What about sin in the church?

I was recently asked about how to handle a sin issue discovered in a person's life and so I'll write about it as a teaching opportunity.  Church discipline are two words that when grouped together cause all sorts of anxiety in people.  Some hear those words and are flooded by negative emotions illicited by memories of being confronted by judgmental and legalistic Christians.  Others feel a sense of fear knowing that there is a current sin issue present in the church they'd rather ignore.  

I find that there are a lot of similarities between church discipline and the discipline of my own children.  There are some parents who are way too harsh and angry in the way they discipline their kids while some parents are way too permissive...same goes for churches.

Discipline is not convenient, it's not fun, its not something we prefer to do, but it is necessary and the adult (mature person) understands how important it is in a person's growth.  Proverbs talks a lot about the benefits of discipline and the wisdom of correction.  

Galatians 6:1 is an important passage talking about discipline.  It reminds us that there will always be people around us who are caught by sin (the Devil is actively working to get us off track.)  A mature person doesn't stick their head in the sand, but neither do they overreact to the situation.  In context, Paul has just instructed us as to the fruit we bear when we're controlled by God's Spirit (chapter 5.)  He then mentions one of those fruit again in chapter 6, "gentleness."  Restore in a spirit of gentleness.  

The word "restore" in the original Greek meant to mend as in mending a torn net.  It was also used in a medical sense meaning to set a broken bone.  We all know that mending and setting aren't fun jobs but they are very necessary!  So, we shouldn't like discipline but we all should be doing it.  And we're to be humble and gentle as we correct.  Just as we're to be humble and gentle in the way we correct our own children.  Some other principles that I've learned...

1) Pray for the person caught by his sin

2) Confess your own sins to God

3) Don't nickel and dime people on every little flaw you notice.  Address...

     * Sins that reoccur or are habitual

     * Sins that are influencing others to live ungodly lives

     * Sins that are harming himself or others

     * Sins that bring division or other problems in the church

4) Ask for permission to speak into his life

5) Be willing to help him with his sin (help bear his burden).  If you find that you are quick to counsel 

people on making changes but do nothing to help them, then you are lacking the fruit of the Spirit.

6) Work at protecting the offender from slander and gossip because the issue isn't about his failure it's about helping him grow and mature through the trial.

7) Don't bring the issue to church leadership unless you've tried and failed to restore the person...church discipline is primarily the job of all the mature believers working through natural relationship channels.  Most of the time sins shouldn't need to be brought to the pastors.  This point is especially true when the sin issue is a person's critical or unforgiving spirit toward church leaders.  Friends and small group leaders should be the ones to confront this sin and remind others that church leaders are to be supported and honored (1 Tim 5:17.)

Relationship rather than authority are usually the key to restoration.  Authority is a last resort for those who are unteachable and for those who are hurting the church.  Ideally discipline should rarely reach this point.  Matthew 18 outlines a relational process whereby offenses are dealt with by those who are aware of the offense.  The circle of people aware of the issue only expands if necessary for restoration.

Churches that overreact to sin issues and don't show patience and grace are cold and legalistic.  Churches that under-react to sin issues become unhealthy and spiritually impotent.  Churches where people are both honest and loving with each other, are spiritually healthy environments.  Lastly, not everyone will appreciate discipline no matter how loving and gentle it is.  These people will leave the church rather than confront their imperfections and that also helps to make the church a more healthy family.

Prayer Advice

1 Thesalonians 5:17 says to "pray continuously" and one particular young man who is only 21 has learned to do this.  His reason for this discipline is,

“It reminds you about God throughout your day... no matter how busy you are, all of a sudden you have to take out a few minutes and you’re remembering, OK, why am I really here?”  And “while I was doing whatever I was doing, was I doing it in a manner pleasing to God?”  It's a way to say  "Oh, praise to my God, the most high.” 

His advice to us is,

“I think it’s just where you put your priorities...If you put prayer at a high level, then it’s not hard.”

He says his prayers mostly take five to ten minutes to complete and that technology has made it easy for him to remember when to pray. “My phone sends me a text message,” he says. “I know a lot of people that have the iPhone app that gives a little alarm or a text or something.”

“In the morning... we’re beginning that day by praying to our Lord and our creator,” he says. “And then at noon… just as we take our lunch break to replenish our physical body, we take time to reaffirm our commitment to our creator and thereby replenish our spirit.  At night, before we turn in and go to sleep to regroup, we don’t know if we’re going to see the new day,” he says. “Once again, take time to acknowledge our creator and the rights he has over us.”

