Who Holds the Gavel?

Last night I was blessed to have the opportunity to share some of my thoughts at my home church, This blog is an overview of what I shared last night and what I believe is the first step to reaching out to a lost generation.

Addressing Sin in Today’s World: Who Holds the Gavel?

Unfortunately today’s society treats religion very differently than generations in the past. Religion used to play a major role in American society and it was not socially acceptable to not have a religious preference. Most Americans had at least a general understanding of the Gospel and the Bible. Politicians relied heavily on their faith. The shows on television and movies usually had some type of Christian values and it was the consensus that is just the way things were. In that time witnessing was a lot different. Since most had an understanding of the Bible you could just jump right into the Gospel and some of the bigger issues.

Today, that is not the case at all. Today we have 20 and 30 year olds who were not raised in church and not introduced to any Christian influences. We have the same age group who were raised in Church but a large number of them believe the Bible should be interpreted figuratively and not literally. They believe that if Jesus works for you that is great but if something else works for you that is great as well.

More Millennials are leaving the church and not returning than any generation in the past, some of them not attending church to start with because the days of children being raised in church are fading away. All of this leads me to ask: What do we do about it? How do we reach this generation? How do we address the non-believers in our society?

I think the key is in Scripture and if you will allow me I am going to take a look at a few Scriptures that outline this issue.

1. 1 Corinthians 5

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.

2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,

4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:

10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?

13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

Now this Scripture is dealing with a sexual sin inside the Church it can be applied to any open sin inside the Church. In this case the tenants of Matthew 18 had already been addressed:

15 “If your brother or sister[a] sins,[b] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’[c] 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

In this case the Church is aware of the sin and has chosen to not act accordingly to it. Instead of addressing the open sin inside the church, they have justified it and focused on the sin of the non-believing world.

Here are a few key points to this Scripture and what it was saying to the church at Corinth and any church that is turning a blind eye to sin inside the church.

a. If we deal with sin appropriately inside the church then we are setting the correct example for others to follow

b. The extreme nature of the punishment for those who continue in sin is so that they realize the serious nature of their sin and the harm it can bring, not only to them but to the entire body.

c. We can never expect to clean up the lost world if we our living in a dirty house.

d. Conversion of the lost is not our job. Our job is to introduce.

Now dealing with sin in the church can cause some to have hurt feelings if they choose their sin over God, it may even cause some to leave the Church but Scripture says that if a branch does not produce fruit we must cut it off. Do not let one person bring down the entire ministry of the Church. If I take a fresh loaf of bread and I put in one piece of moldy bread what will happen. Will the loaf of fresh bread cleanse the mold from the one piece or will the mold spread? Sin in the church is the same way if not dealt with. If we justify one open sin, it will grow and we will accept and justify another. It will grow and grow and grow.

I know, I know what about Matthew 7? Judge not, right?

Yes, that is true but Matthew is speaking of an unrighteous judgement, a sense of I am better than you or putting one down. I also believe that we read that in context it may be talking about something completely different.

For example look at Matthew 7:1-6:

Judge not, that ye be not judged.2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

I think this verse(6) is highlighting the fact that we cannot judge the world the same way we judge the Church. It just will not work; it will fall on deaf ears and may even get you attacked.

So we have seen an example of dealing with sin in the Church and we have seen what is said in Matthew 18 about dealing with a brother or sister sinning. Now let’s look at the world. How exactly do we deal with the world? If we are not to deal with them in the same manner as we deal with Christians then what are we supposed to do? I think that Jesus is always our benchmark or at least should be so let’s look at a few example from Scripture that show Jesus dealing with the world or the sin nature of humanity.

Luke 9:53-56

53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village

John 1:42

42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

Simon did not rush to Jesus and introduce himself as Peter; Andrew did not tell him, hey clean your act up we are going to meet Jesus. They went as they were and Christ Jesus changed Simon and called him Peter.

John 4:

Here is a Samaritan woman who was not supposed to associate with a Jew and He is describing the living water to her and tells her the secrets about her life that no one should have known and notice that Jesus did not tell her to go and clean up her life and come back to him, He spoke to her as she was and changed her life.

John 8

A town is about to stone this woman for adultery which was the appropriate punishment according to the law of Moses but the Pharisees tried to trip Jesus up and ask him what shall they do and His reply was that the one without sin should cast the first stone. He did not ask this woman if she was sorry before doing this, he did not make her change her ways before this, he saved her life and then told her to go and sin no more.

Acts 9

Saul did not change on the road to Damascus and then meet Jesus; Saul encountered God and then his entire life was changed.

I found no time in Jesus’ ministry where someone had to clean themselves up before meeting Jesus.

We have to change the way we are addressing the world. We are expecting a world that knows nothing about God to somehow change their lives and stop living in the flesh before we introduce them to Christ. Our job is to make the introduction. Take them to Christ as they are and let Him change their life.