our level but also stoop so low as to spend His first hours among livestock! How wondrous that a king would enter this world in such a humble fashion. The creatures that stood around the rustic, wooden bed gave witness that He became poor to make us rich.

Second, the wise men brought fragrant gifts of frankincense and myrrh. These aromatic gum resins were used in the tabernacle to make the anointing oil (see Ex. 30:22-25) and the incense for the holy place (see ). Frankincense also was burned with meat sacrifices. Anyone who came near the tabernacle of Moses or who was fortunate enough to minister inside could smell these perfumes.

Did these wise men from the east know that the tabernacle was made of gold and was filled with the smell of frankincense and myrrh? Probably not, yet by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit they brought these prophetic gifts to herald the news that God had “become flesh” to “tabernacle among us” (the implied Greek translation of John 1:14).

Myrrh was certainly an odd gift for a baby. An aromatic substance derived from the resin of a shrub, it was typically used at funerals to prepare a corpse. In fact, after Jesus was crucified, Nicodemus used a large quantity of it to prepare Jesus’ body for burial (see John 19:39). Perhaps these mysterious Magi had some limited understanding that one day this baby would die for the sins of the world.

Both myrrh and frankincense come from the desert. The boswellia tree that gives us frankincense grows only in the arid Arabian peninsula and in Somalia. Yet these trees provide one of the most prized perfumes in the world. That should tell us that if we want the true fragrance of the resurrected Christ in our lives, we must pass through the wilderness just as He did.

The comfortable modern church smugly preaches that we don’t need to die to ourselves. We seek blessings and prosperity while avoiding trials, tribulations and spiritual warfare. We have settled for a cheap perfume of self-indulgence. Real Christianity smells like Jesus because His followers stay on His altar as living sacrifices.

Third, the smell of blood, sweat and tears permeated the first Christmas. Unlike the images we see on greeting cards today, the first coming of Jesus was not cute, sweet or picturesque. The Nativity was actually quite terrifying—from Joseph and Mary’s difficult trek out of Nazareth to Jesus’ traumatic birth in an unwelcoming city to His hasty journey to Egypt. Then when Herod visited Bethlehem he left the scent of innocent blood in the air.

We can’t ignore the fact that the birth of the Savior was a dangerous act. God sent His Son to a violent world that rejected Him. Even though He came as an infant in a manger, hell’s armies opposed Him—and Satan unleashed a war against the saints that has left millions martyred. What comforts us is that God does not forget our toil or our suffering. He keeps every drop of blood and every tear, and He will reward His faithful followers when His Son returns in final triumph.

This Christmas, I pray you will breathe in deeply the true meaning of Jesus’ birth. You cannot buy these scents I have described, but they will become real to you as you spend time in His presence.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. He wishes you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

In its Dec. 15 cover story, the magazine tried to rewrite the Bible. Don’t believe the lies.

If awards were given for shock journalism, Newsweek would win the prize for its provocative Dec. 15 cover story. The headline, hanging above a simple black Bible with a rainbow-striped ribbon sticking out of it, reads: “The Religious Case for Gay Marriage.” With one big kaboom, writer Lisa Miller dropped a literary bomb on 2,000 years of Christian scholarship by suggesting that Jesus would have been OK with Matthew marrying Mark and Luke marrying John.

We are accustomed to mainstream journalists shoving evolution down our throats as if no scientist in the world doubts that theory. But Miller’s diatribe against traditional Christian morality takes cultural brainwashing to a new level. She is a good ventriloquist (she makes the Bible say a lot of things it doesn’t say) but the real dummies are the people swayed by her biased reporting.

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In case you haven’t read her treatise (click here), Miller bends the truth back and forth until she makes a pretzel out of certain Bible passages—while suggesting that David and Jonathan may have been messing around. There are so many lies per column inch in this story that an editor should have killed it—or at least demanded some objectivity. I guess the folks at Newsweek decided it’s their job to rewrite biblical morality. Here’s how Miller missed it by a mile:

Lie #1: The Bible doesn’t define marriage as one-man/one-woman. Miller insists that heterosexual monogamy can’t be found anywhere in the Bible. She must not have opened to the first page. The first three chapters of Genesis provide the ultimate biblical foundations for marriage and family. God created a man and a woman as perfect and equal partners—and blessed their union, making it the most holy of relationships. It doesn’t get any more fundamental than Adam and Eve.

Lie #2: Old Testament polygamy negates the relevance of biblical monogamy. The fact that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had multiple wives—or that David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then added her to his collection—doesn’t unravel one-man/one-woman marriage. The Bible never says God sanctioned polygamy; it was man’s carnal nature that caused him to dominate women (see Gen. 3:16) and treat them as property. Biblical patriarchs were not perfect—and their multiple wives were evidence of their sin, not proof that God rewrote the rules so they could have a harem. It was not until Jesus Christ broke the power of sin that men found the grace to build faithful, monogamous marriages.

Lie #3: Lesbianism is not called a sin in the Bible. While Miller reluctantly admits that the Old Testament condemns sex between men “in a handful of passages,” she claims that sex between women isn’t addressed. Wrong again! The apostle Paul clearly denounces lesbianism in Romans 1:26, where he calls homosexuality between women “unnatural” (or “against nature”) as well as a “degrading passion” (NASB). Miller gets an F in New Testament 101 for skipping over that obvious verse.

Lie #4: Old Testament laws against homosexuality don’t apply now. The book of Leviticus calls homosexuality “a detestable act” (20:13) and an “abomination” (18:22)—a strong term that means “a vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition or habit.” Yet Miller insists that since Jewish ceremonial laws don’t apply today, then sexual standards in the Torah can be discarded. In fact, she calls the passages in Leviticus “throwaway lines.” Big mistake. God’s moral law is tied directly to His unchangeable character, while ceremonial law was linked to the old covenant—which He set aside when He enacted a new covenant in Christ. The coming of Jesus did not make stealing, murder or adultery lesser sins. Neither did His coming legitimize homosexual practice.

