We concluded our devotional yesterday with the idea that we cannot accept the commands of Christ without first accepting his love for us. This is no different than any other relationship in life. We all know the saying, “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
A couple of years ago I had a conversation with a sophomore in high school. He had been struggling with some things in life and wanted to get together and chat. His parents were divorced. He did not have a relationship with his father. Neither of his parents attended church with him. He was struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide. He was struggling with his identity and his sexual orientation. After six months of meeting together, many hours spent together, and many tears shed, this young man decided that he was going to “come out” and make known that he was now gay. He began by sharing with everyone at school. As word got around, some of the students in the youth group began talking to me and asking questions. I called this student and asked if we could get together and talk. I explained to him that this decision did not change our relationship, it did not change my love for him, and that I still wanted to meet with him. However, I informed him that since he was now committing to a sinful lifestyle that I could no longer allow him to sing in the worship team. I explained that I would have to make this decision with any student that would knowingly commit to a lifestyle of sin, regardless of that sin. What the student heard was this, “you are a terrible person, I can’t believe that you would do this, I hate you.”
We can pour ourselves into people, love them as well as we can, and still they will completely miss our love for them. Instead, with selective hearing, they will hear the one “negative” word spoken and that word becomes the summary of the entire conversation. Nothing that is said or done to show love is recognized. Parents face this same problem with their students. Whenever discipline is administered the students see only the negative and receive it as a lack of love rather than a movement of love.
The rich young ruler had this same problem. He completely missed the goodness and the love of Jesus. He misunderstood the good news of the gospel message. Instead, he took the one word that appeared to be “negative” and walked away dejected. Our kids and students do this very same thing. Believe it or not, We do this same thing with God.
The entire gospel message is good news. The message of the gospel is that God himself has exchanged his life for ours. Jesus coming to earth is good news. Jesus dying on the cross is good news. Jesus rising from the dead is good news. Jesus asking us to die to ourselves is good news. Jesus asking us to pick up our cross daily is good news. Jesus asking us to give up certain things in our lives that are keeping us from him is good news.
Another saying you may be familiar with is this: “God loves us so much that he refuses to leave us as we are.” Often times, this refining is difficult, maybe even painful. However, the rewards far outweigh the sacrifice. Will you receive the gospel message, the entire gospel message as good news, even if it costs you a great deal?
What might God be asking you to lay down at the foot of the cross so that you can follow him?
- Jonathan Goble
Posts
9 comments:
We miss the love that comes in discipline. Hopefully, as we mature in Christ we will reflect and thank Him for loving us through the tough times.
I am disturbed by this post. I am a member of the church and have been for over 20 years. I left for 2 years a while back and returned to this church home. I am now questioning whether that was a wise decision. When I attended the other church, I was amazed at the testimonials of believers that were delivered during services. Instead of following the instructions of the Bible and falling broken and sinful before God and asking for His forgiveness, person after person professed their sinLESSness and showed to others how great their lives were as believers. They did not follow the path of Jesus to help those in need and leave judgment of their sins to God, but they raised up their own glory and condemned those around them in the name of God.
I was frankly appalled when I read this line in this post: "However, I informed him that since he was now committing to a sinful lifestyle that I could no longer allow him to sing in the worship team." That student did not hear you say "I hate you" - he heard you say "God hates you, because you are a sinner." If you are going to follow the logic of your judgmental decision, then should there be anyone singing in the worship team? Is any man sinless? And the basic question is - who gave you the authority to judge that person's sins?
Do not interpret my position as saying that homosexuality is not a sin. The Bible is clear that it is. The church, though, is not a fellowship of the sinless from which sinners should be rejected. The church is full of sinners, which need to be helped and included and given the Good News that Christ is risen - he rose for sinners, not for the righteous.
I hope that you can have the strength to challenge your beliefs and reach out to those who sin, not sit in judgment of them.
Anonymous,
I believe you are misinterpreting being a sinner, and committing yourself to a sinful lifestyle. He stated that he worked with the student for months. However, the student decided to commit to the lifestyle of sin. Not just admitting that he was struggling, but deciding to follow the sinful lifestyle. In addition, he did not say you cannot come, or that the church does not want you. Rather, he simply said we do not want you in a leadership position. Would you want someone committed to a sinful lifestyle, not simply struggling with sin, to lead you?
This is definitely a sensitive subject and I appreciate all the comments. To the second contributor I am sorry for the pain that you have experienced over the years by the church. I myself have struggled with the church during my short life, at times wishing I was not part of something that appeared to be so vicious. I apologize for contributing to any pain the you may have been subject to, be it attitudes of self-righteousness, attitudes of condemnation, expressed through words and actions.
To explain the difficult decision that was made concerning the student, I would never remove a student that was "struggling" with sin. You are correct, we would not have had a worship team had that been the case. For the six months that I knew of this student's struggle he remained on the worship team. In my opinion, there is a difference between "struggling with sin" and "committing to a life of sin." The first displays a heart that desires a life of righteousness while still struggling with the sins of the flesh. The latter displays total disregard to the heart of God. I believe that the longer we walk in step with the Spirit we will not only desire righteousness in our own lives, but we will develop a hatred towards the sins of the flesh. We will develop a hatred for everything that is not in line with the heart of God. This, of course, is only something that we would expect to see in the life of the believer, for it is only through the power of the Spirit and the transforming work of the Spirit that this happens.
As for the non-believer, I would not even broach the subject of a sinful "lifestyle." Rather, I would just want to introduce that person to Jesus Christ. The transforming work, the changing of life and desires is the Holy Spirit's job, which occurs after an individual believes in God's Son. You are correct in that it is not my job to judge them. I just want to love them, and the best way to love them is to introduce them to the One who loves them the most!
I hope this brings some clarity to what was written. I should have been more thorough in the story, and I probably should have worded several things differently.
Keep up the conversations!
Jonathan
Jonathon-
Thanks for the response to my earlier post. It has always been frustrating to me that there are so many willing to condemn others but not examine themselves - myself certainly not excluded! That being said, your words do present a new dimension to me. I would really like especially to consider the idea of "committing" to a life of sin and what that really means (and how it differs from struggling with sin). I will take those thoughts up in my own prayers and meditations and continue to seek and hopefully find.
I'm very disappointed in this post. Proclaiming that this young man, struggling with many issues in his life, is unfit to praise Jesus through song is another example of why so many people reject Christianity. He was probably 15 or 16 years old when this occurred, dealing with feelings of rejection, and feeling sad and lost with his parents' divorce. I imagine he needed compassion, not judgment. What if he felt he had no one else to turn to? What if he were looking for hope and instead found rejection? The gospel tells us that when even when the world rejects you, Jesus loves you. This post makes me sad.
This post has really made our family sad as well. We have had several extensive conversations as a family and I am personally questioning if this is even the right church for me if this is the way people are judged. I note that the author first referenced the young man's "sinful lifestyle" and in a second post referred to it as simply a "sinful life". I have no words, only sadness. Who are we to judge? I agree that this is exactly what a previous post suggested...why so many people reject Christianity.
As a local family that has received much more than 6 mos of support in this area, I can say that we have really appreciated it and are seeing the benefits of it. The leadership has been very thoughtful and sincere. Has it always been perfect, no, but we are all human. Let's not make them into gods that we have created and approved of. The Holy Spirit is moving in this community, and we can trust him to be our comfort and helper in this time of great need. When I see a pastor with a strained smile, I pray all the more. If you are a family/individual with this or any other need, don't be afraid to speak with the pastors at FBCG. Speaking with a pastor is confidential - it's NEVER gossip, and they are well aware that God moves with power that is beyond us all.
I don't think the posters here are trying to make the pastors into Gods. I think the point is who are WE to judge and pass judgement.
Post a Comment