Category: believer

A Question About Discernment and Discipline

Question: 

“What if the “desire to excel” isn’t the motivation in allowing sinners into the church? We invite our unsaved friends (worldlings) to church and hope they repent. Sometimes that takes a long time! Is this intervening or being missional? I understand your point that Believers aren’t to live in continual sin but am foggy about what we do with the sin saturated culture around us. Do we draw away or let them draw near?”

My Response:

“Great question/comment.  Jesus made it clear, with the salt & light analogy that we will be distinctive and visible. We need to learn to accentuate and use that distinctiveness, with talent and forethought. All available effort should be used.

The issue of believers in habitual, continual sin should be approached as ‘church discipline’. This falls on people who we call pastors and elders. 1 Cor. 5 gives this oversight a template to follow. It is a sticky thing to judge someone. When we have to, we don’t want to. (Unless the person is a ‘control freak’.)

The issue of sin in the church is interesting. To have water outside a boat is a good thing, but to have water in the boat is decidedly worse. We are to preserve our distinctiveness, without diminishing our witness. It’s like we are a flock of lambs living in a pigpen. By their very nature the are different. One has a sheep nature, the other a pig’s. There will be at times confusion. But the sheep don’t belong.

To sum it up, there is church discipline for believers, that really needs to be in place. But we are missional people. The world is very much like a pigpen. But I say, let them come in and let the Holy Spirit touch them.”

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This was a recent post and follow-up comment for “Through the Sheep Dip”, posted on September 28, 2010.  The link is located at:  https://brokenbelievers.com/2010/09/28/through-the-sheep-dip/

Almighty Father

“Almighty Father, Son and Holy Ghost, eternal and ever blessed gracious God; to me the least of saints, to me allow that I should keep a door in paradise.   That I may keep the smallest door, the furthermost, the darkest, coldest door, the door which is the least used, the stiffest door.  If it so be but in thine house, O God, if so be that I can see thy glory even afar, and hear thy voice, O God, and know that I am with thee, thee O God.”

A Prayer of St. Columba, 521-597 AD

 

Bryan’s Note

We must travel some distance, before something like this will cling to our hearts.  Columba’s journey to the presence of Jesus most certainly gave him a perspective that enabled him to pray with this intensity and this humility.  We cannot dissuade ourselves of his effort and his overwhelming desire to be near Him.  We can only watch, and mark the zeal which took his heart and soul into the burning presence of His presence.  Columba becomes a guide of what is possible and what is to be sought.  We must become (if we are in pursuit) a people radically changed by the reality of His presence.

 

 

Photo: The Power of Unity

Photo:  The Power of Unity

When we come together, we receive from a shared strength, common to every believer.  Connected, we are resilient and strong, and it takes a very great deal to incapacitate us.  It seems that we are organically linked as believers, and that there exists a connection through the work and personality of the Holy Spirit.

That’s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.  (Romans 12:5)

We must grip the reality that each one has a connection to Jesus AND a connection to each other.  It is not necessarily physical, but it is a real spiritual connection, like plugging into the wall socket.

Teaching Wonderful Things

Jesus Teaches Wonderful Things

The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” -Mark 6:2

 

When Jesus began to teach, people began to really listen.  The synagogue was definitely the perfect place for Him, and it was there He got a chance to explain things.  In many places, when this happens there is a casual and general acceptance of the lecturers tenets.  But with Jesus sharing there was amazement.  They were astonished at the things Jesus shared.  There was a wallop as He spoke, and for the first time common people were able to connect some “dots”.  They lit on this like ants at a picnic!

A large group together posed a question.  “Where” did this teaching come from?  This is so amazing!  But what is the source?  The teaching itself was not the issue, but is it from God or is it satanic?  And how did Jesus come by this teaching?  It is so profound!  Two words to describe listening to Him: Wisdom and Power.  Profound, but what is its source?

I think a real mystique began to develop around Jesus.  There was a real sense that He showed He was both capable and legitimate.  In His speaking He projected a power and grace which had never, ever been seen before.  The listeners had never before heard what this man intended to do. 

And we haven’t mentioned the miracles yet.  Jesus did some things that astonished the witnesses.  Although not listed in this account, they must have left an imprint.  When the blind man three chairs down is healed, you have to stand and take notice.  The miracle leaves you gasping, “Who is this?”

Jesus never accepted ambiguity.  He never accepted the idea of purposefully being vague and elusive.  He never contented Himself to hide in the shadows of “maybe”.  Direct and bold, He reaches out to the synagogue.  He gently draws the hearts of the inquisitive and seeking to Himself.