Monday, November 16, 2009

Famous Repentance

Charles Spurgeon once said something like this…A man’s repentance should be more famous that his sin. It is my prayer that this will be true for Trinity Baptist Church. Per request of our deacons you will find the two letters written. While I know there were three written, the one we sent to Bro. Jim Butler is the same in its text as we sent to Bro. David Jett, simply because the same sin was committed against each man. We pray that this will encourage all of us to lead a life of repentance.


Letter #1 November 8, 2009
Dear Bro. David/Jim:

We hope this letter finds you doing well and the Lord blessing your ministry. We are rejoicing in what the Lord is doing in the midst of our fellowship here at Trinity. Some of the blessings we are experiencing today are no doubt due to the way the Lord worked through you and your ministry here as you labored among His flock. As of this time, we are in the midst of a study entitled The Peace Maker. As believers we understand that God has called each of us to glorify Him by being at peace with one another. It is for that reason we are writing this letter.

Throughout your ministry at Trinity, there were many who loved you and still have great love and admiration for you and the work that God did through you. However, we understand that, as we live in a fallen world with fallen people, there were those at Trinity that did not support and pray for you as God desires us to do for those He chose to lead us in His work. We know there were those who were divisive and chose to engage in the practice of sinful gossip. While we believe the majority appreciated and was thankful for your ministry, we also recognize that many did not follow Christ’s example by stepping up and squelching the sinful gossip and undercutting of our spiritual authority.

We are sorrowed and deeply regretful that we did not fulfill our responsibility as believers in doing what Christ wanted us to do. As a church body, we have appealed to our Father asking forgiveness, and we now appeal to you asking the same.

In short, we, as a body, stand guilty and, like the prophets of the nation of Israel would call out to God for restitution for their past sins, we stand today doing the same thing. It is our prayer that, as time passes, our heavenly Father will bring to mind the eternal difference you made in our fellowship and may God’s grace and favor turn again to us as we repent of our past sins against you and His Kingdom. May the Lord bless you and your family in the days ahead.

In Christ,

Trinity Baptist Church represented by:









Letter #2
November 8, 2009

Dear Trinity Baptist Church Members:

In Romans 12, Paul moves from theological to practical, giving guidelines for living as a redeemed people in a fallen world. We are to give ourselves to Christ as living sacrifices.

Romans 12:1-3: And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to GOD because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let GOD transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know GOD’S will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of privilege and authority GOD has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith GOD has given us.

Your deacon body comes before you today with a heart of repentance and a request for forgiveness for present, as well as past sins, against our church and against the pastors GOD has placed here at Trinity. Our LORD has confirmed to us, time and time again, that He has chosen the man He wants to lead His church. In the past, we as a church and as deacons, have not always followed the heart or Word of GOD. We are selfish and self-serving causing discontent and division within our church body and against our pastors. For the health of our church and the continued blessing and anointing of our LORD, it is imperative that we stand united. We must realize we have fallen short in supporting our previous pastors and repent for these sins directly to them and to the LORD. We must also repent to Bro. Chad and beg his forgiveness for our shortcoming of limited support, spreading of sinful gossip, and undercutting of his spiritual authority.

A pastor is not perfect and will not always make decisions that are popular but GOD has confirmed to us that Bro. Chad is the pastor He placed here at Trinity. May our words and actions be as a “living sacrifice” as we move forward in the life of Trinity Baptist Church; that GOD will forgive us and continue to walk with us for many years to come.

In Christ,

The Deacon Body
Trinity Baptist Church

3 comments:

amy said...

Wow! What a statement! A man's repentance should be more famous than his sin! How many times do we struggle with the sin so long that we can not see the hugeness of repentance, the greatness of forgiveness?!? When we are able to see past our sin to repentance, now that is healing!! When we see that it is only through grace that we are drawn to repentance, now that is One Great Big God!! His kindness leads us to repentance!!

Anonymous said...

This was the greatest thing in my life and Trinity's life. An amazing service, a great Pastor and an awsome God! Thank you Lord!

Anonymous said...

Thank God for a Pastor and Deacons who will stand up and conduct things biblically! It is refreshing to see Trinity dedicated to following His Word!!!!