The Verses

 

13 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.

 

14 But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

 

15 After laying His hands on them, He departed from there.

 

Why Children?

 

The fact that the people Jesus is blessing in this story are young children explains the disciples' reaction, and will come into play heavily in each of the facets of this story we'll soon discuss.

 

In American culture today, we tend to value children - parents, organizations, and all levels of government devote a large chunk of time and money to them.  But in Jewish society at the time of Jesus, the opposite was the case.  To be a child was to be pretty much the absolute lowest member of society - perhaps more valued than a prostitute or leper, but still regarded as wholly worthless.

 

So, Jesus sets out to change that, demonstrating that every human God has created is extremely valuable.

 

Contrasting the Ministry Leaders

 

Although most church paintings we're familiar with depict Jesus as always hanging out with only a handful of people (probably because it takes a long time to paint a person), reading through the Gospels reveals that He was constantly swarmed by crowds.  It's not like He was ever just wandering around looking for some way to pass the time in between miracles.  He was a celebrity, and people flocked to Him all the time.

 

So, that this Man, who is a national superstar, never has a moment's peace, and is actually God Himself takes the time to bless and handful of the lowest members of society.  And that action wasn't for good PR, like presidents kissing babies.  That's pretty radical.  Can you picture many famous Christian leaders today doing the same thing?

 

It seems to me that most of them (not all, most) would instead "invest" in the "more influential" people that would "make a difference."  It's not surprising, because that's exactly how the disciples reacted.  It's a form of favoritism shrouded under the guise of applying "practical business sense" to ministry.

 

But Christ has not called us to engage in "kingdom building" through carefully calculated methods that end up ostracizing the "less important" - He has called us to follow Him.  That is, He has called us to strive to live exactly as He did.  That means treating those who society labels as worthless like we would royalty.

 

The Flip-Side

 

On the other side of that same coin, a common sin that trips up many Christians happens when they are doing something for God (whether ministry work or reaching out to someone in their life or whatever).  When that Christian sees either God blessing that person's work more than their own, or church leadership giving more attention to that person, they can get very jealous.  And they can start to wonder why it's happening like that, since they think their work is more important, or will have more of an impact, or they're putting more effort into it, etc.

 

But we must guard ourselves from ever starting to think like that.  Perhaps our pride has blinded us, or perhaps that other Christian needs more support and more rapid results to keep them motivated to continue, so God has arranged circumstances in line with that.  Whatever God has called an individual to do is 100% as important as whatever He has called a different individual to do, no matter how important these two callings are from the human perspective.

 

To Such as These

 

We just recently covered this same topic of what it means to approach faith like a child, so you can visit that original post for a deeper discussion.  The crux of it is being humble, willing to please, and trusting.

 

In this, Jesus shames the disciples for not valuing the children by telling them that they need to become more like the children!

 

Practical Lessons

 

To quickly sum up, here's how we can apply these verses to our own lives:

1. In order to truly live as Christ did, we need to take time the show His life not just to those who society labels as "important" or influential, but to the lowest of the low.
2. If others are showing attention to those who our prideful natues consider "lower" than ourselves, we need to be diligent in an attitude-180.  We need to give up our perceived "right" to more attention.
3. We should pay attention to how believers of lesser social station act (perhaps the poor, or the lesser educated, etc.), and learn from them.  The hardships they've suffered in the form of societal views very well may have given them a more Christ-like character, full of love and humility.  Luke 7:47 has the same feel (although it applies to genuine sin, not societal labels).

 

Anything that stuck out to you about this passage you'd like to share with the rest of us? :-)  Questions and comments are always welcome.

 

Image Citations:

 

1 - Jesus Christ with Children by Carl Bloch.  Wikipedia.  {{PD-1923}} Public domain in the United States.

 

2 - The Exhortation to the Apostles by James Tissot.  Wikipedia.  {{PD-1923}} Public domain in the United States.

Correction and the Number Two: Matthew 18:15-20

Correcting a Fellow Christian

 

15 "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

 

16 "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED.

 

17 "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

 

18 "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."

