“First remove the plank from your own eye and then you are able to remove the plank from your brothers!”
These are no doubt famous words of Jesus of Nazareth used and miss-used over the years. When I read this passage it tells me that as a person I can be quite hypocritical in how I judge others. That hypocrisy can be so blinding that I can no longer make proper judgments towards others. And at worst this passage warns me that there is a continual potential of living in a state of blindness, of obliviousness.
I not only apply this truth of Jesus to me personally, but also to his Church. Can the Church have a plank in it’s eye that renders it’s ability to judge properly? Is the crust in the eye so normal that we simply have become used to it?
I was reading a article from the pro-porn group in Australia that has caught on to this hypocrisy within the walls of the Church. They have a link to a site that is called “Deception” that is dedicated to the facts of case after case of sexual abuse within the holiest of institutions. One particular quote from one of this web site says it all:
“However, there are also people involved in religious orders who, for reasons best known to themselves, use their positions of trust to molest and defile the most vulnerable individuals in our society – young children. Some of them have stooped so low as to have molested intellectually handicapped children.”
What this tells me is that although those outside the Church need to understand that those within the Church are in many ways no different from them, we in the Church have to realize that due to our own failures to uphold the holiness we preach that our testimony to those outside the Church is very hindered. I find this is the reason that legislative work is not the most important think the Church should be doing. I believe that as the Church needs to focus its attention within its walls and not without. If we really have a pleasure in Christ that is ‘better’ than the world, then wouldn’t it come to reason that this joy and pleasure in God would shine to those that do not have it.
The Church needs to govern itself, not those outside the Church! I find great Biblical merit for this in 1st Corinthians Chapter 5. We should be looking at how we do ‘sex’ in the Church instead of judging those whose eyes are not opened to Biblical Truth.
Just think if we all within the Church looked to how we conduct ourselves! Especially us as leaders of the Church! Within every Church there are plenty of areas where we can help people gain a deeper understanding to what God intended for sex, and the incredible joy in it to the Glory of God. Why do we continually need to look at passing legislation that tells those outside the Church to live to a standard that we ourselves within it are not able to conform too?
Here are some examples that I think off:
I am against abortion. I believe that within the Church it would be awesome if there was a pro-life group within every Bible believing Church where there main concern would be that none within that body of believers would consider aborting a child but instead the Church would bring such help to pregnant ladies that they would not need to consider an abortion any more. What love and impact that would make! What a dream that is; the Church would not need to abort any children because of the outpouring of concrete acts of love in the self sacrifice for others!
I believe Pornography is a trap to so many which distorts God’s intention for Sex. If the Church taught their congregations what Sex is for and how it glorifies God, and helped those that were within its walls that desire to break free from bondage to pornography then I believe there wouldn’t be much time left to do much else, especially trying to conform others to our beliefs through legislation.
The Church lacks so much in looking at our own issues that we tend to find the mission of converting the ‘lost’ through law, the way to go. This is not a new phenomenon for sure. In Jesus day it was the Pharisee’s, in the Dark Ages it was the Catholic Church, and today if we are not careful, it will become the evangelical Church repeating the old way of making change in this world. But will it be lasting change?
One thing I know for sure I was once blind, but now I see. Jesus came into my life and changed my heart and desires. What was once of value to me no longer seemed like a treasure. No legislation did this; it was the sharing of the gospel of Jesus. I find it refreshing to read the gospels and see Jesus going from one town to another with just a small group of people, teaching, healing, and talking with those that needed him desperately. Did he go to the Jewish religious scribes to get a new law in the books for those pagans to live by? Did he go to Rome in the hopes of banning the practices of Rome?
When the rabbi Paul was in Rome we are told he preached to all the gospel of Jesus. How cool is that!
As the Church falls in love with its Lord, there groom; Jesus, Change will happen. Abortions will stop in the Church and porn will not seem so pleasurable as it once was. And wouldn’t it be so cool for those outside the Church to look at it from afar and say, “What a particular people those Christ lovers are.” “Within their walls there is no abortion, molestation, or any other harm, but a love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” “I want that.”