Have you ever known a couple getting married where you suspect one is not the faithful lover they are pretending to be? Do we sit back and judge, and watch people get hurt? Or do we do something, do we try to intervene? Do we talk to the party who is unfaithful, or to the party who will be betrayed? Or both? What about in Church, do you see people you suspect are less than faithful, who you suspect are not fit to be the bride of Jesus? Do we just sit back and judge? Or do we do something, do we try to intervene? Do we pray to the Groom, Jesus, and pray that he confronts them and reconciles them? Or do we talk to that person and try to help them become the bride they are meant to be?
Not surprisingly, a lot of us tend to sit back and judge, maybe even go so low as to spread the suspicion of unfaithfulness all around the wedding guests. But we forget one thing, the Groom is not some blinded lover, He already knows the heart of His bride, He can see all that is hidden from our eyes. As our world has aged, believers have just had more time to create for themselves the Jesus that makes it easiest for them to follow, to get what they need out of faith, and so, even more so than in New Testament days, the truth is, the Church is not a building or an institution, it is the group of believers whom Jesus recognizes as His faithful bride. We are obviously not qualified to judge who is or who is not a member of that invisible Church. We know very little about the hearts of men, we don't know what lies beneath the exterior of their words and actions. So, back to the question of, do we interfere? We have to leave the judgement up to Jesus, and trust in who He says His Church is.
1 Corinthians 12:13
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Galatians 3:27-29
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Romans 12:5
So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 16:17
And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.
1 Corinthians 1:10
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Colossians 3:13-15
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Ephesians 4 :2-6
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
So, His Church is the people baptized by the Spirit into Christ. That is the group of believers we are to unite with. Of course, this is easier said then done. Denominations have major disputes with the interpretation of the Bible, and even within denominations, a lot of people have their own ideas and perceptions of what God says, a lot of people don't have a completely Biblical worldview (i.e. God is the one true God, our rejection of God's rightful rule over our lives is sin, Jesus is the only way to Heaven, etc.) and some live a life that is almost no different than non-believers at all. Some people who say they are followers of Christ have created their own truth about what faith means but it is absolutely impossible to have more than one truth.
If two people disagree on passages in the Bible, both interpretations can not be wholly true. So, what should we do? Ephesians 4 continues with this in verse 11 "It was he (Jesus) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the KNOWLEDGE of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." (emphasis mine)
So, although we leave the judging up to the Groom, and although praying that Jesus will confront and reconcile the unfaithful is a good thing, we also need to show the bride the truth of her betrayal. Why is it easier for us to share our faith with people who don't believe in God and/or Jesus at all, than to try to shed truth on what our fellow believers and denominations believe? How else are we going to 'grow up into him...Christ', unless we work together, lovingly, to allow God to reveal the truth to us? Now, lovingly means not assuming we're right and they are wrong, it means setting aside pride to honestly seek God's truth, wherever that will lead us. It won't be easy getting to a place of wholehearted and pure motivation with every person we try to seek the truth with. I can imagine many conversations of 'but why does it matter?' and my only answer is, 'what is more important, knowing the truth or believing on your terms?' A tough conversation, no doubt, but only then, through truth and love, can the whole body, every last part, be 'joined and held together' so that each part can effectively do its work. Our work is to defeat the deceivers, and only united can we dispel all lies. Satan's goal is to divide and conquer, and he has done a terrific job of that if you count how many denominations there are in the Christian Church. We have given too much importance to our differences as believers and not enough importance to our similarities. Do we believe in Jesus? Yes? Well then hallelujah, we have a place to start from! That's one less battle than talking with an unbeliever.
To reform our Churches and our Christian society we need to start with ourselves of course, there is no guarantee we can change the world but we can change ourselves (with God's help). Seek out what it means to 'speak truth in love', what it means to be led by the Spirit of truth and in turn submit to the authority of Christ (who is the way, the TRUTH, and the life). Once we are living under Christ's authority, and we are listening to the Spirit of truth, we can have those wholehearted and purely motivated conversations where we speak truth in love with our family & friends, our neighbors, our co-workers, our small group members, and even our Church leaders. God may call you to be a force of truth in your Church, or He may call you to higher expectations of truth that you can only find in another Church. But, one thing is certain, He calls us to "be completely humble & gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (sound familiar?)
As they often say at weddings, to the family and friends in attendance, something like, 'as a witness to this committment, there is now a responsibility to support and encourage the bride and groom to stay faithful and committed, helping, not hindering, their journey to a most holy union." I encourage you to not only be the bride Jesus envisioned when He gave up His life, but that you spur other believers on to that end as well.
