Black and Reformed Ministries

I have read through all of the epistles and the Gospels again and again (just recently again). What I can’t find is decision making within the body as it relates to “business” and other such decisions made by “churches”. A few times we see the disciples/church  nominating leaders (Acts 1, Acts 6) assisting in some pretty big decisions (Acts 14 and Acts 15) and we see all of the epistles except for Philemon, Titus and Timothy being addressed to the specific church in the city and contrary to popular belief Titus or Timothy were not “pastors” and the letters written to them were not “pastoral epistles” regardless of how often that terminology is used.

So that leads to these questions:

1. Who should make decisions in the church?

2. Why do churches feel they need to be “elder” ruled? Where is that exactly besides Roman Catholic residue?

3. Does the way churches appoint leaders and make decisions testify to our confidence in the Holy Spirit as it relates to the “priesthood of all believers”?

4. Are laymen too dumb to contribute too ALL decision making in the church? I know leaders will say “I would never say it” but I don’t have to tell my wife I hate her guts all I need to do is knock her over the head for 10 years.

5. What would the church look like if we were to go to a pure consensus?

6. Is this illogical? And if so is this because maybe our churches are too big or the leaders aren’t really doing there roll in the maturation process (Ephesians 4)?

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Someone asked me at church “hey man, when we forgive people, should we just put ourselves in harms way again, so they can keep hurting us? Does Jesus really expect me to keep getting hurt”? So in other words he was asking two questions.  How wide is forgiveness and how deep is forgiveness. I am going to ask you all a few questions after you read these verses.

Matthew 614:15, 18:21-22;35

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven………35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart

So here are the questions:

1. Exactly what offense against us should we not forgive?

2. How many offenses should we forgive?

3. Is it forgiveness if the person does not have the opportunity to harm us again?

4. In forgiveness how vulnerable should we leave ourselves?

5. How deep, long, and wide is God’s forgiveness of our past, present, and future sins?

6. Should we forgive the same as the God’s forgiveness in question 5?

7. Finally what are the consequences of us not forgiving this way? Or better yet what is our lack of forgiveness evident of?

I am not saying “our” church but the Church.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Because of these commands. We should love one another from a “sincere” heart. Calvin taught today and said whenever we refuse to love one another “we grieve the Spirit and render ourselves powerless”.  So here are the reasons.

1. The Father chose her from the foundation of the world

2. The Son purchased her with His own life. He stepped down from heaven to redeem what the Father chose

3. The Spirit seals her, identifies her as Christ’s bride and leads her to faithful obedience.

So the Trinity does a great deal for the Church and we treat her very badly by:

1. Calling her weak

2. Calling her carnal

3. Calling her dumb

4. Calling her wicked

5. By refusing to love her in deed shown by much schism, dissensions, divisions, and inner turmoil.

So the questions

1. Why do we love Jesus but refuse to love His bride?

2. Why do we continue to walk in division; having our separate groups and instead of building one another up we tear one another down?

3. What do we need to do to stop?

Finally I leave with a verse that doesn’t apply for our “local” church (this is false teaching) it applies to the entire body of Christ! ALL who have been purchased by the lamb.

1 Peter 1:

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

My brother BLD has written a challenge to the current “test of assurance” preaching trend. He raises some serious points for us to consider.

http://agonizinglyhonestchristianity.wordpress.com/