2008-11-07
Good Morning Dear Ones,
We had been dealing with the question of when to make ordinary judgments. Today, the Holy Spirit leads me to ask: how do we deal with our brothers and sisters who are clearly sinning and not break the precepts of MT 7: 1-2? “Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you, for God will judge you in the same way you judge others, and He will apply to you the same rules you apply to others.” It might surprise the new believer that the Scriptures say that in love, it is our responsibility to turn a sinning brother or sister back to walking with righteousness.
Let’s look at a rather interesting example. We are know there are some sicknesses that arise out of sin. Addictions, venereal disease, and others are possible examples. And yet, JAS 5: 14-16 gives us clear-cut direction on how to respond. “Is there anyone who is sick? He should send for the church elders, who will pray for him and rub olive oil on him in the name of the Lord. This prayer made in faith will heal the sick person; the Lord will restore him to health, and the sins he has committed will be forgiven. So then, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you will be healed. The prayer of a good person has a powerful effect.” This same precept also applies to the sick person who is ill not due to any sinful acts. That’s how patient and compassionate our Father really is. I truly believe it was the prayers of many that made the difference between me pulling through or not pulling through the tremendous operation I had two years ago. No one expected me to live, not even the doctors, but I not only pulled through, but found out I didn’t have cancer too. That is sufficient proof for me of the power of the prayers of good people.
JAS 5: 19-20 is one example. “My brothers, if one of you wanders away from the truth and another one brings him back again, remember this; whoever turns a sinner back from his wrong ways will save that sinner’s soul from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.” This reminds me of a case of two friends that I have. One of them who is single began spending an inordinate amount of his time with a non-believer. This person convinced the first friend to give him a significant part of his assets and took up so much of his time, that my friend stopped focusing his life on God. My other friend prayed about this, asking God to give him a way to help bring our friend back to His fold. The Holy Spirit helped, making the first friend very lonesome for all of his friends at church. The second friend got a group together from church for a summer meeting each week, inviting the first friend to come. The first friend responded. It began to dawn on him that he really missed the life he had before he met the unbeliever. So, he eventually came back to church and to the Lord’s warmth and fellowship. We must remember that the Lord has an important reason for 2 COR 6: 14, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
GA 6:1 gives us yet another example. “My brothers, if someone is caught in any kind of wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should set him right; but you must do it in a gentle way. And keep an eye on yourselves, so that you will not be tempted too.” This third case had some serious implications in an example which I can relate. Many years ago, I belonged to a church that was in turmoil. At first, I didn’t understand why this was happening, and neither did many people in the congregation. First the founding pastor was forced to resign his position. The explanation given was that he didn’t give good sermons. That turned out to be a smoke screen for the real reason, which didn’t come out until a few others and myself were asked to do a thorough examination of the problem and to report back to the group from the congregation that had made the request. It took time and was like unwrapping the skins of an onion layer by layer. In the meanwhile, the Director of Christian Education and the Associate Pastor/organist/choir director had been forced to resign in equally trumped up excuses. What was happening is that a small group of people known as the “personnel committee” had what I call the “disaster profile.” This is a personality which combined being a power-broker, egotist, being materially wealthy, and with time on his hands all wrapped up in one. This committee was meeting, without the knowledge of the congregation as a whole, and making decisions to force people they didn’t want out of their jobs. True to His promise in MT 7: 2, the Lord forced those responsible to be judged as they had judged. Eventually, the church split, and the members of this committee all ended up leaving after losing their positions.
Anyone familiar with the Scriptures knows about MT 18: 15-17. “If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him his fault. But do it privately, just between yourselves. If he listens tot you, you have won your brother back. But if he will not listen to you, take one or two other persons with you, so that every accusation may be upheld to the testimony of two or more witnesses [DT 19: 15]. And if he will not listen to them, then tell the whole thing to the church. Finally, if he will not listen to the church, treat him as though he were a pagan or a tax collector.” Once again such a situation as been in my experience. A lady was spreading wild and cruel gossip amongst the members of a church to which I belonged. Someone she knew was the first to warn her that this practice must be stopped. She didn’t listen, and I was asked to go with one other person to discuss the matter with this gossiper. No formal confrontation had to happen with the church, because the news of what was happening got around from sources other than myself. After speaking with this gossiper, the pastor of that church finally asked her to leave it, and she did.
All of these are sad stories of people whose sins brought them and others around them a lot of pain. We must come to understand that God doesn’t contradict Himself by not allowing us to see the negative consequences of sinning. Instead, He is trying lead us into righteousness and peace.
PRAYER: O Lord, You are such a loving and compassionate God. You reward righteousness with earthly peace and eventual eternal life. You also punish iniquity with a cost which is designed to teach not only the one committing the sin, but also a lesson for others around him who might be tempted into doing so. Your fairness and justice is perfect. DT 32: 4, “The Lord is your mighty Defender, perfect and just in all His ways. Your God is faithful and true; He does what is right and fair.” Our transgressions are many, and yet, You have patience for us beyond anything another human would have. 2 PET 3: 9, “The Lord is not slow to do what He has promised, as some think. Instead, He is patient with you, because He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to turn away from their sins.” We thank and praise You, Dearest Father, for having the compassion and patience You do, for all who listen to Your precepts. JAS 5: 10-11, “My brothers, remember the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Take them as examples of patient endurance under suffering. We call them happy because they endured. You have to heard of Job’s patience, and you know how the Lord provided for him in the end. For the Lord is full of mercy and compassion.” We pledge to evaluate ourselves without guilt against Your teaching and to do our best to make the changes necessary to conform to it, to endure in obedient faith. In Christ’s holy and mighty name, we pray. Amen.
Next week, we will begin by looking at how Scripture doesn’t contradict Scripture. How this applies to judgment will be seen. In the meanwhile, we are asked to speak the truth in love to another person who we know is sinning. EPH 4: 15, “Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, Who is the Head.” Having the power to aid the Holy Spirit in saving the soul of another is a privilege indeed. Knowing that we have the choice not to sin or to give in to the temptation to sin is nothing short of remarkable. It’s living proof that we are not God’s puppets on a string, but instead, are truly being given the chance for redemption by the great sacrifice of His life on the cross that Christ gave. Because of His mission statement in JN 6: 39-40, we can begin to appreciate the gift that redemption really is and just how much it matters to our Lord. He encourages us to make wise choices, so that one day, we can return to the Father’s side for a life of eternal bliss and fellowship with Him. Praise be to the Lord Who loves us so very much!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn