Paul is useful. Which may be why those who want to compromise with the spirit of this age hate him, and instead want to talk about the ‘real’ Jesus, who seems to be whatever the current ideal soft male is for this age: be it a knight or a hippie or backstabbing ambitious bastard executive.
But we are not to be of this world. We are in it, but not of it. And we should clean up our own mess. Elsewhere, in Corinthians Paul asks why we have lawsuits: they are a sign of how far we have fallen. From two years ago:
The PC(USA) reported that in 2012, the denomination dismissed 110 congregations to other denominations, compared to 21 in 2011. Another 86 congregations were dissolved ? typically, too small to continue operating ? and overall, the PC(USA) lost more than 102,000 members in 2012, according to the denomination’s 2012 comparative statistics report.
That 5 percent membership loss constituted the denomination’s net numerical loss since the 1970s and largest loss, in percentage terms, in almost 50 years of ongoing membership declines. The PC(USA) now reports 1.84 million members, less than half of its peak membership of 4.25 million members in 1965 and down from 1.95 million members in 2011.
Some of the potential departures have been low on drama, particularly in presbyteries with gracious separation policies. Others have involved lawsuits over who owns the property ? such as the one Highland Park Presbyterian Church, with nearly 4,900 members, filed Sept. 10 in Dallas County District Court against Grace Presbytery.
The court filed a temporary restraining order, which for 13 days would prevent the PC(USA) from interfering with the congregation or the property. A key focus of the dispute is whether Texas courts are likely to rule that a local congregation owns its own property, or whether the courts would consider that the property is held “in trust” for the denomination.
Grace Presbytery posted a statement on its website that “we are shocked and saddened” that Highland Park chose to file the lawsuit. “There has been no conversation at the presbytery level to seek control of their property or establish a commission to work with the church during their period of discernment as to whether or not to seek dismissal from the Presbyterian Church (USA),” the statement continues.
There are very good reasons to leave the PC(USA) alone: it is now apostate. It has fallen far too far: unlike the Kiwis PC(ANZ) they have moved from a requirement of eldership that you either live in holy matrimony or holy celibacy, allowing the fornicating to lead. This should not be. Neither should fraud, nor oppression, nor fundraising for buildings instead of the poor. (The protests from the pagans about us putting bulldozers through buildings that will cost two million to repair and 500 000 to replace are sweet music, and being regulated by councils or governments to spending the money induces in this blogger rage).
Which is why I need to meditate on the passage for today.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
(Colossians 3:12-17 ESV)
We need to do everything for the glory of God. Which is difficult. For although we are not wanting lawsuits, we are dragged into them: Child Support will pull our children if they think we are disciplining them (which includes not letting the secular childfree indoctrinate those they neither love nor provide for). We are accused of scandals: sometimes, to our shame, with justification.
We are dragged in front of the courts by the apostate. We have people who oppose us continually.
We cannot control that: there are many things we cannot control.
But we can deal with how we meet together. This means forgiving each other. Even those who have damaged you and can be no where near those you care for. The hardest discipline for those of us who are divorced is to pray for your ex spouse, and if you are not doing that you have not forgiven him or her.
We have to deal with enough anyway. We do have to live with each other: and us people are difficult. It is far better to look at the good parts in the other than recount continually their faults. And it is far, far better to encourage people to work to their strengths, and teach them how to cover their weaknesses, than to continually tell them to do that which they fail at.
We have enough problems dealing with the sins that beset us. In our corporate life, let those who are not tempted lead. Do not make a thief treasurer (unless you are Christ) or an adulterer the marriage counselor. We have discernment and the spirit: use it.
We can control our worship. We can sing spiritual songs. We can praise the LORD almighty. We can celebrate the table with a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine, and something flat. We have many examples of faithfulness to church discipline under discipline, from the early church to the Arab Christians who are undergoing great persecution at this time.
Even with lawsuits, shaming statements, and persecution, we can still love. So let us do so. The pagans can stew in their hate, but we should not be them or like them.
