Frankly Speaking,
You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. ~ I Corinthians 5:2b NLT
CHURCH DISCIPLINE! ~ What does it take to embarrass you? Some people say that they never get embarrassed or ashamed. I find that hard to believe. Often, Christians are seen as stuffy and narrow-minded because we discipline ourselves to avoid many of the popular cultural tendencies of the day. However, shouldn’t we be conscientious of what we do and say around our children?
There was a time when we treated others with respect, especially women and children. Yes, I am older and maybe a bit wiser too. Some things ought to cause us to blush. If you question that concept, check this out:
Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush! ~ Jeremiah 6:15a NLT
Now that we agree blushing can be a good thing, how do we correct someone in the church who seems to have forgotten this truth? How do we approach someone who is living a life of sin while actively leading the church: pastor, minister, board-member, trustee, deacon, teacher, and more? Which sin does the church act upon in the lives of these non-blushers? What are the qualifications to be an admonisher? Finally, how do we work all of this out in our current culture with so many churches re-writing or at least re-interpreting the BIBLE?
This leaves us in a challenging place. Do we do nothing pretending GOD says anything goes? Do we begin with a witch hunt as we have done so many times in the church? Perhaps, it begins with each of us alone with GOD praying and spending time with HIM. Seek HIS wisdom and direction. Barney would say this is how we “Nip it” in each of our lives, first! 😊
LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS
Blessings in CHRIST,
Pastor Wes
I PETER 3:15
readyforafreshstart 