In light of the recent news that John Piper announced to his church he would be taking a sabbatical from May 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010, my respect for this great bible teacher has grown tremendously.Citing his need to combat sin in his life and tend to his marriage is extraordinary to me. While many are speculating about what the specific sin is (it's really none of my business to know) and why his church has made the decision to continue paying him during his absence (still none of my business), I am encouraged that Dr. Piper is taking this time to work on his life. I truly respect John Piper. Here's why:
I know from experience that I tend to revel in my sin rather than extrude it from my life. I tend to wallow in the short, simple pleasures endulging in sin brings, rather than uprooting it and throwing it in the burn heap. But not John Piper. He's the antithesis of me!
I'm proud of you, John Piper. I support your decision, even if your skeptics do not. I'm praying for you.
Though I don't like his association with Driscol and Warren, I stand with you in the fact that I love, respect, and am praying for this great man of God.
ReplyDeleteHe is human, with feet of clay and is not a demigogue. He is fallible and does sin just like I do. Thank God he is wise enough and humble enough to biblically prioritize.
I recently added a link to Six Biblical Truths by John Piper on my blog sidebar. His ministry is new to me but what I've seen and heard so far I like.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Mike. This has only served to increase my respect for this man who has had such a massive influence on my life.
ReplyDeleteI find it unnerving how so many can so quickly and so easily open their mouths against such a man. Surely history shows the same thing over and over again - for even the prophets of God were often hated (by the so called people of God) without reason.
Gregg, I think Piper's association with Mark Driscoll is respectable. I find Mark to be right-on regarding most things. Certainly there are points where I may disagree with him, but by-and-large his core theology is sound. Warren...couldn't agree with you more, but I didn't know Piper had associations with him. Doesn't change my view of JP though.
ReplyDeleteOG, you'll like him more and more the more you listen to him. He's very passionate about the gospel and he preaches it well.
Brother Ben, I agree bro. Throughout time great leaders have fallen and little people were unable to keep their mouths shut.
Appreciate your comments here Mike.
ReplyDeleteI respect this brother in Christ's decision. He seems to be led by God in this matter and it is a very good thing to pay attention to what matters. It takes courage to do what he's doing. Seems to me that praying for the brother should be our response; not concerning ourselves with why he's doing it or if it's right - that's between him & God.
To be candid, I don't even concern myself with his associations (Warren or Driscoll or whomever). What I've read of what Piper has written, God has used in my life. Whenever I read something or listen to a sermon, I check it out with scripture and let God work through it in my heart. I try to live my life being obedient to God's directing me and not concerned about if others are following God correctly (unless the others are in my purview of responsibility).
He's real.
ReplyDeleteYou have peaked my interest in the man...I have heard the name, but don't know much about him. (Will be researching him to learn more). However, any man (or woman) who openly admits the need to rid their life of sin - I commend. We all have it, but it's so much easier to find the sin in others lives than to weed our own lives of it, huh? Just as Christ said in Matt 7:1-6 we are all guilty of looking at "the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye..."
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Mike!
Never heard of him, but I respect a guy who works to fix himself before dramatically hitting rock bottom. Why is the church paying him, even in his absence? Maybe because the man still has to live, and his family still depends on him. I wish more jobs would give paid leave for individuals struggling to correct a fault. There's just very little forgiveness outside of churches in America. Shame.
ReplyDeleteTracy, absolutely...between him and God. But he's a shepherd over many, so many think they have a right to know. So they fill in the blanks for themselves, and those blanks are often wrong.
ReplyDeleteLibby, Very real.
Jaime, you can check him out by going to DesiringGod.org. I highly recommend his sermons/podcast/etc.
Ginx, the church agreed to continue paying him...I surmise because he's still their pastor and his absence is really of service to the congregation because he's "fixing" himself. That's my guess. I also assume they truly love the man.
And I agree, I wish I could go to my Post Commander and say, "Hey, I need to work on some sin in my life, and I want to take about a year off, and hey, I'd love it if you continued to pay me!" (sound of a slamming door!)
Ginx, it encourages me to see you type this: "There's just very little forgiveness outside of churches in America. Shame." Not simply because you're atheist, but because we Christians hope to portray an attitude that inspires those who are not part of us. Thank you for recognizing it.
America doesn't forgive, but they do have ADD. For example, John Edwards is glad Tiger Woods took the heat off of him. Tiger Woods is in turn grateful to Jesse James for cheating on Sandra Bullock, who is now thankful for Tiki Barber.
ReplyDeleteAmerica can only focus on one thing at a time, and our attention is very fleeting. I guess America doesn't forgive, it just forgets. Lots of people depend on this, too. From Eddie Murphy to Hugh Grant to Christian Slater to Robert Downey Jr., most famous people turn out to be as flawed as the rest of us and greatly in need of some leeway. Maybe this wouldn't happen if we didn't deify our celebrities.
Didn't know about this...you gossip bug! JUST KIDDING!
ReplyDeleteNo really, I really dig John Piper. Check out Sermon Jams. There is a link on the right hand, wait...left hand side of my page. There is some good stuff by Piper set to music. I love putting it on my BB to listen to while I exercise and ride in the car!