edifying lifestyle

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:25-32, NRSV)

What builds us up?

What is they way we should live so we are building ourselves up and building up those around us?

We need to “put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you…”

We need to treat others as God treats us, accepting them where they are and working with them to help them see the life God calls them to. This does nto mean that we change them, but we live in such a way that God shines through our lives and they are moved and changed by God.

We need to love them, as God loved us, forgiving them, as God forgave us. Not hating them, or holding them in contempt or treating them with malice or falsehoods, but lifting them up as we are lifted up by God.

forgiving

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:12-15, NRSV)

as I read this passage from Colossians one verse struck me. Or actually a part of a verse struck me.

We are to put on, or clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, to bear with one another, and above all clothe ourselves with love…

That would be a pretty place if everyone was dressed this way…

Yet I left part out of the above description, the part that really struck me as I read this passage, on this day…

“if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Just as the Lord has forgiven you…

When you confess something to God, does He ask you why you did it?

How could you do that to me

to them…

What were you thinking?

God doesn’t question us or wonder if we really mean we are sorry, we are forgiven. And that is how we are to forgive. With out question. If a person comes to you and tells you a fault they have done and ask for forgiveness, you must forgive, no questions…

Forgive as you were forgiven…

milestone

Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.” (Luke 17:1-4, NRSV)

This is a verse I keep close to my heart! As a spiritual leader it would be bad for me to lead someone astray to do something that God did not call them to do or be.

We need to point out sins and keep brothers and sisters as part of the fold, so if we lead others astray or cause them to sin, we should just tie a millstone around our neck and throw ourselves into the sea… Now a millstone is no small stone. You can see from the pictures here, one of someone tieing the millstone around their neck and falling into the water, and another of a millstone by itself. Look at the building in the background of the picture. Jesus is serious here about us not leading others astray…

Yet have I?

Have all of us led someone astray.

This could be like welcoming, we do not mean to be unwelcoming, it just happens…

Have you ever offered a drink of alcohol to someone you just met? Could they have been an alcoholic, and thus you were enabling their addiction and leading them astray…

The point is we all must forgive others, and try to keep ourselves and our brothers and sisters focused on the Lord!

Do not

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” He also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. (Luke 6:37-42, NRSV)

Does the Bible say Do not Judge?

Do not condemn?

No…

It says do not judge or condemn and you will not be judged or condemned. Or on Matthew it says, do not judge unless you want to be judged.

We assume we are not supposed to judge others, but we all do.

Seen the girl in the short skirt and assumed she was someone who probably did things that would make her parents cringe…

Seen the boy with the blue hair in the leather jacket with chains and assumed that he was into drugs…

Seen the group riding in on their Harley’s and assume they are drug runners or into some kind of illegal activity…

We all see the spec in others eyes, but will not acknowledge the plank in ours.

The point is we all fall short, and we all are judged just like we judge others. We need to see everyone as God sees us, flawed and imperfect, but loved anyhow. And then lift each other up and help each other, rather than tear each other down!

peace

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:21-26, NRSV)

If you attend worship at a liturgical congregation then you probably pass the peace before you go to the altar for Holy Communion…

Did you ever wonder why we do this when we do?

Wouldn’t it make more sense to share the peace fo Christ as we leave the worship space? That way we are up, we don’t have to sit back down, and we can move along to coffee and share the peace of Christ as we go…

That might make more sense, but when we read the above verses and see that if we have an issue with our brother or sister, before we come to the altar of the Lord, we need to go and repair that issue. You see when there is a right in the community, it could cause you to not be focused on God. We need to give God 100% and if we are distracted by an issue with another, then we will not be focused.

So we share the peace to right the issue. To not have anything that will keep up from focusing on the grace and love we are about to receive at the altar of our Lord. We need to be fully participating in the great banquet feast!

So peace be with you!

horizontal not vertical

our job“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:15-20, NRSV)

Here is the clincher…

Are you sitting down?