A lot of church-goers in American society think that you should never take another believer aside and point out something they're doing that's sinful or may appear sinful to others because to do so would be "judging them," which we are clearly instructed against.  But it all comes down to your heart, motivation, and how you handle the situation.  Judging would mean thinking less of them or more of yourself, or making assumptions about their overall state based on that behavior.  But when you lovingly correct a believer, your motivation is to help them get back on track with Christ.  In that regard, correcting them is an act of extreme love.

 

The ideal way such a situation can turn out is one-on-one.  If it works, it doesn't spread to others who might engage in judgmentalism, and the person repents immediately.  We are given instructions on what manner we are to do this in:

 

Galatians 6:1

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted [presumably tempted to judge or join in the behavior].

 

2 Thessalonians 3:15

Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

 

Also note that this isn't about a sin they openly acknowledge they're struggling with; it's something they're either perhaps unaware of or choosing to not take action to rectify.  However, if they're struggling with it, you might offer help, guidance and prayer in helping them improve - especially if their sin is causing problems for other believers.

 

If the person doesn't listen to you, bring one or two other solid Christians who you know won't gossip, will approach the correction with the right heart (as outlined above), know the person well, love the person as a brother/sister in Christ, and have witnessed the sinful behavior or a strong indication of the sinful behavior.  The point to this is that if the person didn't respect your opinion or thought you didn't know what you were talking about, hearing it from more than one person might convince them of the truth.

 

If the person still chooses to continue in that sin, bring it before the Church.  I would personally suggest handling this by bringing it before the clergy first.  They can choose if it's wiser to approach the sinful person as representatives of the congregation or bring it before the whole congregation itself (this way, it doesn't spiral out of control into gossip).  I think the clergy, as the spiritual leaders, should definitely be involved in this process to at least some degree.  One reason the leaders may choose to bring it before the entire congregation is outlined in 1 Timothy 5:20: Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest will also be fearful of sinning.  It's a reminder of the seriousness of sin.

 

So what's the punishment?  They are kicked out of the church, excommunicated, removed from fellowship.  If they are not living as a follower of Christ, they cannot fellowship with followers of Christ.  This is precisely what the bit about Gentile and tax collector means (because the Jews did not associate with those groups), and what the whole "binding and loosing" refers to (we did a giant study on that one phrase; check it out here if you don't remember it).  2 Thessalonians 3:14 tells us, "If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame."  This type of church discipline is partly to protect the others in the flock, but it also still has the objective of drawing the person to repentance - because not being able to fellowship will demonstrate to them the seriousness of their sin and how they cannot possibly be right because everyone else agrees that they are wrong.  Once it's apparent that they have genuinely repented, they are to be welcomed back wholeheartedly into fellowship!  2 Corinthians 2:6-11 is emphatic about this point.

 

So far we've focused on how to correct another, but it should also be noted that this is a lesson for how we should respond when another believer corrects us!!!  I have been both a corrector and a correctee - it's healthy!  We shouldn't be so focused on learning the correct procedure to correct another that we don't realize we will be on the other end at times.

 

Are there exceptions?  Yes, perhaps.  For example, Titus 3:10-11 takes a particularly strong stance on those who cause division within the church.  And while 1 Timothy 5:19 requires multiple witnesses to a church elder's sin in order for there to be discipline, the power of passages such as 2 Peter 2:1 and Revelation 2:18-29 makes it seem as if false/heretical teachers/leaders should be dealt with swiftly and definitively for the protection of the flock (which means you must determine the line between a leader being a heretic and a leader being in sin).  I would suggest approaching any such situation with prayer, reliance on the Holy Spirit's guidance, and the advice of a trusted spiritual leader.

 

Two or Three, Two or Three

 

19 "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

 

20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."

 

Some people will try to take verse 19 as an absolute promise that they can "claim" to manipulate/force God to do whatever they want - like make them rich, or heal them of cancer.  But we must look at the context: The verses before it are clearly referring to a situation in which a group of Christians are fully tapped into the Holy Spirit and actively seeking God's will.  The fact that they are gathered together in Jesus's name (verse 20), a phrase which (in the original Greek) communicates living as He did and seeking His will, makes it explicitly clear that what is "asked" in that situation is in alignment with God's will.  The word for ask is also aiteo, or "request," so it's spoken with the right attitude, not as a way to try to force God into anything.  So, with all that clarifying out of the way, what is the actual point of the statement?  That when Christians actively seek God's will together, He will absolutely, positively bless their efforts.