Lie #5: New Testament condemnation of homosexual behavior is misunderstood. Citing a common argument used by some gay-affirming churches, Miller suggests that the apostle Paul’s condemnation of gay sex in Romans 1 only applies to really despicable Roman emperors and other sexual predators who practiced male rape or multiple forms of perversion. In other words, if two men just want to make love—with no violence involved—then their erotic expression is perfectly OK.

Where does Miller get permission to make this bizarre argument? Certainly not from the biblical text, which says it as plain as day: “In the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error” (Rom. 1:26). This passage affirms that any form of sexual contact between men—violent or not—violates God’s law.

Lie #6: The Bible never excludes people from God’s blessings. Miller quotes liberal theologian Walter Brueggemann, who insists that the Bible “is bent toward inclusiveness.” This is where she really makes big blunders in her reasoning. She asks: Would a God of love send anyone to hell? Since Jesus came to liberate sinners, and since the church is called to evangelize people from all racial and economic groups, surely He will shower His love on people of all sexual persuasions, right?

This is where Universalists, inclusionists and gay-affirming churches miss the message of the gospel. They love to talk about God’s forgiveness, but they deny the necessity of repentance. They refuse to see that God made the road to salvation narrow. And they ignore the reality that eternal punishment awaits all who refuse to come to the Son of God on His terms.

Paul the apostle was quite exclusive when he talked about sexuality. “Do not be deceived,” he wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:9, “neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” No one can explain away that passage. The God of the Bible draws clear lines. His mercy is great to those who come to Him in humility, with a willingness to change; but for those who arrogantly insist on living in their sin, only judgment awaits.

Many naive people—including biblically illiterate Christians—will be deceived by Newsweek’s gay-marriage arguments. Let’s sort through the lies and choose God’s truth over the depravity of modern American culture.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma.

The birth of Jesus was not a sweet, greeting-card moment.
Of all the wondrous things that happened when Jesus was born, my
favorite involves the mysterious Magi from the east. Scholars still
aren’t sure who these men were. It is assumed they were priests or
gurus who lived in what is now Iran, Saudi Arabia or northern Iraq.

Most of what we assume about the Magi is based on folklore. We don’t
really know if they rode camels, wore crowns or traveled over “moor and
mountain,” as the old hymn says, to find the manger. What we do know
from the Bible is that they were gentiles who, by a supernatural
leading from God, desperately searched for Jesus because they believed
He was the Savior of the world.

The star that led the wise men to Bethlehem is also a mystery. Was
it an angelic light? A comet? An alignment of Jupiter and Saturn?
Whatever it was, God used it to direct these ancient astronomers. They
knelt before a baby and laid costly gifts at His feet-as a prophetic
sign that “the nomads of the desert” (see Ps. 72:9, NASB) would one day
bow down before the King of Kings.

What most excites me about this story is that it is being repeated in the Middle East today.

When I was in Egypt three years ago, I talked to a pastor who is
involved in extensive outreach to Muslims. He told me that during one
visit to a city in southern Egypt, he talked to dozens of Muslims who
had dreamed about Jesus. These people ended up converting to faith in
Christ.

“All day we met people who were having dreams of Jesus,” the pastor
told me. “God is visiting Muslims in a supernatural way. It is a
phenomenon that is sweeping the region.”

When I shared this news with an audience in Wales in October, an
Iranian student came to me after the meeting and said she had been
converted to Christ from Islam after a dream in which she saw Jesus
standing in front of her. She was living in Iran at the time.

“I knew Jesus was holy and that I could not approach Him, but then I
realized that He made a way for me to know Him,” this young woman told
me. After the dream, she knew what she had seen on a Christian
television program was true and she embraced the gospel. Today she is
in training for ministry.

Despite the intense persecution believers face in the Middle East, a
huge underground church is thriving there today. People are hearing the
gospel through the Internet and watching bootleg copies of Christian
films. They are seeing visions and experiencing miraculous healings as
the Lord confirms His Word.

The same Holy Spirit who warned the Magi in a dream to avoid King
Herod’s treachery is now drawing Muslims to the feet of the Messiah.
(You can read some of their stories on page 38.)

These days it may seem that Muslims are becoming a dominant
religious force. In the United Kingdom there are now more Muslims
practicing their religion than Anglicans. At least 1,700 mosques
operate in that country, and some of them are housed in buildings that
once were churches.

Many British people are wringing their hands over the planned Abbey
Mills mosque to be constructed near the site of the 2012 Olympics in
London. With room for 12,000 worshipers, it will be the largest
religious building in Europe-four times the size of England’s biggest
cathedral. What worries locals is that the mosque is linked to Tablighi
Jamaat, a radical Islamist movement with suspected ties to terrorism.

Is this what the future holds for us? Will mosques soon dominate the
skylines of our cities as our increasingly secular culture rejects
biblical morality and takes away our religious freedoms?

Let’s take comfort from the Christmas story. The birth of Jesus was
not a sweet, greeting-card moment. It was scary. It involved tyranny,
genocide and refugees. But in the end, astounding and surprising
miracles overshadowed all the danger.

As we face our fears in a troubling time, let’s remember that the
baby who escaped Herod’s sword was later crowned King of all nations.
The God who drew the Magi to Bethlehem will soon pour out His Spirit in
Mecca, Tehran, Baghdad, Kabul and the entire Islamic world. My dream is
that I will live to see it.

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J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. You can read his previous online columns, and comments from readers by clicking here.