The Danger of Tolerating Sin in the Church

“You must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler.” – 1 Corinthians 5:11

Like a parent who desperately wants to correct someone else’s wild child who’s acting up in public – that must be the way the Apostle Paul felt when he observed the Church in Corinth. One of their members was WAY out of line, and the entire Corinthian church had failed to discipline him.

 

Sadly, many Christian churches today are equally bad at carrying out church discipline. But there is hope for us in 1 Corinthians 5. Here, the Apostle Paul teaches the Corinthians, AND us,  how to more effectively carry out church discipline. I’d like to share three important implications of his advice from verses 9-11:

 

IMPLICATION #1: For Christians, sin INSIDE the church is much more dangerous than sin OUTSIDE the church. John MacArthur puts it this way: “No church is healthy enough to resist contamination from persistent sin in its midst, any more than the healthiest and most nutritious bushel of apples can withstand contamination from even a single bad one. The only solution in both cases is separation.” Now, if someone were to ask you, “Is it okay for Christians to discriminate?” I’m guessing that your kneejerk response would be “No!” But notice what Paul clearly implies in verses 9-11:

 

IMPLICATION #2: When it comes to close fellowship with other Christians, we must discriminate between believers who sin and repent and those who sin and don’t repent. Preben Vang puts it this way: Christians “are to discriminate within the church for the sake of their identity as a Christ community…. What Paul encourages is not isolation from the world but identification with Christ.” Each Christian should find their true identity, first and foremost, as a follower of Jesus. That being the case, we can’t ignore unrepentant sin in our church family. We are not to be a church full of active sinners; we must be a church full of reformed sinners.

 

IMPLICATION #3: Disfellowship isn’t only for Christians who are engaged in gross sexual sins. Disfellowship is appropriate for ANY Christian who refuses to repent and persists in their sin. In verse 11, Paul mentions six lifestyle sins that are grounds for disfellowship: sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, slander, drunkenness and swindling. Most of the time, when a Christian needs to be rebuked, it’s not because of a gross sexual sin. There are plenty of other sins that defile you and those around you. ALL of these sins need to be rebuked and purged from the church.

 

But every church has been tempted to compromise its holiness by caving in to the sinful culture around it. Chuck Swindoll writes: “In [recent] decades, the general perception of God has dramatically changed. Now He’s seen as a gentle father figure who loves people so much that He would never think of judging anybody for anything…. Paul’s brief discussion of church discipline in 1 Corinthians 5 challenges head-on the notion of unchecked tolerance for sin.”

 

As Christians we must be intolerant of unconfessed, unrepentant sin in ourselves AND in each other. At that same time, if we rebuke a fellow Christian, it should be done out of love for our sinning brother or sister, in prayer, and with clear support from Scripture. Ultimately, a loving, biblical rebuke demonstrates a deep love for God, His Church and His Word.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

How to Handle Sin in the Church

“If they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’” – Matthew 18:16

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul finds himself forced to address a big problem in the Corinthian church: Tolerance of gross sexual sin.

 

A member of the Corinthian church was involved in an ongoing, incestuous relationship that, as Paul says in verse 1, “does not occur even among pagans.” But even worse, the rest of the church was turning a blind eye to the moral cancer in their midst.

 

Unrepentant sin in the church is like severe gangrene or a cancerous tumor in your big toe: You can either cut off your toe, or you can ignore it and lose your whole leg – or worse. If only the Corinthians had known that the Bible provides a procedure for rebuking and disciplining sinning Christians in the church before it’s too late.

 

Here is God’s 5-step process:  

 

Step #1: One-on-one: The Holy Spirit rebukes a sinning Christian discreetly (Heb. 4:12, 2 Tim. 3:16). Each of us must attend a church that faithfully teaches God’s Word, and we must allow the Holy Spirit to do through His Word what He does so well: to expose our sin, teach us, rebuke us, correct us and train us in righteousness. And if you listen to the Holy Spirit, allow Him to rebuke you, and repent in response to His rebuke, you don’t have to suffer the embarrassment and pain of other Christians needing to rebuke you.

 

Step #2: One-on-one: A fellow believer rebukes a sinning Christian discreetly (Matthew 18:15). Most of us HATE confrontation. But biblical confrontation is often the most godly way to show love to a fellow Christian. If you see another believer sinning, pray about it, find the appropriate Scripture to share with them, then talk with them – one-on-one. If the sin isn’t addressed swiftly, it will likely get bigger and cause greater harm to both the Christian who’s sinning AND to the rest of the church.

 

Step #3: Two or three believers rebuke a sinning Christian (Matthew 18:16). If a sinning brother hasn’t responded to Step 1 and Step 2, it’s time to bring in some reinforcements to speak with him. This follows the biblical principle: “Let every matter be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” Make sure the witnesses are believers—ideally, mature Christians who care about the person. Go to the sinning Christian, open God’s Word and pray together. Then rebuke the sinning brother or sister together.

 

Step #4: The church leaders meet with the sinning Christian to rebuke and discipline him/her (Matthew 18:17). If a sinning brother doesn’t respond humbly to the rebuke of the Holy Spirit or his concerned brothers or sisters, it’s time for the pastor and/or elders to speak with him. If the sinning Christian truly repents at this point, the leaders should lead him through the repentance process. In most cases, the brother can continue to attend church, but he’ll need to step down from any ministries he’s involved in so he can focus on receiving God’s Word and living a holy life.

