2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
This morning, the Lord directs me to share His views on what should be done when a person in our congregation takes on a lifestyle that is sinful. Because we come to our congregations in many different places along our faith walk and with different degrees of faith, it occasionally happens that someone fits this category. We have been told not to judge, and that still holds true. However, in 1 COR 5: 6-7, God, through Paul, comments, “It is not right for you to be proud! You know the saying, ‘ A little bit of yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise.’ You must remove the old yeast of sin so that you will be entirely pure. Then you will be like a new batch of dough without any yeast, as indeed I know you actually are….” This applies in our individual lives as it does in our congregations. Our wise Lord had to have known that we would be brought at some point to the question: If we are not to judge but don’t want to allow sin to pervade our congregations, what should we do? And, that is why He gave us a plan of action in this situation acceptable to Him.
In OT times, He gave the Hebrews these two directives in DT 13: 5 and 17: 7, “But put to death any interpreter of dreams or prophet that tells you to rebel against the Lord, Who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves. Such a man is evil and is trying to lead you away from the life that the Lord has commanded you to live. He must be put to death, in order to rid yourselves of this evil. “ “The witnesses are to throw the first stones, and then the rest of the people are to stone that person; in this way you will get rid of this evil. “ Please don’t get the idea that this is the course of action the Lord wants us to take today. Things were different in the past. Including these two citations here allows us to see the Lord’s abhorrence of sin. However, the Lord does prescribe a course of action in dealing with a person whose sinful ways can bring others into sin in a congregation in modern times.
GA 6: 1-2, “My brothers, if someone is caught in any kind of wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should set him right; but, you do it in a gentle way and keep an eye on yourselves, so that you will not be tempted too. Help carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will obey the law of Christ.” 1COR 5: 9-10 reminds us, “Surely you know that the wicked will not possess God’s Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral or who worship idols or are adulterers or homosexual perverts or who steal or are greedy or are drunkards or who slander others or are thieves-none of them will possess God’s Kingdom.” We needed to know more about how to deal with this problem, so God directs us to have one trusted member of the congregation attempt to bring the offender back to obedience. If that doesn’t work, then a small group of the congregation’s leadership should attempt. Only if that doesn’t work, should the offender be asked to leave the congregation with the understanding that he can be readmitted to it if he repents and returns to obedience. It is always to everyone’s advantage if an offender can be brought back to a life of repentance and obedience. I can’t help but think of the prophetess, Miriam (Moses’ older sister) who was punished by God and shut out of the camp for a week, hindering God from moving the people for that time. Then, she was later forgiven and returned to the camp [see NU 12], and to her former status.
I TIM 5: 19-20 also gives us direction when the wrongdoer is an elder of the church. “Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or more witnesses. Rebuke publicly all those who commit sins, so that the rest may be afraid.” What this says to me is that those who are in the leadership of a congregation are to be held to a higher standard. God has placed them in a position where their behavior can effect many people, so this would make sense. While the rewards of leadership can be great, so can the consequences of misusing that position. We all know of congregations where a pastor or other leader has had to be asked to step down from his position because of his misdeeds. I personally praised God when our present Senior Pastor courageously spoke on the pulpit about his acknowledgment of this higher standard for church leaders including himself. Our congregation has been blessed by leadership that has truly lived up to it.
The apostle, Peter, dealt with this difficult question of disobedience in a congregation in 1 PET 1: 14-16. “Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by the evil desire you had when you were still ignorant. Instead, be holy in all you do, just as God called you to be holy. The Scriptures [LV 11: 44-45 & 19: 2] say, ‘be holy because I am holy.’ ” COL 3: 12-15 further illuminates the approach we should take. “You are the people of God; He loved you and chose you for His own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be tolerant with one another just as the Lord has forgiven you. And to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity. The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in one body. And be thankful.”
PRAYER: O Lord, because of our human imperfections, we are sometimes brought to the place where we must make controversial decisions. Such is the case when a member of a congregation has chosen a sinful lifestyle through human rationalization. When this lifestyle effects more than just the wrongdoer himself, it is necessary for a congregation to take Godly action to correct him for the sake of Jesus Christ. Through Scriptural directives and the discernment of righteous church leaders and friends, You have compassionately given us direction in handling these matters. We dedicate ourselves to obeying those guidelines using the model of love and compassion that You have set for us. We thank and praise You in gratitude for being the Lord of both our individual and congregational lives. In Christ’s name, amen.
Dear Ones, even when faced with controversial decisions to make, our loving Abba is right there for us. All we have to do is to make it our habit to seek Him out. I hope this makes you feel as blessed as it does me. As long as we keep our eyes focused on Him and remain wholly obedient, He will guide us through any difficulty we face. Be encouraged in your faith by that, never forgetting the great love our Father has for all of us. Peter and I send our love too.
Grace, Peace, and Love Be Yours,
Lynn