Not surprisingly, a lot of us tend to sit back and judge, maybe even go so low as to spread the suspicion of unfaithfulness all around the wedding guests. But we forget one thing, the Groom is not some blinded lover, He already knows the heart of His bride, He can see all that is hidden from our eyes. As our world has aged, believers have just had more time to create for themselves the Jesus that makes it easiest for them to follow, to get what they need out of faith, and so, even more so than in New Testament days, the truth is, the Church is not a building or an institution, it is the group of believers whom Jesus recognizes as His faithful bride. We are obviously not qualified to judge who is or who is not a member of that invisible Church. We know very little about the hearts of men, we don't know what lies beneath the exterior of their words and actions. So, back to the question of, do we interfere? We have to leave the judgement up to Jesus, and trust in who He says His Church is.
1 Corinthians 12:13
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Galatians 3:27-29
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Romans 12:5
So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 16:17
And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.
1 Corinthians 1:10
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Colossians 3:13-15
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Ephesians 4 :2-6
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
So, His Church is the people baptized by the Spirit into Christ. That is the group of believers we are to unite with. Of course, this is easier said then done. Denominations have major disputes with the interpretation of the Bible, and even within denominations, a lot of people have their own ideas and perceptions of what God says, a lot of people don't have a completely Biblical worldview (i.e. God is the one true God, our rejection of God's rightful rule over our lives is sin, Jesus is the only way to Heaven, etc.) and some live a life that is almost no different than non-believers at all. Some people who say they are followers of Christ have created their own truth about what faith means but it is absolutely impossible to have more than one truth.
If two people disagree on passages in the Bible, both interpretations can not be wholly true. So, what should we do? Ephesians 4 continues with this in verse 11 "It was he (Jesus) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the KNOWLEDGE of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." (emphasis mine)
So, although we leave the judging up to the Groom, and although praying that Jesus will confront and reconcile the unfaithful is a good thing, we also need to show the bride the truth of her betrayal. Why is it easier for us to share our faith with people who don't believe in God and/or Jesus at all, than to try to shed truth on what our fellow believers and denominations believe? How else are we going to 'grow up into him...Christ', unless we work together, lovingly, to allow God to reveal the truth to us? Now, lovingly means not assuming we're right and they are wrong, it means setting aside pride to honestly seek God's truth, wherever that will lead us. It won't be easy getting to a place of wholehearted and pure motivation with every person we try to seek the truth with. I can imagine many conversations of 'but why does it matter?' and my only answer is, 'what is more important, knowing the truth or believing on your terms?' A tough conversation, no doubt, but only then, through truth and love, can the whole body, every last part, be 'joined and held together' so that each part can effectively do its work. Our work is to defeat the deceivers, and only united can we dispel all lies. Satan's goal is to divide and conquer, and he has done a terrific job of that if you count how many denominations there are in the Christian Church. We have given too much importance to our differences as believers and not enough importance to our similarities. Do we believe in Jesus? Yes? Well then hallelujah, we have a place to start from! That's one less battle than talking with an unbeliever.
To reform our Churches and our Christian society we need to start with ourselves of course, there is no guarantee we can change the world but we can change ourselves (with God's help). Seek out what it means to 'speak truth in love', what it means to be led by the Spirit of truth and in turn submit to the authority of Christ (who is the way, the TRUTH, and the life). Once we are living under Christ's authority, and we are listening to the Spirit of truth, we can have those wholehearted and purely motivated conversations where we speak truth in love with our family & friends, our neighbors, our co-workers, our small group members, and even our Church leaders. God may call you to be a force of truth in your Church, or He may call you to higher expectations of truth that you can only find in another Church. But, one thing is certain, He calls us to "be completely humble & gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (sound familiar?)
As they often say at weddings, to the family and friends in attendance, something like, 'as a witness to this committment, there is now a responsibility to support and encourage the bride and groom to stay faithful and committed, helping, not hindering, their journey to a most holy union." I encourage you to not only be the bride Jesus envisioned when He gave up His life, but that you spur other believers on to that end as well.
2 comments:
This is a great post, Lori. It seems the Spirit is really moving all over the place ~ convicting and rallying the Believers. It's a little scary and exciting all at the same time.
thanks! the spirit is doing amazing things and what a time we are entering into! it seems the refining fire is kicking it up a notch. It is VERY scary yet so excillerating, so life changing. I've never been this on fire before and I love it!
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