"Now Eli was very
old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the
women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation."
(I Samuel 2:22)
When Eli's sons were
practicing vice, theft, and fornication, Eli mildly rebuked his sons but he did
not oust them from office or otherwise hold them accountable, and through such
negligence Eli shared the sins of his sons and was guilty of honouring his sons
above God. (I Samuel 2: 27-30) The Eli Syndrome has infected many churches and
is destroying Christian influence and soul winning power. Often people in
church leadership and teaching positions who set a bad example or teach
damnable heresies are not held accountable. Vice, sexual immorality, fraudulent
business practices, and rebellious youths often go on unaddressed and
unrebuked. Ministers and counselors often make a point of befriending and
rewarding the unruly, the rebels, and the infidels while neglecting the
dedicated believers. The rebellious, unruly, and incorrigible are often
rewarded with activities and recreation in order to keep them, hoping that
pacifying and pampering them will save them and expecting that we can somehow
win competing against the world when it comes to fun and thrills while assuming
that a little leaven will have no negative affect.
A censorious spirit is
wrong and must be avoided. (Isaiah 29:20-21; Matthew 7:4) We must avoid being
against so much that we are not for anything or become guilty of putting pet
theories and preferences above God’s Word. (Romans 14:1,7-12; II Timothy
2:14-15) In dealing with the sins of others it is important to recognize one’s
own humanness. (Galatians 6:1; Isaiah 42:19) God always wants to forgive more
than we want to be forgiven, and we should reflect that attitude. (Psalm
103:8-14; Romans 5:8) For example, note in II Corinthians 12:21 that the main
concern is not whether any church members have sinned but whether those who
sinned have repented. But we must be careful to maintain a balance between
compassion in reconciling people to the fold and that of overlooking
unrepentant sin, and we must promote and reward the faithful. (I Corinthians
5:12; II Corinthians 13:2; I Timothy 5:20; I Peter 4:17)
12 Reasons Churches Don't Practice Church Discipline, by Chuck Lawless
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.