Sitting with Jesus
We have a member in the body who has fallen. They got caught in a snare and are struggling greatly.
Please pray for them. Pray they wouldn't hear their own shouts of condemnation but the whispers of Jesus.
I have tried multiple times over the past couple of weeks to get together with the person and talk with them about what is going on but there is always an excuse why the date has to be broken.
They didn't make it to fellowship last night and I felt it was right and time to call on the others to pray and let them know a bit of what was going on. Not sure what kind of response there would be since there were lies, manipulation, and people taken advantage of.
Certainly reason to be angry, resentful, bitter and the like but instead...
urgency.
Urgency born out of sincere compassion and love. Compassion that can only be found when Jesus is present.
Prayer
Tears
more prayer
We read again Galatians 6 and we all had a deep understanding of what it means to be careful that we ourselves don't fall into sin.
The sin of judgement and condemnation of thinking we are somehow better and beyond falling ourselves. That's what he is talking about there.
Self-righteousness is gnarly.
Some recounted how just a few weeks back they were in need of gentle restoration and how thankful they were in receiving it.
We're a ragtag bunch here. grubby cups (to borrow a name from a friend) for sure.
We often don't look very mature. If you said turn to Philemon many would look dumbfounded.
But we get compassion,
we get grace
we see clearly our need for it every day.
Someone once said that
if you call Jesus good He'll be good.
If you call Him love He'll be love
but if you call Him compassion He will know that you know.
Please pray for our brother/sister. Pray for us too.
Please pray for them. Pray they wouldn't hear their own shouts of condemnation but the whispers of Jesus.
I have tried multiple times over the past couple of weeks to get together with the person and talk with them about what is going on but there is always an excuse why the date has to be broken.
They didn't make it to fellowship last night and I felt it was right and time to call on the others to pray and let them know a bit of what was going on. Not sure what kind of response there would be since there were lies, manipulation, and people taken advantage of.
Certainly reason to be angry, resentful, bitter and the like but instead...
urgency.
Urgency born out of sincere compassion and love. Compassion that can only be found when Jesus is present.
Prayer
Tears
more prayer
We read again Galatians 6 and we all had a deep understanding of what it means to be careful that we ourselves don't fall into sin.
The sin of judgement and condemnation of thinking we are somehow better and beyond falling ourselves. That's what he is talking about there.
Self-righteousness is gnarly.
Some recounted how just a few weeks back they were in need of gentle restoration and how thankful they were in receiving it.
We're a ragtag bunch here. grubby cups (to borrow a name from a friend) for sure.
We often don't look very mature. If you said turn to Philemon many would look dumbfounded.
But we get compassion,
we get grace
we see clearly our need for it every day.
Someone once said that
if you call Jesus good He'll be good.
If you call Him love He'll be love
but if you call Him compassion He will know that you know.
Please pray for our brother/sister. Pray for us too.
posted by Mike Rea at 8:58 AM
1 Comments:
joyfully, i recount to you that in comments with Keith and Sam i let it drop that our fellowship is like the First Corinthians, this week.
That is the church. Yep. We're being checked by God. Being set right. thanks and praises be.
that is we. us. you and me. Grubbykupps... i love that you used it. the name still brings me comfort...
being the church in deep ways will cause our congregations to have to deal with the actual reality of life in God, uninsulated from the pain and embarrassment of our conditions...
Whoever this is, whatever is going on with them, I'd like them to know that I'm like them, too. that we all have wandering hearts and that at times we all give in to temptation and deception and sometimes we get hooked and have to get processed by Grace...
God really really really, actually does love you. very much. and right now. and right there, where you are.
You may have a break with the church, but that's so that you can get right with God. He's there right now. Talk to him. He loves you so very much. Talk to Jesus. Ask him to help you.
If you "want back in", come to the church with total humility.
And church, when someone sins bad and needs to be separated to think about it, be QUICK to forgive them and welcome them back... see yourself in them easily, even though you must make a discernment and be strong in the truth...
anyone that's unfamiliar, give first and second corinthians, galatians 5-6, the timothies, titus, and heck, throw in the peters for good measure.
seal the deal with matthew 18, and look at Acts 20, and chapter 6, Revelations 2. that should bring you up to snuff on why we have to deal with sin directly, in the body.
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