Being the Church Today: Judging

When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?  1 Corinthians 6

I grew up loving court room dramas.  Perry Mason...check.  Judge Wapner and the People's Court...oh yes.  Colombo, mysteries, CSI, Law and Order; yup, you bet, always, and guilty as charged!  What happens when we have a grievance with a church member?  I mean besides going out into the parking lot and gossiping?  It seems the people in Corinth were more comfortable in a public courtroom than trying to settle in a private conversation.  Of course, we all rely on the court of public approval.  Politicians, athletes, CEOs, and anyone who is every pictured on People Magazine knows how quickly the tide of public opinion can turn.  Everyday we hear some one get swept by the undercurrent of someone in the public eye being judge (right now it is Tom Brady and deflat-gate, but give it a few days...someone else will become the media pinata and everyone comes out swinging).

So, I get why that is brought into the church.  It is the sea we swim in every day.  So, we keep on swimming in the church.  But to stop takes us being intentional and prayerful.  It takes us giving up our opinion...something that I wonder if it is really possible...to let God's opinion take hold of us.  The first step is paying attention to when and where and who you are judging...both inside and outside the church.  If we only do this on Sunday morning...which we definitely should...such a practice needs to extend to our work place, to our family gatherings, to sporting events, to every minute of our lives.  But it is going to take time and thoughtfulness and a lot of grace.

What do you think of when you hear the word, "judgement"?

Are you ready to embrace that we all judge or do you find yourself wanting to push away from this blog and click on another site?

How can your friends at church help?  What kinds of practices do we need to engage in order to take Paul's words seriously for our lives here and now?

In these questions, we need God's grace moving powerfully and persistently.  I pray it would be so for you and me.

Blessings ~