Rant or Relevant?

As pastors and elders, God holds us responsible for those in the church. we are not responsible for those in the world. Those who are still in the world are under God’s judgement already for their sins. We must deal with the behaviors of those in the church though. If we don’t resolve it inside the church, then the whole church will be affected by the sin. Like yeast, it will affect the whole lump. This is what has happened in the Catholic church with sexual abuse of minors.

Right now, we are distracted by the world’s homosexual agenda.  We rant and rave about those who are not even in our care. We shake our finger at the world and raise our voices in anger and condemnation. Instead, we need to focus our attention on those in our care that have same sex attraction feelings, or actions, or lifestyles.

But when a church rants and raves in anger, those who who are in the church that struggle leave their church or they remain silent, because they don’t feel safe telling anyone.  Even if they feel convicted by the Holy Spirit or feel guilty because of their own conscience, where can they go? Who is both safe and helpful?  Their problem remains unresolved until someone helps them.

You can’t help someone that doesn’t have a problem, but those under conviction know there is a problem and will seek help to be restored to wholeness, to resolve the troubles in their heart, to eliminate the guilt and conviction, to restore fellowship with their heavenly Father and with others. They will seek help where they feel safe and the church should be such a place, a healing place, a safe and helpful place. What about your church? Where would those who stuggle go? Or would they leave to find help elsewhere? Who is both safe and helpful? Jesus didn’t come for the healthy, he came for the sick. How about you? Are you focused on the healthy or on those who are hurting? The church is becoming increasingly irrelevant in this area because it offers no help or answers to those who struggle.

Sometimes, a person doesn’t seek help, even if they are convicted or their conscience is not clear. If someone else knows they are living in sin, then they should gently and lovingly encourage them to get help. If they deny there is a problem, or refuse to address it, then that person should go to someone this person looks up to, someone they will listen to, someone that they know clearly cares about  them, and together they should approach them gently and lovingly, encouraging them to work through their issue with someone that is both safe and helpful. And as long as they are genuinely working to resolve the issue, nothing else needs to be done and know one else needs to know . If they still won’t listen to them and seek help, then the elders will have to be cut this person off from the assembly. This is what Paul did with the man who was having sex with his father’s wife in Corinth.

Based on 1 Corithians 5:1-13.