I took my last walk around the subdivision. I'll leave, Lord willing, with my parents tomorrow morning to pick up my sister from the airport and head on down to Fredericktown. As I enjoyed the birds I listened to C.J. Mahaney's "Grace and the Adventure of Leadership" that he preached at a PDI conference. It was just the sermon I needed to hear from what I can tell. In going to my hometown church, I hope and pray that I love them. I have struggled for a few years to harbor a right attitude and seek unity in light of their need for some adjustment in their handling of the gospel. Mahaney's sermon was a very good slap in the face--just what I was praying for! Not really. When I had prayed and asked for prayer about loving my home church through actions and words, I did not expect that God would prepare me by convicting me. I was blind to my sin and thus my need for conviction.
Though it may seem virtuous that I toil over my home church so and desire for their reform, in reality I myself am in need of reform. My criticisms and dread are evidence of my pride and self-righteousness, as mentioned in the sermon. I realize now that part of the reason I become critical and sometimes hostile is fear that I will get "sucked in." This fear is a lack of trust in God, who promises to keep us and is able to guard us. My heart attitude and consequent behavior is not the example for watching yourself and the teaching (1 Timothy 4:16).
So how do we guard ourselves and the gospel and sound doctrine? When faced with people who are under grace but who we think are in particular need of adjustment (my situation) or when faced with false teaching or a distortion of the gospel, how should we respond? For starters, I think it's good to locate our concern: Are we concerned with the preservation of the gospel, or are we concerned that we ourselves and our faith are being threatened? The answer to this question reveals your motivation and will dictate your action. For me, it is both, which makes things a little messy.
Mahaney presents a course of action that is helpful here in answering these questions. Think upon the evidences of grace in the people's lives. As a side note, while I was walking, and Mahaney was addressing pride in criticism with a Peanuts illustration, a car went by and hindered my hearing. I backed up the sermon on my iPod to hear what I missed, and when I played it again, a large trash truck then obstructed my hearing. I tried a third time, and the truck moved my direction and turned onto the street I was walking down--once again, obstructing my hearing of Mahaney's words. By this time, I was annoyed. Then I noticed the word that was painted on the side of the truck as it went on: Grace. I had to laugh. Grace has not much resonated in my heart toward my brothers in and sisters in my home church. Nor have I thought upon God's grace toward me as often as I should.
When we consider evidences of God's grace in difficult people rather than focus on their hang-ups--no matter how trivial or crucial the hang-ups are--we are much more apt to thank God for them, like Paul was thankful for the Corinthian church.
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:4-9)
As Mahaney points out, Paul's thankfulness for the Corinthian church, who had many problems of sin at the time, does not make sense initially. My first reaction to my home church is not thankfulness. Paul, however, had maintained a God-centered thanksgiving by acknowledging the grace God showed them in Christ Jesus, knowing that God had fully equipped them with spiritual gifts, and trusting God's sustenance for them. Imagine what the Corinthians must have felt in hearing these words. Feeling the weight of sin and guilt and hearing that Christ will sustain them and, more than that, present them blameless before God the Father! You see, Paul motivated by grace. He did not beat them down with criticism and condemnation. No. He reminded them of who they were. He built them up. Lastly, in his God-centered thanksgiving, he recounts God's faithfulness. He reminds them that God called them into the fellowship of Jesus Christ. Their first reception of grace, their continuance in the gospel, and their victorious finish are all credited to God in Christ Jesus. Paul so trusts the Lord that he can thank Him for the Corinthians in their evidences of grace, confident that they will make it to the end, no matter the needs of adjustment they have. (We see here that Paul had a long-term view. He saw the big picture, not just the immediate circumstances.)
Let this not be an excuse for ignorance, however. Sin must be addressed and accountability carried out. What I do mean to say is that we can guard ourselves and the teaching and respond to difficult people in accordance with the gospel, without pride, self-righteousness, or fear, by motivating by grace. We can remember God's grace toward us and be humbled. We can then remember God's grace toward them and be motivated to encourage them in that grace, thus motivating them to do the same. Inherent in this is the desire to please the Lord. No longer do they rebel but submit, turning the tides on sin and bringing glory to the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
My home church is no longer a threat but an opportunity to extend grace. And praise be to God for His forgiveness and immeasurable grace!
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