(Mark 4:20-22 NKJV) "But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?"For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.

09 Jan 2009, The Rev. Ted Haggard, the former President of the 30 million member National Association of Evangelicals, and the former Senior/founding Pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs finally came out of the self imposed wilderness. Talking to the press, to promote a HB documentary "Trials of Ted Haggard", calls for us to judge less but conveinietly blame his gay indulgences on the very stereotypical reason of being abused as a child and calls the marriage between men and women - God's perfect plan when commenting on Gay marriages. You would not find such modern day rationalization in the bible, where homosexual acts were in the context of mass sexual orgies as part of faith to worship other gods and not in loving same sex orientation.

We have changed the bible which speaks of what is natural and unnatural in the context of the gods that we worship, in particular, to worhsip man made gods created by our own hands. What we have in the whole saga and history of gay persecution for the last 1000 years, is a church creating their own gods to worship, the god is self, the god of their own straight sexuality of the 95% of the population. We have worshiped our sexuality, our own orientation, demanding to right to have many wives in the Mormon church, for the man to have more rights than woman in being priests, bishops and Archbishops cultimating in our insistence in the right of abortions. Even the right to limit certain abortions lost by the same margin as the winning margin on Proposition 8, not because that Americans are so concerned that this is a fundamental shift as stated in Christianity Today, but that we are taking away the rights of ourselves, the majority.

What we often forget is that Ted Haggard did not come out to the open willingly. His affairs whether gay or straight whilst being married was wrong, not because it is with a men but because it was adultery. The fact that it was considered much worst because it was with a man, talks of the hypocrisy and judgement of a church. Can we blame the Rev Ted Haggard for not coming out earlier in a highly homoporbic and anti-gay environment? It is not only the Rev Ted Haggard that is on trial but a Christian Church as well whose unnatural laws against gays have forced them in live in highly closeted lives, living a lie and suffering great torment and hardship. There is no love lost amongst the gay community, who consider Ted Haggard deserving all the exposure and losing all, for his hypocrisy in coming against gay marriages.

The Rev Ted Haggard was exposed in his own words as a "deceiver and a liar", by Mike Jones who was apparently motivated by Ted's hypocrisy in supporting an amendment to the Constitution of Colorado, to prohibit gay marriage. Hence, the marriage between two gay men who loves each other and commit to each other in a monogamous relationship was considered by Rev Ted Haggard as a "sin" whilst he was cheating on his wife.

No one deserved the suffering and lost that the Rev Ted Haggard went through. He was one of the most influential Christian leaders having a direct line to President Bush. He lost it all, his livelihood, reputation and dignity and had to live in shame. However, Gays also do not derserved the persecution and discrimination by Christianity, and to live in suffering, hiding and denial of their self. There are millions of Gay men and women who are suffering and have suffered, denied of true love, denied of their very right to exist and to love. They don't have a movie to make to tell of their stories but their cry and deaths call out to a God of justice and righteousness.

The exposure of Ted Haggard was seen as causing pain and grief especially to the New Life Church for the betrayal in church. And, they had to forgive Ted to move on with their own lives and the church to move on. However, what happened with ted Haggard must have gone on for many many years. It was the abundant grace of God for the ministry to prosper and grow even when there was sin and hypocrisy. There reach a point where the church does not listen, to a church that does not repent even in the face of God's amazing grace over a very prolonged period. At the end all will be revealed, including the injustices suffered by gays and the truth that God accepts them. The truth will be exposed and cannot be hidden.

In the debate now in Singapore over the Grace Message by New Creation Church and the argument by some especially by the church at Expo that this is giving license to live in sin and making the grace of God cheap, it is a reflection of a church even NCC that does not appreciate how wide and deep God's mercy and grace is. We are prone to judge and call for biblical laws, whereas God is quick to show grace and mercy through His Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord and Saviour. It is realization that we have sinned and deserved judgement and condemnation yet received it not because of God's grace and mercy that will change us. Even sitting under the "grace message" for a decade like some of my friends or sitting under the 10 commandments message, does not change people. Changes comes only when we realised the depths of our very present Sins, in light of the very present abundance and glory of God's amazing grace and mercy.

With regards to the Gay community, the Christians in Singapore have made the grace of God cheap and perhaps the Cross of Jesus Christ very little value and respect amongst this community. We live in God's most amazing grace yet we realized it not, and continue to use the majority to persecute gays and put them in closets. We have dehumanize gays by calling it a "homosexual lifesyle". We have sinned against Gays, most despicably and if we do not repent just like Ted Haggard, there comes a time, where the church will be judged and exposed, not very fairly perhaps but possibly receiving the penalty due. The churches and the cathedrals and the mega churches will still be there! but the greatest lost will be silence - the silence that gripped Israel for 500 years before Jesus return, the absence of revelation and power, the absence of the mighty move of the Holy Spirit in tangible signs and wonders of the New Testament Church. We have put Gays in closets where they hide and suffer silently, so too will one day out church will be in silence. There will still be lound preaching and worship and people, but it is a silence deep within to the soul and the spirit.

(Phil 2:8 NKJV) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

(Phil 2:12,13 NKJV) Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Let us live, humbly accepting that we may indeed be terrible sinners, whether knowingly or unknowingly, yesterday and today, but living as best we could in God's will and pleasure, appreciating and totally surrendered and in awe of the glory and light of God's amazing grace and mercy, and being eternally grateful and praising God all the way to heaven because this is made possible through His Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have our being and salvation to be called a child of God, a child of Heaven. Let us live humbly as children of the light, not proud of our own righteousness or morality, but humbled as Christ is humbled at the Cross of Calvary knowing the depths of God's grace and mercy that we have been saved and continually being redeemed. Let us live out our salvation in fear and trembling, twas Grace my fears relieved!. Once we were blind, now we see.

Amazing Grace (How sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ'd!