“So, no matter what you’re doing in your life, it’s always, ‘God is greater than that’ - whether it’s sleep, whether it’s work, whatever it is, God is the greatest.  Behind any type of success, there’s always a sacrifice.”

These thoughts on prayer unfortunately are shared by a young man who doesn't accept Jesus as his Savior.  He is a devout Muslim.  Yet, just like many Muslims his devotion to prayer and reverence for God puts us to shame.  

Living the Good Life

In John 15:8 we see that we can bring glory to God by bearing fruit and showing ourself to be a disciple of Jesus.  While there are many people who are working hard to bear fruit (living a good life) the efforts of the disciple aren't directed toward producing fruit...our efforts should be directed toward "abiding" in Jesus Christ.  When we are connected to Jesus the fruit comes effortlessly!

Unfortunately many people are very good and religious but they don't have a relationship with Jesus (in spite of their good works their sins remain unforgiven.)  They mistakenly think that good works will somehow erase their past sins or earn God's favor.  John chapter 15 reminds us that good works aren't for forgiveness they're from forgiveness...they come from the person who is already "abiding" in Jesus.

In other words after we receive His forgiveness of sins, then He will produce fruit through us.  So, stop trying to be a good person and start trying to "abide" in Jesus.  It goes against our instincts that we should stop trying to be good.  However, that is the teaching of John 15.  Abide in Jesus and the good will come as a by-product of our relationship with Him.  There are three parts to abiding in Him.

1. The life of abiding in Jesus begins with a decision to trust Him and believe that His death on the cross took care of all your sins (past, present and future sins.)  If you believe this and that He rose from the dead you now forgiven and "in Him" (Eph 2:8, 9). 
2. Throughout your day take time to meditate on God and His Word (Psalm 1) and to praise and thank Him continually (1 Thes 5:16.)
3. Inevitably you'll recognize times in your day when you mess up and fall short of God's perfect standard for living.  At the very moment you feel the guilt of your sin, admit to God that your behavior, attitude or thought was wrong (1 John 1:9).   

Interesting Context Note - This message on abiding was given by Jesus as he moved from the upper room demonstration of servanthood toward his time of prayer and anguish in the Garden of Gethsemene.  In other words he knew his hour had come and this was the last message He most wanted his disciples to hear.  He knew that there were going to be some very challenging times for them in the near future and if they were to survive, His disciples would need to practice the spiritual disciplines of "abiding."

Refusing to have your feet washed - pt 2

In order to serve there must be a "servee."  This same principle isn't just about our relationship to Jesus.  It also translates into our relationship with others.

Yesterday I paid two hospital visits.  The first visit to Banner Estrella was to visit the spouse of a church member with whom I've built a friendship.  At first it seemed that he didn't want any visitors, so I resolved that I would simply meet with and pray with his wife.  However when I arrived he had changed his mind and I was able to visit and encourage him.

The second visit was to the hospital at Arrowhead where I visited a lady who is a long-time member of our church going in for a heart procedure. Her husband and I waited for her to come out of surgery only to be told later that the procedure hadn't even started.  We were ushered back to where she was waiting and I was able to pray for her.  In both these cases, without permission, I would not have been able to serve others.

If you are a generous person who looks for opportunities to serve then you know that to serve someone else, requires him/her to give permission first.  Permission can be difficult to give because it means being open and vulnerable in a time of need.  For those who are strong and self-sufficient and used to being the server, chances are you find it difficult (impossible?) to give this permission.  This requires that you put your pride aside and allow someone the privilege to serve you.  However, they can't serve without a willing "servee."  The apostle Paul understood this and allowed the Philippians to serve him (Phil 4.) even though he was content in his needy condition.

Imagine that a friend was inspired by a sermon or by their own study of John 13 and felt God telling them to serve you.  Would you shut them down by your pride and self sufficiency or would you let them wash your feet?  In John 13 Jesus and Peter were bonded together because Peter finally allowed Jesus to serve him.  Peter entered in and became a part of what Jesus was doing in the world by putting his pride aside.  In the same way we connect with the good purposes and love of other Christians when we allow them to serve us.  Our fellowship reaches new depths when those who are typically the givers, open up about their needs and become vulnerable for the purpose of allowing others to serve them.

When I travel to developing world countries I see how important this mutual service is.  Americans come over with money and expertise and give to people in Mexico, Africa, Haiti, etc an abundance of service and finances.  The amount of service that is received often overwhelms people in these countries.  That is why it's so important for Americans to accept invitations for dinner (or other gestures of service.)  Of course I could feed myself...in most cases I'd rather go to a restaurant or eat the food back at my base, but it's a chance for the servee to give to the server.

