The State Of The Church

The State Of The Church

Fight or Flight? What Do You Think?

by Jim Biscardi Jr.

I’d like to know what you think about resolving a pesky problem that could be polluting the Church and dividing the brethren. But first, let me set the stage. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, in the Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32), that the Kingdom of God grows like a mustard seed to become a huge tree in which the birds make their nests. Prior to that, He used birds to represent the enemy of our soul who steals or destroys the Word of God that is planted in people’s hearts (Matthew 13:3-9, 19). So this parable is saying that the Kingdom of God starts small but grows to become large and influential. So much so that Satan tries to find a place in it to steal or destroy our influence for Christ (Revelation 2:13).

The Parable of the Leaven is similar (Matthew 13:33). Jesus used leaven to represent false doctrine and bad behavior (Matthew 16:5-12; Galatians 5:9). So, in this parable Jesus is saying that false doctrine and bad behavior is sown in the Kingdom of God by Satan. The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares conveys the same meaning (Matthew 13:24-30; 37-43).

Have you ever personally experienced blatant bad behavior, false doctrine, or complacency about the Word of God in the Church? What do you think should be done about it? If we just accept it or pretend we don’t see it, wouldn’t we be like the Israelites who disobeyed God’s command to rid themselves of the idol worshippers in Canaan only to be eventually spued out of the land? Can we tolerate wickedness before our eyes, run away from it and do nothing?

On the other hand, should we (figuratively) rise up like Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron who thrust his javelin into the Midianite woman and Israelite man who were committing fornication in the sight of the whole congregation (Numbers 25:6-9)? Should we pray that the Holy Spirit disciplines Christians who lie, cheat, steal, and openly sin like he did with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)? Or should we throw them out of the church as Paul commanded the Corinthians to do with the man who committed incest (1Corinthians 5:1-5)?

Jesus said that, in the last days, the love of many (i.e. believers) would wax cold because of iniquity (Matthew 24:12). Is our love for one another and a lost world growing cold because we are allowing sin in the church to go unchecked? Galatians 6: 1 says that if we see a brother overtaken in a fault, we should restore him (i.e. as if he is a dislocated bone in the body) with meekness (i.e. while maintaining a teachable spirit ourselves). Colossians 3: 16 says that we should teach and admonish (i.e. correct and warn) one another using the Word of God.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 18: 15-17 that if a brother sins against us, we should go to him and tell him. If he doesn’t hear us, then next time go to him with another brother. If he still doesn’t hear us, we should tell it to the church. And if he still doesn’t hear us, we should treat him as a heathen. That’s all well and good when it’s another church member, but what if the offending person is our pastor? What should we do then?

So, what’s your opinion? Send me your comments. I will keep them strictly confidential and anonymous. Email: mantle1@worldnet.att.net or send to: 807 Bowline Dr., Forked River, NJ 08731.

Jim is an author, itinerant teacher, and leads New Jersey Christian Ministries.


NEWSFRONT FEATURES REGIONAL EVENTS UPCOMING EVENTS TRI-STATE NEWS THE CLASSIFIEDS ABOUT US	FEATURES The State Of The Church Fight or Flight? What Do You Think? by Jim Biscardi Jr. I’d like to know what you think about resolving a pesky problem that could be polluting the Church and dividing the brethren. But first, let me set the stage. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, in the Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32), that the Kingdom of God grows like a mustard seed to become a huge tree in which the birds make their nests. Prior to that, He used birds to represent the enemy of our soul who steals or destroys the Word of God that is planted in people’s hearts (Matthew 13:3-9, 19). So this parable is saying that the Kingdom of God starts small but grows to become large and influential. So much so that Satan tries to find a place in it to steal or destroy our influence for Christ (Revelation 2:13). The Parable of the Leaven is similar (Matthew 13:33). Jesus used leaven to represent false doctrine and bad behavior (Matthew 16:5-12; Galatians 5:9). So, in this parable Jesus is saying that false doctrine and bad behavior is sown in the Kingdom of God by Satan. The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares conveys the same meaning (Matthew 13:24-30; 37-43). Have you ever personally experienced blatant bad behavior, false doctrine, or complacency about the Word of God in the Church? What do you think should be done about it? If we just accept it or pretend we don’t see it, wouldn’t we be like the Israelites who disobeyed God’s command to rid themselves of the idol worshippers in Canaan only to be eventually spued out of the land? Can we tolerate wickedness before our eyes, run away from it and do nothing? On the other hand, should we (figuratively) rise up like Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron who thrust his javelin into the Midianite woman and Israelite man who were committing fornication in the sight of the whole congregation (Numbers 25:6-9)? Should we pray that the Holy Spirit disciplines Christians who lie, cheat, steal, and openly sin like he did with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)? Or should we throw them out of the church as Paul commanded the Corinthians to do with the man who committed incest (1Corinthians 5:1-5)? Jesus said that, in the last days, the love of many (i.e. believers) would wax cold because of iniquity (Matthew 24:12). Is our love for one another and a lost world growing cold because we are allowing sin in the church to go unchecked? Galatians 6: 1 says that if we see a brother overtaken in a fault, we should restore him (i.e. as if he is a dislocated bone in the body) with meekness (i.e. while maintaining a teachable spirit ourselves). Colossians 3: 16 says that we should teach and admonish (i.e. correct and warn) one another using the Word of God. Jesus tells us in Matthew 18: 15-17 that if a brother sins against us, we should go to him and tell him. If he doesn’t hear us, then next time go to him with another brother. If he still doesn’t hear us, we should tell it to the church. And if he still doesn’t hear us, we should treat him as a heathen. That’s all well and good when it’s another church member, but what if the offending person is our pastor? What should we do then? So, what’s your opinion? Send me your comments. I will keep them strictly confidential and anonymous. Email: mantle1@worldnet.att.net or send to: 807 Bowline Dr., Forked River, NJ 08731. Jim is an author, itinerant teacher, and leads New Jersey Christian Ministries. Home \| Regional Events \| Features \| The Classifieds \| About Us \| Commentary \| Community \| Links ©2007 The Love Express. All rights reserved. Serving the Christian Community for over 20 years.