 

Finally, verse 20's statement that God is in our midst when 2-3 Christians are gathered together does not mean that He isn't with each one of us all the time.  We know that when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, and that God has promised to never leave us.  So, what this refers to is that special presence where the Holy Spirit is especially heavy to the point that you can sometimes even feel it.  When believers are gathered together to seek His will, that extra presence will abide!

 

Questions for You

 

Have you been in a situation where you corrected or were corrected by another believer?  Was the situation handled well, as outlined above?  What was the correctee's response?

 

Do you have any other comments, insights, Scripture references, opinions, or life experiences to add to our discussion?  Or any questions?

 

Leave 'em below. :-)

 

Giving Credit Where It's Due

 

Image: A Women's Bible Study on the USS John F. Kennedy, by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Chris Weibull.  Wikipedia.  Public domain in the United States.

Denominationalism, Hypocrisy, Scheduling, and Christmas

To use the Christianese phrase, God's really been putting something on my heart the past few days - He's been teaching me new things about my long-held approach to denominationalism (the practice of having multiple denominations, like Baptists, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Bereans, etc., within Christianity).  I'm going to talk about that today instead of posting a Bible study tip.

I'm going to be bold right up front, and if it offends or shocks you, please keep reading - I'll be attacking myself, too. ;-)

I believe that the American method of splitting the church into denominations is contradictory to Scripture - that it is anti-Biblical.  I believe that, for those Christians who do not have the same interpretation of Scripture regarding this issue as I hold, it is not a sin issue because they're not consciously doing anything wrong, but, that doesn't change the fact that (in my view) it has many extremely negative consequences.  These consequences damage the Church and inhibit witnessing to the lost.

Okay, hang with me.  Let's look at the Scripture that I base this belief off of:

1 Corinthians 1:10-13

Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.  For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you.  Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of Christ."  Has Christ been divided?  Paul was not crucified for you, was he?  Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

The problem in this passage is that the Christians in Corinth were no longer using "Christian" as their way of identifying their beliefs - they were latching onto their favorite Christian leaders, and those leaders' personal doctrine.  This is exactly the case with the denominations today.  And I see it play out all the time - when a Christian is asked what religion they are, so often they don't say, "I'm a Christian," they say, "I'm a [insert denomination name]."  The fact of the matter is, we should all say "I of Christ"!!!  Christ is our identity, and the rest additions, not labels - they can describe our beliefs, but they should not be used to identify ourselves!

Alright, so what bad comes out of this?  Two consequence groups: (1) Division within Christ's Church, and (2) Appearance of division to unbelievers, which inhibits witnessing.  Let's start with number one.

Okay, division within the Church [when I say Church, I mean all Christians everywhere; when I say church, I mean a local group that fellowships together].  Recently, I have seen a missionary's account where she was lauding Christians who responded to a natural disaster overseas...only, she didn't say "Christians" - she said her own specific denomination.  I've also seen an organization offer free resources on how to share the gospel and disciple believers - but the large note at the bottom said it was only available to people who belonged to that specific denomination.  Saints, this is evil!  It breeds arrogance and hostility toward other believers - both of which are out-right sins.  And it prevents churches from working together to accomplish things for God's kingdom!

In addition, it negatively impacts our ability to share the gospel!  Many unbelievers don't see denominations as different forms of Christianity, they see them as different religions altogether.  They think that if Christians can't even agree with each other, why should they bother believing it?  Therefore, denominationalism may result in fewer people being saved from Hell.

BUT...

But, I also can understand why Christians throughout history have thought that splitting into denominations would be helpful and beneficial:

(1) Let's look at division for branches instead of denominations - Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodoxy.  I would lack all academic integrity to claim that the above 1 Corinthians passage doesn't apply to this division, because there is absolutely no Scriptural or logical reason I could claim that.  I fully believe that there are some Catholic Christians who are genuinely saved, some Protestant Christians who are genuinely saved, and some Orthodox Christians who are genuinely saved.  Yet, these types of Christianity are so radically different that, other than Christ alone, they have virtually nothing in common.  Saying one word - Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox, is a quick way to explain so much about what you believe.  It's a major time saver.

