Sunday, 20 March 2011

• How Do Christians View Other Christians? (Edited)

  In an earlier post entitled "How Does the World View Christians,"  I was attempting to read the minds of unbelievers based in part on my own recollection of my BC days, and in part based on the criticisms we read of each day in the press, etc.   So this blog may be a bit more biased because I am looking from my own point of view.    None of my experience in counseling, marketing, and teaching can help me here.  The Word of God, the ideal, the scriptures, need to be consulted.   I am hoping for feedback on  this because that is my main  premise for sound discipleship - working together.

  As soon as we begin talking of unity in the body, we react defensively.   Not just you, not just me.  We all have boundaries, standards, doctrinal "bottom lines" that we begin to look at immediately.  "I want unity in theory, but not at the expense of my boundaries."   So let's look first at some of those.

  1. God.  Is He the Sovereign Lord of all creation?  

  2. Jesus.  Is He our Savior only or our example also?

  3. The gospel.   Is the gospel as Paul delineates it in 1 Corinthians 15:11-8, what we mean?

  4. Salvation.   Do we understand it to be by grace through faith as in Ephesians 2:8-9?

  5. The Scriptures.   Do we accept the application of the scriptures as outlined in 2 Timothy 3:16-17?

  Going beyond these basic tenets, leads into the type of  disunity so prevalent in our Christian culture.  If anyone has trouble with these five points, he may not be able to read any further.   I am going to assume that the "bottom line" for most Christians would include at least these points.

  Jesus has told us to use wisdom, to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves.   This, because of the treachery of the enemy and his workers.   We are like lambs.  We follow our shepherd.   So here we do well to imitate the Lord Himself who said on many occasions that He only did what He saw the Father doing and only spoke as He heard the Father speak.   Jesus did not purposely look for a fight.   His enemies tried and tried to trip Him up.   His usual approach was to turn the question around so that they could see their own hypocrisy first....or see whether or not their questions were actual searches for knowledge - most of the time they were not.   Christ's followers are commissioned to make disciples and then to teach those new disciples all the things He taught them.   Too often we are talking to unsaved people as though they were believers, and naturally what we say in that context is pure foolishness to them and makes us look like fools too.

  But this is supposed to be about Christians and Christians.   I'm not going to ask why we do what we do, only to look at unprofitable dialogue and uncooperative relationships and what they accomplish.   Paul tells Timothy: "...shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness."   Ungodliness.  How often do we look at our assertions as ungodly?   If the whole point of our argument is to show up the other as not being as "spiritual" or "obedient," we are engaging in ungodly babbling.   

  We know about church discipline.   It always begins with prayer and one-on-one counsel.   Nathan did this with David, Samuel approached Saul.  There was no public confrontation at first.  The whole reason for these confrontations was to remind the sinner of his sin and give him chance to repent.   David did repent; Saul made excuses.  Are we defensive when counseled in this way?  If another brother falls, do we go back to help him up or is our reflex to want to "shoot" him?   Rather than jumping on the bandwagon when the world finds a Christian to have sinned, do we go quietly to him and offer to help restore him?   Do we fear the judgment of the world - that it may imply that we are guilty of the same thing?  Or do we fear being found out for our own sin, so that we speak loudly about the fallen brother in hopes that the attention will be on him and not us?

  Then there are those who have been victims of injustice from other Christians.   I am afraid that wounded Christians often rationalize their striking back at those who hurt them.   We know what Jesus said about that.   Christians who hold grudges and nurse their wounds for years are most surely not making disciples for Christ.   It would be safe to say that they do the opposite.  Can we go to Jesus with this?  Of course we can.   We can ask Jesus to help our "Christian adversaries" and ask Him to help us forgive them as He forgives us.   We can't (shouldn't) do as the pharisee did and say, "I thank you Lord that I am not like those publicans..."   Every time we become "whistle blowers" against our brethren we do hurt to our Savior.   Even grievous sins need to be handled first within the church.  "Judgment begins at the house of God."    The real test of our faith and faithfulness to Jesus is how we deal with our brethren - those whom we like and with whom we agree, but also those with whom we have issues.   Is our real objective to glorify our Father in heaven or vindicate our own behavior?

  Paul writes of two men who, for whatever reason became involved in unprofitable controversy and in the process damaged God's church and His people and their work for God:   "....their message...spread like cancer.  Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying the resurrection is already past and overthrow the faith of some.    Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands having this seal:  'The Lord knows those who are His', and 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.'" This is a case of heresy- grave error - being taught, but still it is a matter for believers only.  Drawing the opinions of the press and the public into the dispute is unfair and ungodly.  We don't need the weight of numbers to prove the scripture.   The scripture speaks for itself.

  Let me add this description of Paul's concerning his ministry.   Couldn't we endorse this and adopt it as our own?

  "³ We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. ⁴ But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, ⁵ in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; ⁶ by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, ⁷ by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, ⁸ by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; ⁹ as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."  (2 Corinthians 6:3-10)

  Or, do we want to remain in controversy, babbling, criticism as in verses 11 and 12 of that same chapter:

  "O Corinthians (Xangans)  We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open.  You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections."  Are our affections for popularity?  Are they for winning an argument for winning's sake?   Or is our affection for the Lord only and His righteousness?   True freedom and peace come from the Lord Himself - even when the world does not agree.   Isaiah speaks of the Servant Lord as not opening His mouth when He was accused.

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