John Piper – Taking Leave and Asks for Forgiveness
I saw this article and just had to post it. John Piper!! Please tell us soon as to what you are asking forgiveness for. I understand 30 years of ministry can take it’s toll and your deeds and character flaws are not what’s concerning to us, or want to know about. It’s what you have been preaching (Calvinism) and who you have been siding with that we want to hear you say sorry for.
I pray that whatever is happening in your life that Jesus Christ the Son of God is renewing your relationship with Him that it will be unstoppable! And that you come back 8 months from now a NEW man in Jesus Christ, with a STAND for the TRUTH that will knock the socks off everyone! IF NOT, then no amount of prayer from anyone is going to help you, if you don’t see you are following false doctrine. Also what’s the point of asking everyone to pray for you when you can have thousands of people praying for you who are not even saved. Who will they be praying too on your behalf? But you should know these things, you are the pastor after all.
A first step would be to get rid of all these people in your life that are deceiving you. I see in this ‘apology’ of yours that you still want to advertise your ‘vision’ for the world. What vision is that? How can men have a vision and mission that contradicts the Word of God. Surely your vision should be focused on Jesus Christ alone and not on this world. When you come back are you going to warn people of the deception in the church and the turning back to Rome, or carry on with this NWO vision to see this earth look like man-made-heaven with a false Christ?
[EDITED by DTW: Oh wait, sorry people, I don’t think he is coming back in 8 months to preach the truth. He has invited Rick Warren to speak at his Desiring God Conference in 2010 and above is a lovely photo of John Piper and Rick sitting together at Ralph Winters memorial service back in June 28, 2009…]
JOHN PIPER TO TAKE LEAVE
By John Piper March 28, 2010
As you may have already heard in the sermon from March 27-28, the elders graciously approved on March 22 a leave of absence that will take me away from Bethlehem from May 1 through December 31, 2010. We thought it might be helpful to put an explanation in a letter to go along with the sermon.
I asked the elders to consider this leave because of a growing sense that my soul, my marriage, my family, and my ministry-pattern need a reality check from the Holy Spirit. On the one hand, I love my Lord, my wife, my five children and their families first and foremost; and I love my work of preaching and writing and leading Bethlehem. I hope the Lord gives me at least five more years as the pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem.
But on the other hand, I see several species of pride in my soul that, while they may not rise to the level of disqualifying me for ministry, grieve me, and have taken a toll on my relationship with Noêl and others who are dear to me. How do I apologize to you, not for a specific deed, but for ongoing character flaws, and their effects on everybody? I’ll say it now, and no doubt will say it again, I’m sorry. Since I don’t have just one deed to point to, I simply ask for a spirit of forgiveness; and I give you as much assurance as I can that I am not making peace, but war, with my own sins.
Noêl and I are rock solid in our commitment to each other, and there is no whiff of unfaithfulness on either side. But, as I told the elders, “rock solid” is not always an emotionally satisfying metaphor, especially to a woman. A rock is not the best image of a woman’s tender companion. In other words, the precious garden of my home needs tending. I want to say to Noêl that she is precious to me in a way that, at this point in our 41-year pilgrimage, can be said best by stepping back for a season from virtually all public commitments.
No marriage is an island. For us this is true in two senses. One is that Noêl and I are known inside-out by a few friends at Bethlehem-most closely by our long-time colleagues and friends David and Karin Livingston, and then by a cluster of trusted women with Noêl and men with me. We are accountable, known, counseled, and prayed for. I am deeply thankful for a gracious culture of transparency and trust among the leadership at Bethlehem.
The other way that our marriage is not an island is that its strengths and defects have consequences for others. No one in the orbit of our family and friends remains unaffected by our flaws. My prayer is that this leave will prove to be healing from the inside of my soul, through Noêl’s heart, and out to our children and their families, and beyond to anyone who may have been hurt by my failures.
