Happy New Year: On Resolutions, Rebuke and Restoration

Welcome back to the blog! I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season, and a meaningful time reflecting on God's mercy towards us, and His daily portions of grace the past year.

This 2017, I've resolved to try and blog at least once a week (Ideally towards the end of every week). Mainly, it's just to share the things I've been learning whether it be from my quiet time, lessons or principles the Lord has been impressing on my heart, or something I heard from a sermon or read in a book that resounded in me. I'm hoping that 2017 will be a year of great faith, much repentance and even greater Grace, and I think pushing myself to think critically about things will help me get to where I'd like to be in that area of my life.

AND SO IT BEGINS

The first week of the year found me in a number of humbling situations. One was right smack in the middle of a small debacle among some fellow Christians. It had a lot to do with calling people out for their sins, on what grounds people should be called out for, and how to properly do it. I've come to realize that in all my years of being a Christian and going to church, the community I grew up in had absolutely no idea how to handle proper discipline and restoration.

Now, I love my church. (The local one in my neighborhood) My heart bleeds for it and longs to see it become the sanctified bride of Christ that it rightfully is. I grew up in the Church. Many of the people in it, I could easily say, are like family to me. Church is like home to me.

But the church I grew up in is not the same as the one I see today. The one I see today is quick to preach love, compassion, and acceptance, but does not know how to Biblically handle or respond to the wanderers, the strays, and the predators within its walls. The members of the body do not know how to sort out arguments amongst themselves.

I am not exempt from this. I have had my fair share of moments of crass judgement and hypocrisy. Moments when I could have taken the higher road by either keeping my mouth shut, or by confronting a person directly, especially if I knew them. I am still prone to do the same today. I have done it by myself, and I have also done so with others. And so, before I move further down this blog post, I want to be the first to say that I have taken into full consideration the fact that I have stumbled, and fallen many times over this area in my life, and probably still will in the future. I am not a person who is exempt from receiving grace. I absolutely need it everyday. If I am to write about these things, I write first to myself, before anyone else. (Besides, who reads this anyway? Haha)

WHEN THE CHURCH STEPS IN

The [most] healthiest (MOST NA, HEALTHIEST PA WOW) churches I know are the ones who send people away frequently. Where I come from, this kind of culture is ABSURD. After all, we're supposed to love one another, right? And the Bible tells us we're not supposed to judge, right?

On the contrary. The Bible actually does tell us (believers) to judge and gives examples how we're to do so. Especially within the context of a covenant community. (Matthew 18:15-16; 1 Corinthians 5:1-2) We're to exercise this with anyone who wants to join in. As well as any existing members and leaders (especially leaders). Here's a word you might recognize - it's called "accountability" (other people like calling it "heart checks"). And it is essential for the safety and overall well-being of the community.

If you won't take my word for it, take it from someone who did a study on the defining marks of a healthy church:

"Close the front door, and keep the back door [wide] open. In other words, make it more difficult to join on the one hand, and easier to be excluded on the other. Such actions will help the church to recover its divinely intended, winsome distinction from the world" (Mark E. Dever, Chapter 7: Biblical Church Discipline, 9 marks Of A Healthy Church) [ emphasis mine]

And so, here's my point regarding this whole issue: when a body of believers are quick to shush someone who has discovered someone's sin (especially if that sin harms other people) - and calls them out as hypocrites for passing judgement (because Matthew 7:1, right?), it really says a lot about the church and the doctrine it holds on to.

THE LOG IN YOUR EYE

Speaking of Matthew 7:1 -- what if you're the problem? What if you find yourself on the receiving end of the rebuke and the judgement, and what if it was all spot on?

I'll never forget this one CNN Interview that Anderson Cooper did with Russel Moore. The context behind it was that incoming US President Donald Trump had tweeted about Moore, calling him a "nasty" guy. And how does Moore respond?

He agreed with him.

"It's one of the few things I can agree with him [Trump] on. We sing worse things about ourselves in hymns on Sunday morning. We're a wretch in need of God's grace - and that's the reason why I need forgiveness from God through Jesus Christ." 

It takes a whole lot of humility in order to say something like that, especially on national television. I, personally feel like my heart has not yet arrived at that position, but slowly getting there. During the latter half of my week, I recall being so overwhelmed with my feelings, my insecurities, and my circumstances that I decided to fast and pray for a few days about the condition of my heart. I sought the Lord  hoping for ease and comfort. But instead he provided rebuke and correction for me.

It was a painful time of refining, but in the end, proved necessary as I gained a new sense of purpose, clarity, and wisdom. One thing I immediately noticed is that when the Lord rebukes you, two things are bound to happen:

1. He restores you to Himself - you are able to realign your focus and find your confidence in Christ
2. Other people's offenses grow dim in the light of His grace - When you begin to have an accurate view of yourself, and realize how the Lord went to great lengths to redeem you from your wretchedness, there is more room in your heart for grace for other people. 

One of my favorite pastors, Alistair Begg, once said: "You cannot give what you do not possess." And I feel that this is true as well for correction. Correction must always come from a heart filled with grace, and we cannot give it if we have not first received it.

I hope we as believers all learn to start calling out the right things, with the right heart. That the church, especially the one I love, starts stepping in at the right moments. The world has enough "love and acceptance" messages to go around, so what I'm saying here is a highly unpopular opinion. But if we really want restoration, let's aim for the kind that strives for holiness. The kind that sets us apart from the broken world, not deepens our friendship with it.