My church, Vintage 21, has been spending the last month or so discussing the church: what the local church should look like, how the church should be united, what a deacon and elder look like. Last night Ash and I attended the night service. It’s topic: discipline in the local church. After a few songs of worship at the beginning, the 1 Corinthians 5:10-13 was read from which the sermon was going to be about
I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves. [1]
I leaned over to a friend and said, “This is going to be lovely.” You can listen to the message here. You will want to look for February 13, 2011. (It might take a week or so to be posted.)
What I heard was lovely. It was beautiful. God protects his church, just like a father protects his daughter. One way God protects his church is by keeping those who refuse to turn away from sin, that hurt the gospel effort and the local church, is to ask them to leave. There were other really beautiful parts to the message as well: how gospel transformation happens in a community of love, where being caught in sin happens, where confession is beautiful and where restoration happens and is glorious, how discipline starts with me (Psalm 39), and how giving in to conviction brings liberty and freedom.
The sermon was over and we were singing Beautiful. I began to cry. I began to remember the hurts of the past from previous churches that Ash and I have attended. Some church leaders who wanted to install church discipline because traditions were changing, or because hearts of teenagers were growing instead of numbers, or some churches where church discipline was too hard for church leaders to do and so it was never done and problems were ignored. I began to concentrate on the hurt that it caused me and asked God, “Anytime something is talked about, am I going to have to deal with all these hurts again? It makes me have to deal with all the hurt again and have to forgive….again.”
A small voice whispered, “You have forgiven them. You think their sin is still against you because it caused you pain and hurt. Their sin is against me. Let me carry the hurt.”
My tears stopped. “I am so sorry Lord. I was too busy looking at my own pain to see that their sin is against You. Forgive me Lord.”
Thankful for conviction. Thankful to give into it. Thankful for the freedom it brings. Thankful for the joy that returns. Thankful for my Father who cares for me deeply and listens to me, corrects me and loves me.
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