The difference between this leave and the sabbatical I took four years ago is that I wrote a book on that sabbatical (What Jesus Demands from the World). In 30 years, I have never let go of the passion for public productivity. In this leave, I intend to let go of all of it. No book-writing. No sermon preparation or preaching. No blogging. No Twitter. No articles. No reports. No papers. And no speaking engagements. There is one stateside exception-the weekend devoted to the Desiring God National Conference combined with the inaugural convocation of Bethlehem College and Seminary in October. Noêl thought I should keep three international commitments. Our reasoning is that if she could go along, and if we plan it right, these could be very special times of refreshment together.
The elders have appointed a group to stay in touch and keep me accountable for this leave. They are David Mathis, Jon Bloom, Tom Steller, Sam Crabtree, Jon Grano, Tim Held, Tony Campagna, and Kurt Elting-Ballard. Five of these have walked with Noêl and me over the last two months, helping us discern the wisdom, scope, and nature of this leave. They brought the final recommendation to the elders on March 22.
I asked the elders not to pay me for this leave. I don’t feel it is owed to me. I know I am causing more work for others, and I apologize to the staff for that. Not only that, others could use similar time away. Most working men and women do not have the freedom to step back like this. The elders did not agree with my request. Noêl and I are profoundly grateful for this kind of affection. We will seek the Lord for how much of your financial support to give back to the church, to perhaps bear some of the load.
Personally, I view these months as a kind of relaunch of what I hope will be the most humble, happy, fruitful five years of our 35 years at Bethlehem and 46 years of marriage. Would you pray with me to that end? And would you stand by your church with all your might? May God make these eight months the best Bethlehem has ever known. It would be just like God to do the greatest things when I am not there. “Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7).
I love you and promise to pray for you every day.
Pastor John
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What John was really apologizing for in a very round about that way, was the fact that he was now best friends with Rick Warren and he is telling you there is nothing you can do about it. This is what he is telling you. But then John Piper is after all a Calvinist and Calvinist’s follow a doctrine of demons, so his turning to Rome should not surprise us. See Calvinism
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Did you see this? Piper praises Rick Warren and defends his association with him. You might want to have a barf bag handy.
http://firstjohnfourfive.wordpress.com/2010/04/02/john-piper-rick-warren/
bob
Ah no. I am too late.
common ground taken? make the second o an e
OOPS! but really, taken that “group thinkers who will always have a willingness to COMPROMISE (agree to disagree?) Truth for group consensus” it would go quite well off?
JOHN PIPER ON RICK WARREN DG 2010 SERMON JAM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSmU8EcbjWk
Lane Chaplin:
http://www.lanechaplin.com/2010/03/its-confirmed-john-piper-to-host-rick.html
Every time a leader falls into deception it hurts the entire Body and those who have eyes to see it can’t help but have a sense of loss and disappointment. But with Piper there were precursors along the way showing he was headed in the wrong direction. First the Calvinism and then others errors followed. Sadly, so many have followed a man without testing. He is a Pied Piper who has/is leading many down the road of destruction. Such is the way of the world. Sad and true.
Burning Lamp
Such is the world, yes. And what has disturbed me most the last 2 weeks or so is the fact that Calvinism is NOW the net that captures those who fall out of the Emerging Church and out of Word of Faith thinking that it’s 100% biblical when it’s not – it’s another version of Roman Catholicism.
I found a great article explaining the diabolical view of predestination. I will post it today.
Ah I also just wanna say something here quickly.
When reading comments, please make sure that you follow a persons comments made from one article to another in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER (that means the DATE and TIME across different articles) – If you don’t have the sequence of events in the correct order then nothing will make any sense.
Deborah
Yolandi said:
I urge you to remove all the remarks you made to Yolandi and about her and comply with Luk 12:58-59;
Yolandi
You have ignored me before. For your own sake, please hear me this time. Because of what you said, you can never again trust anybody who befriends you. I am sorry for the burden you now have to carry. May the Lord protect you.
Amanda
I have removed my comments to her as she requested. This matter has been settled.
Deborah
Bless you and stay safe.
Thank you Amanda. It really was and is the right thing for me to do, for her.
Righty, let us move on. Btw where is Roodepoort? Don’t worry, not important.
Matthew 12:36-37 “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”
Twitter post:
Superbella2009 – 10:28 AM Apr 3rd via web
Gebrokenheid deur Thomas:
Can this be translated Amanda? I understand it to a certain point. But not in it’s entirety.
