Matthew 6:15-17Matthew 6:15-17
English: World English Bible - WEB
15 But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ¹⁶ “Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most assuredly I tell you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷ But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face;

WP-Bible plugin sounds basic enough. The deal is that if someone offends you, you tell him.  All’s great if he listens.  But what if he doesn’t, that’s when you bring a friend with you and approach the offender a second time.  But if still doesn’t listen, then you tell the Church. To me that would be the governing board of the Church. It then becomes their problem.

And what is the Church to do? The elders of the Church approach the offender, and if the offender still doesn’t listen, then you treat him as you would a non-believer.  When is the Church released from this issue?  Simple, it’s when they have been successful at the first step or completed the last step.

“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother.  But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established.  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector.”

But Church discipline seldom happens today and so we have to beg the question why.  Some Churches will tell you they have conducted Church discipline but when you examine it further, it is usually the person that few people know and you’re confident that they’ll just go away quietly. It is seldom, if ever, the one with power and money.  And so what’s the issue?

We could go into great depth with each item below, but for this article, let’s just stick to the basics.  Why do Churches no longer use Church discipline? In short the answer is in our culture, leadership and our view of sin.

1. Our culture. There’s a lawyer and rights movement behind most any door.  The last thing a church board wants is a lawsuit or to see their picture on the 6:00 news. They do have a valid point.  We live in a culture where the average person is looking out for number one – themselves.  If they are hurt in any way, the first thing they want is redemption and so retaliation is the way to go. Get them where it hurts. Because of this fear, the Church Board will make a hasty decision that is usually based on a now famous goal and the easy way out – “For the sake of the Church”.

    

   In the end of the day we have begun to fear our culture more than God.

2. Our leadership.  And this is a biggie. This has been the era of “leadership”.  Christian book stores have separate sections dedicated to this.  “How to Lead a Church” is the question of the day. I do understand why the shift has taken place.  A big reason is in our defence against the dangers of my first point. What has happened:
   • We have begun to see our need to place accountants, businessmen and lawyers to be decision makers in the Church and so we elect them to be our Elders.  When legal challenges come our way, we are well equipped to deal with them before the threat becomes real. After all, who is better to deal with these issues the individuals that work with these details every day.  Our leadership has begun to reflect the business norm. Makes sense.
   • The problem is that our values changed in the process. Godliness has been replaced with personal skill. Suddenly the Scriptural criteria for leadership have run into conflict with our new view of leadership. “We could really use Joe on the Board.  He would know how to deal with this matter.”  The ramifications of this “new leadership” have paralyzed the Church of spiritual wisdom and power.
   • We have forgotten what an elder actually is. I understand the wisdom of having the expertise of skilled men and women at our disposal.  Their knowledge is invaluable. But their knowledge does not and never will on its own, qualify them to be an elder.  Call them whatever you want. Take advantage of their knowledge. But they are not elders and today’s Church is in desperate need of elders.

      

     In the end we have begun to esteem ability more that godliness.

3. We have forgotten what sin is and its impact on the Church. Throughout every New Testament book, you hardly pass by any chapter without coming face to face with the threat of sin.  It is a cancer that will rip out the spiritual immunity of any Church. Unchallenged, it will cause the greatest Church to become spiritually oblivious to the threat.

   In the end we have begun to choose peace over battle. We have called sin a personality conflict rather than what it really is.  We have called in conflict resolution specialists to deal with the symptoms of sin rather than the elders dealing with the sin.

   As the Laodicean Church, we have become complacent about sin and forgotten Christ’s opinion with us.  The one that stands in the Churches way will suffer the ramifications.

If you are an individual that has been hurt by sin in such a church, you have three choices: First, become subdued. You make the decision to speak no ill of the Church Board’s decisions.  Next, your choice could be to fight and lose again. You won’t win and the hurt will deepen each time. Finally, you can leave quietly and find a place where you can be nurtured spiritually.

What’s needed? Preachers need to become preachers. They need to fight sin at its very core.  We need a reformation back to orthodoxy, power in the pulpit and leadership that is determined to be separate from the world’s culture and to pattern a new kingdom culture.

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"Woe to any clergy who questions or resists in the name of fairness or justice."

To me focusing on the local bad guys is important, (especially if you’re in a Congregationalist model) but to leave it there is to miss the deeper dimension of the problem. In my analysis the locals get the trouble going but the real villain is the systemic nature of this evil. This is followed closely by ‘church officials’, who unwittingly carry on the tradition of abuse. (I use church officials in the generic sense to describe the various presbyteries, bishops, field staff, church civil servants, colleagues, committees etc.,)

I will deal with the systemic nature of the problem at another time. It is not my intention to demonize these officials; at best they are not aware that their attempts at conflict management are determined by the system’s historic hidden agenda. These officials see their role as ‘protecting’ the institution and doing their best by you. They honestly believe they are trying to help you. I just wish they wouldn’t try so hard. They get angry and hurt at any suggestion that their actions are being questioned or that you are not being treated fairly. (more…)

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1 Thessalonians 1:1-101 Thessalonians 1:1-10
English: World English Bible - WEB
Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians ^{1 1} Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ² We always give thanks to God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers, ³ remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father. ⁴ We know, brothers The word for “brothers” here and where context allows may also be correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.” loved by God, that you are chosen, ⁵ and that our Gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we showed ourselves to be among you for your sake. ⁶ You became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁷ so that you became an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. ⁸ For from you has sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth; so that we need not to say anything. ⁹ For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you; and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead— Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

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All the basic ingredients that our Lord wants in a church were in this Thessalonian congregation. The Epistle that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians to lay out for them and us the pattern of the church that Christ builIt. The pattern contains no reference to the number of members.  Paul didn’t us about the programming, the kind of sermons that were to be preached, or the music we should sing.  Neither does he ell us about the Sunday School or the style of Worship Service.

However, it does tell us about the spiritual elements of the Thessalonians and what should be ours.

A. Our Heart Qualities

When Paul sat down to talk to the Thessalonians, just good thoughts, blessings, reason to glory came to his mind.

(more…)

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