Did you know there are people in your church and in your sphere of influence who would love to help you if only they knew of a need you had.  If only you would open up and share and be vulnerable during a time of need, your relationship would grow and they would be fulfilled in their service (and receive a reward in heaven.)  This can be especially hard for pastors and other spiritual leaders.  It is also hard for those whose careers are built on a public perception of personal strength and "having it all together."

Our Christian witness isn't in setting a "perfect" example...it's in our mutual love and service during our times of imperfection.

Refusing to have your feet washed?

Last week before I preached on John 13, I asked my family to come onto the stage and to let me wash their feet.  It was an emotional time that I trust will be remembered by them forever.  Yet, before I started, it crossed my mind that one of them might refuse to do this.  They might feel too awkward or embarrassed to allow me to do this in front of the church.  I'm glad that this didn't happen, but if it did they would not have been able to share in this stirring moment.  The opportunity would have been lost.  This was what Jesus faced with Peter as he washed his disciples' feet.

In John 13, Jesus denigrates himself in order to serve his disciples and to make a point.  His future reign as King would come about not through politics, threats, alliances, conflict, coercion and military power.  His Kingdom would be established and then expanded through acts of service.  His reign began with His service of sacrifice on Golgotha and his kingdom grew through the service of his disciples who followed the example of servant leadership they had witnessed in the upper room.

However, at that moment before the meal was served, a new revolution of servanthood was not on the minds of a single disciple in the upper room.  For this reason Jesus said something very interesting as he attempted to wash Peter's feet.  He said, "unless I wash you, you have no part with me."  It was at this moment that Jesus was crystalizing his strategy for world domination and it happened to be 180 degrees opposite of what Peter and the others expected.  Jesus was saying, "I'm doing this with or without you and I'm doing it through servanthood... so decide now if you're with me or not and whether you you want to be part of what I'm doing in the world."

For those who have studied their Bibles, you already understand this, but here's the part that many people miss...Jesus could not serve without an object to receive his service.  Jesus couldn't serve Peter without his permission.  In other words, there can be no server if there is no "servee."  Salvation is only available to a person willing to be served by Jesus.  Every false religion in the world has one thing in common...they all teach that you must do something to reach God (or to be saved.)  This belief contradicts the Bible which tells us here and in numerous places, that we must receive Jesus' forgiveness as a gift (we must let Him wash us.)

The person who fails to receive His gift but instead attempts to earn God's forgiveness or to atone for their own sins, is refusing to allow Jesus to wash him/her.  Have you let Jesus wash you?  Tell him that you believe that his death on the cross was enough to wash away your sins and that you give him permission to serve you by washing you.  Now, read John 13:1-15 and imagine that you are at the table and Jesus has just washed your feet!

Evaluate your church

In Luke 7:36-50 a woman with a bad reputation"showed up" a prominent and respected religious leader.  

The scene was a party and the central figure was Jesus.  The host of the party, a Pharisee, should have offered the utmost of his hospitality, but he offered not even the bare minimum that would be expected.  At the very least he should have provided water for Jesus to wash his own feet.  The woman, broken and full of appreciation, did the very opposite...she did so much for Jesus that everyone present became embarrassed (except Jesus.)  Let's fast forward to now, today...think about our church.

As we host people who come to us for hospitality (understanding it's as if we're receiving, visiting, and giving a cup of cold water to Jesus himself,) are we also shown up by this woman?  We're really good at finding the fault of those we read about in the Bible who failed miserably to represent God's character accurately to a lost world.  But could we also be in this story?

Do we...

1. wash the feet of those who come to us?  Do we go overboard to serve the obvious needs that we see and that no one else seems willing to address?

2. kiss each person God brings to us?  Do we welcome with enthusiasm and dignity every person, treating them as an invited guest whom we were anxiously waiting for their arrival?

3. anoint our guests with oil?  Do they find true and transforming refreshment through the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives as we lead them to encounter God and as we pray for their needs and speak hopeful and spiritual words into their lives?

4. feed our guests?  Do they receive the Word of God, taught accurately and applied specifically to the real world that they live in?  Are they challenged to respond by faith to the Word of God for salvation and spiritual guidance?

The "sinful" woman did the first three things but didn't bring Jesus food.  I suspect that the host at least got this part right.  However, it was too little too late.  The choice to offer dignity and service originates from genuine love and is the pre-requisite of the meal.

Neither the "sinful" woman nor Jesus was loved by the host and unfortunately that seems to be the problem with some churches, God willing not ours!  Our love for Jesus and others is evidenced in the way we serve others, greet people, pray for the Spirit's work, and then by the biblical feast we offer!