“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” Revelation 3:19
Have you ever been in a situation where you saw issues at your church and believed God wanted you to address them, but you were hesitant to do so because you knew it would upset the basket and most likely cost you friendships, possibly membership, and maybe even more?
Life is made up of choosing to do what is right, even when it’s hard, including addressing issues within the church. Jesus didn’t shrink back when it came to addressing issues and made some very unpopular choices that went against the thinking of His day. Mark 11:15-16 describes one of them:
“On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.”
Jesus didn’t just overlook what was going on in the temple. He took action. “And as He taught them, He said, ‘Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers’” (Mark 11:17).
If we did what Jesus did at the temple today, we probably would be considered out of control, escorted off the grounds, and most likely arrested. Sometimes we forget that Jesus was bold at proclaiming the truth and, because He was, those who didn’t follow God’s truth rose up against Him.
Mark 11:18 describes how “The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill Him, for they feared Him, because the whole crowd was amazed at His teaching.”
Today, if individuals followed Jesus’ example in how He handled the scene at the temple, they would likely be seen as the problem and thrown out of the church, causing many to just leave a place of worship rather than risk going through what it may cost them to address issues within it.
Another bold example of choosing to face church issues is Martin Luther, born November 10th, 1483, in Eisleben, Germany. He grew up to be the catalyst for the Reformation. After a crisis in faith experience, Luther dedicated his life to being a monk. During his zealous studying of the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit revealed to him the truth that the just shall live by faith and that nothing he did to try and make himself holy enough would justify him before God. Rather, salvation only comes through faith in Jesus Christ.
With Luther’s revelation concerning salvation came his disillusionment with the errors in the church’s teaching and practices at the time, involving selling indulgences to raise money and convincing individuals that their giving of money for their deceased relatives could release them from purgatory.
In Luther’s zeal to spread the truth and hopes of sparking a church reform, on October 31st, 1517, he wrote 95 theses against this revenue-generating scheme, along with other abuses he discovered within the church, nailing his document on the Wittenberg, Germany, cathedral door for all to see.
But the church was not open to his reforming ideas and demanded he recant them. When Luther refused, he was excommunicated from the Catholic Church in 1521 by Pope Leo X, declared an outlaw and heretic, forced to run for his life and hide under an assumed name and disguise.
Choosing to address issues in the church is no easy task in today’s world either, as it usually comes with a high cost. Jesus was willing to pay the price, as was Martin Luther.
Matthew 16:25 explains, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it.”
Jesus’ cost saved the whole world. 1 Corinthians 6:20 reminds us that we were bought for a price. With Luther, his cost sparked a worldwide reformation that helped spread the Good News of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Earthly losses, no matter how great they seem at the time, can’t compare with what we gain when we choose to follow God’s way. In Matthew 16:26, Jesus reminds us, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”
If God is asking us to address some issues in our local churches, we want to consider what James 4:17 reminds us: “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
Let’s pray:
Dear Father,
If You are asking us to address any issues in the church today, we ask You to empower us with boldness to speak out about it, even if it’s unpopular and will most likely cost us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Photo Credit: ©SparrowStock
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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