Hi Amanda,
Have you perhaps translated the portion of the article I wrote on my blog you posted here? If you have, please send me a copy at your earliest convenience. I have been trying to translate it myself but circumstances have prevented me thus far.
Thank you Thomas, thank you!
Hi Thomas
I can promise it for no later than tomorrow 1800? Sorry, it has been a bit busy around here and I am trying to catch up.
News clip
The Ought and Is of Piper’s Leave Absence
By Kevin Shrum
You would have to be living under a rock to not know that John Piper, well-known Christian leader, writer, gift of God to the Church at large, and pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the last thirty years will be taking an eight-month leave of absence beginning May 1 and continuing through December 31. Piper has publicly stated that this leave of absence, approved by the elders of Bethlehem Baptist Church, will be used to deal with internal sin, pride, and to kindle a renewed commitment to his family and ministry as he prepares for his final years of ministry.
I do not begrudge Piper’s leave of absence. In fact, I believe this is the way things “ought” to be for the faithful pastor. There should be, from time to time, a leave of absence for study, rest, and renewal. Pastoring and preaching, if done right, is an exhausting job. It is a 24/7 job. The pastor is never off duty; even when off, he is still on. Ministry demands intense emotional commitment and requires on-going mental and physical energy. The continual sapping of the pastor’s emotional, mental, and spiritual strength requires that the pastor continually replenish his supply. An occasional leave of absence helps in the pastor’s renewal project.
Yet, when I heard and read of Piper’s eight-month reprieve, I instantly thought of the thousands of pastors who, for a myriad of reasons, will never be afforded the luxury of an eight-month sabbatical. Most pastors may get one or two weeks a year for a vacation, but never an extended study leave. Sometimes the causes are financial – both pastor and church simply do not have the resources to provide for this kind of time off. Sometimes the causes are leadership – most pastors serve in single-staffed churches where finding someone to fill in for two weeks is difficult enough, much less for eight months. Still another cause is that most church members do not see the need so there is no desire to provide for such extended leaves. The reasoning here is to treat the pastor as the average church member who may get only a two week vacation each year – “I work hard and don’t get extended leaves of absence,” so says the uninformed church member. This is the way things actually are – the way it is!
Yet, there are many good reasons for pastors and churches to consider the practice of granting periodic leaves of absence for study, rest, family renewal, and rejuvenation. If the church expects the pastor to effectively lead and to keep his family in good order, then they must see the need to provide the time and resources needed to accomplish such worthy goals. Why? First, the renewed pastor is the effective pastor. Second, the church must change how they look at their pastor. Instead of the pastor being viewed as the hireling called to do all the work of the church, the pastor must be viewed as the God-called, God-ordained preacher of the gospel and leader of the church who must hear from God if the church is to be healthy and productive. If the pastor has little time to clear his head and meditate on God’s Word in a season of reflection, then his ministry will be shallow and the church will be stunted in its growth.
Third, the pastor and church must reconsider the heavy load the pastor carries. All things are not equal when it comes to comparing the work of the pastor and the average laborer. Pastor’s help people live and die. They deal with weighty issues daily. They prepare messages from God’s Word, counsel the broken-hearted, make hospital visits, attend meetings, plan worship services, represent the church in the community, and organize various events. On top of all of this the pastor is to make sure his family is well-supported and cared for. And get this: Most of this is done while he is underpaid and underappreciated.
Finally, pastors must give up the “Messiah complex” when it comes to the Lord’s work. We are not indispensable. The pastor must remember that it is the Lord’s church (Mt. 16:13). The church has survived for generations; it will survive after we’re gone. A periodic leave of absence will prove to the pastor that the church will not fall apart if he’s gone a short time. Consider the church as a long chain consisting of individual ministry links made of solid steel that represent God’s ministers in each generation. The pastor’s job is not to be the entire chain, but simply the single link he is called to be in the church’s ministry. This calls for humility. In other words, the church can live without us for a short period of rest and renewal. If the leave of absence is actually planned for its intended purpose, and if the pastor is renewed and refreshed, the church will more than survive; it will thrive.
