I received a phone call from a friend of mine who asked me to pray, but really what he was wanting to know was if he was seeing an issue rightly. It seems that a small church that he had attended in the past was struggling. Their pastor had retired and they had no replacement. The associate pastor was filling in, but apparently the people were not inclined to call him as pastor. They were struggling, like sheep without a shepherd. There was a spirit of confusion. Another friend of mine – someone who has since passed – would say “united becomes untied when the ‘I’ gets out of place!” I told my friend that he could use Galatians chapter 5 verses 19-26 as an indicator if the “I” is out of place with the people. Paul wrote a good bit about trouble in the local church. Not surprising I suppose. The local church is comprised of people who are at various places in their faith walk. Some are submitted to the Spirit and some are not. Some demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit and some the flesh – the old nature. Often times, many people are oblivious to the dissension. That dissension often happens with the formal and informal leaders. Those who were called to leadership and those who want to wield influence over the people and affairs of the church even though they are not – leaders.
So what does this have to do with you? There is principle at work in that little church that shows itself in all relationships. It is called discord. That happens when there are competing goals and motivations. Contention between the spiritual and the natural.
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?” – 2 Corinthians 6:14-15
So what to do when Believers are acting like unbelievers? Like some of the people in that church or in your family, even? The Bible is clear – you must go to them – and encourage them to repent and turn back to the Lord. That does not always turn out well. You might be met with hostility and instead of appreciation. People who are sinning, typically don’t like to be confronted with their sin. The Bible is clear about that too, but we struggle with doing what the Bible says to do, especially if we have a strong relationship with the people.
“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” – Matthew 18:15-17
What if it is a relative or a good friend? The Bible does not make a distinction. God never asks you to do something – spiritual – that you can do without the Spirit – the Helper. You won’t walk into the lion’s den without confidence that the Lord is with you – not matter what. If people reject you because of your stand for what is right before God, then receive it as confirmation of Jesus’ words.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” – John 15:18-19
Rejection is a hard thing. We want to be liked and thought well of. Loved even. Have you ever had a family member lash out at you and say “I don’t love you, I hate you!” It hurts your heart. In those times you must remember that you are loved and cherished by the God of heaven. That His Son died for you. Your citizenship is in heaven. The motives of those whose hearts are far from God are selfish – self-centered – contrary to the statutes of God. Apart from God they are living in desperation. I told me friend that it seemed that the people were trusting in their flesh and God was at the center of what they were doing. They had a form of godliness but were denying the power thereof. They needed to repent. The struggle they wer in is a sad thing to see and can only be overcome by the surrender of the heart. Same for you and me.
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