We are getting many reports of discussions turning into arguments, and arguments devolving into name calling, accusation and even profanity.
This morning we read Luke 9:46-56. Just after Jesus announced that he would be betrayed, his own disciples began to betray his teaching:
- They started to argue about which of them would be most important.
- They bullied an exorcist because he wasn't doing things their way.
- They asked to destroy some people who would not welcome them.
Jesus first gave them a gentle correction, showing them a child and saying "the least among you shall be great."
Next, he gave them an order and an explanation, "Do not forbid the exorcist, for he who is not against us is on our side."
But when they asked to "call down fire" on others, Jesus responded with anger. He criticized their spiritual ignorance in not understanding his work: "The Son of Man did not come to destroy lives, but to save them."
May we all hear and obey Jesus Christ, and be spared the judgment of his words.
2 comments:
so often when I'm disappointed by a someone claiming to be a Christian, Christ's words to his own disciples and his warnings about future persecution are a huge comfort to me. I have learned to not look for perfection in the church but in God alone...of course, God is found in the church though.
Welcome, Matthew - and blessings on your ministry in the Pacific NW. Statistically, the hardest place to find people in church!
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