(2) Branching off of this, there's the practicality of fellowship.  For example, a woman praises God with worship songs done with electric guitars and a man who praises God with worship songs done in Gregorian chant are unlikely to be able to attend the same church service and both feel edified.  Likewise, a woman who believes that no spiritual gifts exist today and a man who believes that every congregant should exercise his/her spiritual gifts at every church gathering are unlikely to leave the same church service both feeling edified.  Now, in both of these cases, Biblically, they should treat each other as brethren - as fellow believers - and they may even be good friends.  But this doesn't mean they'll attend the same church service.  So, by having denominational labels, a church makes it much easier for people to immediately identify which church would fit their worship and teaching style best.

(3) When you get to the absolute extreme ends of any doctrine, the two opposing sides view each other as absolute heretics, and follow the Biblical command to cut off fellowship with that who proclaim false teaching.  And the thing is, in at least some cases, one side is right.  But how do we know which one?  I don't have an answer - God alone knows which approach to every single doctrine ever is correct, because no man ever has or ever will have perfect doctrine.  So, in this case, denominational labels are a way of disassociating with perceived heresy.  That's a good thing - IF they're right.  It's a really sticky issue.

Okay, so we've looked at a Bible passage, at the negative consequences of denominationalism, and at the reasons why denominationalism may have been perceived as necessary.  Now I'd like to share how my own approach has changed.

I used to classify myself as "non-denominational" because of the Bible passage and negative consequences shared above.  But I've recently realized that in my mind, this view had shifted to me making "non-denominational" into a denomination, and I was growing arrogant and slightly hostile toward those who preached denominationalism!  In other words, in the name of the Unity of the Church, I was fostering Disunity!  That made me a hypocrite.  I've encountered a term that I can think of myself as to fix this mental shift, but unfortunately, the term means different things to different people.  The term is "pan-denominational" (pan means all).  Some people use this to mean all religions, and I do NOT mean that.  I mean all Christian denominations.  I mean that I will not reject any Christian who believes the basics of Christianity - things like the Trinity, that salvation comes through grace by faith in Jesus Christ alone, etc. (check out what I consider the core basics under the "About" tab) - and that I will continually strive to not take a divisive, arrogant, hostile attitude toward those who have different doctrinal views than I do on non-salvation issues.

But that still doesn't solve everything - there's still the imbalance between the negative and postive effects of denominationalism.  My personal view at this moment is that perhaps there's a happy medium where labels exist only for the purpose of simplifying whose church services you're most likely to mesh with, but without creating a divisive mindset among Christians and without creating the appearance of disunity to unbelievers.  Perhaps steps toward this would include identifying ourselves as "Christian" alone in conversation and not sticking to "church circles" where we only work together with identically-minded congregations.

Please feel free to share your thoughts.  What negative impacts of denominationalism can you think of?  What postiive impacts?  How can we fix these problems?  How can we overall balance the situation?  Do you have personal experience (good or bad) with denominationalism?
Your opinions are 100% welcome.  However, personal attacks on individuals or specific denominations will not be tolerated and I reserve the right to remove them - that will only breed division, which is the very thing I'm trying to prevent here!

Finally, on to a bit of "house keeping."  I'm on Christmas Break for a month, so I will be able to post much more frequently during that time period.  Here's the new schedule:
Mondays: Verse-by-verse Bible study in Matthew
Wednesdays: Personal commentary on a social issue or topical study
Fridays: Verse-by-verse Bible study in Matthew
Saturdays: Weekend post - combination of Bible study tip, Christian media review, song, etc.
Bear in mind that these posts will often show up in the late afternoons, unless I write it the day before and schedule it.  If checking back a few times on posting days to see when I get a post up drives you crazy, you can either: (1) Follow the blog if you have a Google account and regularly visit your Blogger dashboard, in which case my new posts will pop up there automatically, or (2) Follow by e-mail, in which case Blogger will send you an e-mail every time I put up a new post.  Both of these can be found on the right side-bar.

Finally, because it's the weekend and we're getting close to Christmas, I'd like to share a Christmas song you may not have heard before - "A Soldier's King" by Kenny Rogers.  I find it incredibly touching.