It is my prayer that more churches will consider giving their pastors intentional, financed seasons of rest, renewal, and study. It is my prayer that Piper’s example and that of his church will inspire more churches and pastors to be refreshed in the work of the Lord. In this way, we will move from the way things ought to be to making these seasons of renewal the way things actually are – the way it is!
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100422/the-ought-and-is-of-pipers-leave-absence/index.html
Hi Guys (ladies and gents)
I am afraid to type in famous teachers names in your search engine. Gee whiz, so many going bad. do you guys know anything about Francis Chan, he is also leaving his church for something he says God is calling him to do. I do not know anything about him. I know that you are better than any tv detective (not better than Kojak or are you????). I have heard a few guys talking about his sermons, but then these guys also like mark “the mouth” driscoll. please check him out and let us know.
thx
Barland
Yeah, Francis Chan is Louie Giglio’s compadre in radical youth change. Louie Giglio was mentored and still is by John Piper. I have looked at Francis Chan’s website a while ago and what he speaks sounds ‘ok’ but then that’s what most ‘New Calvanists’ sound like, ‘ok’. Louie Giglio likes to speak about contemplative prayer without actually telling you it’s what he believes in.
See articles where Louie Giglio is mentioned: https://www.discerningtheworld.com/category/pastors-teachers-speakers/l/louie-giglio/
I have been meaning to write about Francis Chan, but he is a tough one to write about because back then I was not sure what to look for. Now that I know what Louie Giglio is about I can go back and look at Francis Chan. I hate it when these guys make video’s it’s very difficult to catch what a person is really saying… sneaky.
Deborah
“Erwin McManus, Ken Blanchard- endorsed Patrick Lencioni, Rick Warren, Shane Claiborne, founder of a “new monasticism” community”.
These are the guys Chan is sharing the platform with… (www.powertostand.com)
Robbie
Eh, look at that. Where there is smoke there is always fire (especially that fake fire called down from ‘heaven’ over the youth at their youth conferences).
Portret van ‘n Afrikaneraktivis
40 000 after 4 days? I don’t think so.
Amanda
“40 000 after 4 days? I don’t think so.”
Nope me too don’t think that thing.:-)
From the red pen:
Open Letter to Francis Chan #1.029 – “Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God”
Chapter 1: Stop Praying
Page 30
God is all-knowing
“Each of us, to some degree, fools our friends and family about who we really are. But it’s impossible to do that with God. He knows each of us, deeply and specifically. He knows our thoughts before we think them, our actions before we commit them, whether we are lying down or sitting or walking around. He knows who we are and what we are about. We cannot escape Him, not even if we want to. When I grow weary of trying to be faithful to Him and want a break, it doesn’t come as a surprise to God.”
The red pen’s commentary:
There is more.
Quotation Marks
Recent remarks from John Piper, Miley Cyrus, and more.
“I’ve hinted at this before, but now I am saying it—don’t give money to the RNC.”
Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, after news reports revealed the Republican National Committee had spent $2,000 at a Los Angeles strip club.
Source: Family Research Council
* * *
“My soul, my marriage, my family, and my ministry pattern need a reality check from the Holy Spirit.”
John Piper, repenting for “several species of pride in my soul” and announcing he would take an eight-month leave to spend time with his wife, Noël.
Source: Desiring God
* * *
“I just want to be in peace and quiet for a while and be reunited with my family.”
Gao Zhisheng, the Chinese Christian human-rights lawyer who disappeared more than a year ago, in a series of phone calls to media outlets saying he was “free at present.” Observers believe he is still under police surveillance and restrictions.
Source: Associated Press
* * *
“My faith is very important to me. But I don’t necessarily define my faith by going to church every Sunday. Because now when I go to church, I feel like it’s a show.”
Miley Cyrus, actress and singer.
Source: Parade
* * *
“By having the phrase ‘In the Year of Our Lord,’ it is directly referencing Jesus Christ, and not everyone believes in Jesus Christ.”
Sidra Qureshi, a Muslim student campaigning to have the phrase removed from the diplomas of her San Antonio school, Trinity University.
Source: San Antonio Express-News
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/may/4.13.html