Are you ready?

I’m not perfect!

And you aren’t either!

We are all saints and sinners.

We all do good and bad!

And for these verses to be in Matthew means that Jesus knew we weren’t going to be perfect, or that the community Matthew was writing to already had problems and needed help figuring them out.

But you see these verses should give us hope! Because even from the beginning things were messed up in the community of believers. You see we don’t have to have it all together. We don’t have to pretend to be perfect. We can be who God created us to be.

But in doing that we have the hard work of talking to others in the community. We need to call people on the hurts they cause, and restore the relationships.

And these verses I believe are talking about horizontal relationships, not vertical! The vertical is our relationship to God and that was sealed on Calvary by Jesus.

These verses are talking about how we are in relationship with each other, and the community. When some one wrongs us. Sins against you!

Restoration is the key here! We are restored to the relationships that God intended.

We need to talk to the person that has sinned against us, let us down, missed the mark. That is what the word for sinned means in the original Greek. Missed the mark! How many times have we missed the mark,

by not being where we said we would be when we said we would be there

by not being prepared for a meeting we were leading

by not showing up for a job we volunteered for

by ________________________________________!

We have all missed the mark, and here we are told how to fix it. This is what it means to live in community.

So lift the fallen

restore the broken

bring healing to the hurting

restore the relationships in the community.

Jesus has taken care of the vertical, we all can work on the horizontal!

continue in my presence…

I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing. I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I attain it? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. Perverseness of heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil. One who secretly slanders a neighbor I will destroy. A haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not tolerate. I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, so that they may live with me; whoever walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. No one who practices deceit shall remain in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue in my presence. Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all evildoers from the city of the LORD. (Psalm 101, NRSV)

We all want to be with God.

We all want eternity to be with our creator.

So we try to live a life that will be pleasing to Him…

But have you ever:

Lied?

Been blamed for something?

Fallen away from God?

Slandered a neighbor behind their back?

looked haughtily on someone?

I am not sure any of us can say no to all of those statements and if we are honest with ourselves we can not probably say no to any of them…

We have all fallen short. And for us to stay in God’s presence we must not do any of those things.

But thankfully our God goes with us, even when we fall away!

rejoice in suffering?

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or even as a mischief maker. Yet if any of you suffers as a Christian, do not consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name. For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, what will be the end for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinners?” Therefore, let those suffering in accordance with God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good. (1 Peter 4:12-19, NRSV)

Rejoice in our suffering?

Really?

Most people I know go out of their way to avoid suffering. We do what ever we can to not get into situations or things that will cause us pain.

We avoid it at all costs…

But as we all know sometimes it is not possible for us to avoid it…

But suffering we can avoid is not what the author of 1 Peter is talking about…

You see this suffering is suffering for our faith when we stand up with the words of the Holy Spirit and proclaim Christ crucified and those listening do not want to hear it, and the bring the pain upon us…

We can not control how people will react, but we must proclaim the love and mercy we received in the grace given to us in the gift of faith, so everyone can hear!

So yes, rejoice in suffering so that the world may know the mercy and love you received as grace through the gift of faith, so that they may come to hear. And by hearing cause suffering, but because they hear, God can work in them to change them to accepting the love He has for all of us!

press on

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. Only let us hold fast to what we have attained. (Philippians 3:7-16, NRSV)

Paul tells the Philippians that everything that he could count on or count as something is nothing. It ia all lost because of what he now has in Christ.

And he says this not to boast, as if he has already gotten it, but he reminds them we are all racing…

And if you have ever run a race, you hit that point where you want to give up.

You want to give in.

You can’t go any further…

You have given it all…

And yet if you press on, and just keep going you will get over that.

You will finish the race!

You see we will all finish the race!

Hold fast to the faith and grace you have been given knowing that the goal will be a wonderful thing, not because we earned it, but because He allowed us to attain it. Press on!