 

Step #5: As a last resort, the sinning Christian is disfellowshipped from the church (Matthew 18:17 & 2 Cor. 5:1-5). This step should only be taken when the previous four steps have failed to convince the sinning brother or sister to repent.

 

Remember, Hebrews 12:5-6 says: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.” Whether in the family or in the church, rebukes CAN be very loving. In fact, when a Christian brother or sister is caught up in a sin, a biblical rebuke is one of the most loving gifts that you OR the Holy Spirit could ever give them.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Are You a Good Role Model?

“In Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” – 1 Corinthians 4:15-16

 

In the book of 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul spends a lot of time rebuking the Corinthian Christians for their pride and divisiveness. As Paul confronts them with the Word of God, the sinful thoughts and attitudes of their hearts are being exposed, which is uncomfortable—even painful. That’s why Paul says what he says in 1 Corinthians 4:14: “I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you.”

 

In the first three chapters of his letter, Paul has called his Corinthian readers “brothers” three times. But here in chapter 4, he basically says: “I don’t just think of you as my ‘brothers.’ I also consider you to be my own dear children whom I love.” Isn’t that something? Regardless of how messed up the Corinthian Christians were, Paul didn’t reject them. Instead, he tenderly reminded them that they were his spiritual kids. Paul didn’t hate them. He actually loved them.

 

Part of what Paul is saying is that he encourages and mentors those he pastors in much the same way that a father would encourage and mentor his own son. But it’s more than that. As Pastor John MacArthur puts it: “A father, by definition, is a man who has children…. Every believer should be a spiritual father, God’s instrument for bringing new lives into His kingdom.”

 

In verse 16, Paul takes the next logical step: “Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” Think for a moment about how many dads across America tell their kids, “Do as I say, not at I do.” For Paul it was never, “Do as I say, not as I do.” It was, “Do as Jesus says, and I’ll show you by MY life how to do it. By God’s grace, I’m walking the walk. So, follow in the footsteps of your spiritual father. I urge you to imitate me.”

 

Whether or not you realize it, you have followed in someone else’s spiritual footsteps, and somebody else is following in yours. Every one of us needs to have a spiritual father in our lives, and each of us needs to be a spiritual father to at least one other Christian. 

 

Now, we can’t just step it up at church. John MacArthur reminds us: “Our children … know firsthand if we are living up to what we are trying to teach them…. Discipling is more than teaching right principles; it is also living those principles before the ones being discipled” (cf. 1 Tim. 4:12). Christian parents MUST set a godly example for our kids and grandkids of how to live out our faith. If we teach with our words, but not with our lives, we should not be surprised if our kids and grandkids end up walking away from the church.

 

As Christians, every one of us needs to, in the words of theologian Preben Vang, “be in both camps at the same time.” You and I need to FIND good Christian role models to follow while BEING good Christian models for others to follow. One of the greatest joys in ministry is to see your spiritual children following Jesus every bit as well as you follow Him.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Are You Arrogant or Humble?

“What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” – 1 Corinthians 4:7

Are you an arrogant Christian?

 

Of course, our kneejerk response is to say, “I’m not an arrogant Christian! I’m a humble Christian!” But not so fast. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any trace of pride or arrogance that we’re still harboring in our hearts.

 

In 1 Corinthians 4:6, Paul writes: “Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another.”

 

Pastor John MacArthur writes: “God’s faithful servants are to receive proper honor and respect…. But they are to be honored only within such bounds of Scripture. Godly respect turns into ungodly exaltation when we exceed what is written…. As is often the case, the leaders were exalted [by the Corinthians] for the followers’ own sakes, not for the leaders’ sakes.”

You see, when we boast and brag about how amazing our pastor is or how much better our church is than another Christian’s church, we aren’t just lifting our pastor or our church on a pedestal; we’re really lifting OURSELVES on a pedestal. At the root of church disunity and division is selfish pride and arrogance.

 

To find out which type of Christian you are, Paul asks three tough questions in verse 7:

 

Question #1: “For who regards you as superior or what sets you apart as special?” (Amplified Bible translation) Paul’s implied answer is, “No one! If you think you’re superior to other Christians, or if you think your pastor and your church are superior to every other Christian pastor and church, it’s just your pride-filled imagination.”

 

Question #2: “What do you have that you did not receive?” And Paul’s implied answer is … “Nothing! Everything you have, you have received. Everything you have is a gift from God.”

 

Question #3: “If you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” Everyone and everything in the Corinthians’ church was a gift from God. They didn’t EARN their church leaders. They didn’t DESERVE their salvation. It was all GOD’S doing, not their own. So, what was there for the Corinthian Christians to brag about? Nothing! 

 

So, what kind of Christian are you? If you have a tendency to lift up your pastor and/or church higher than God ever intended, you likely have more pride in your heart than you imagined. May each of us check our egos at the door and strive to be a humble servant whose only concern is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Who’s Judging You?

“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.”
– 1 Corinthians 4:5

In the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul addresses one of the biggest problems in the Corinthian Church: They were cliquey and judgy. Some of their pastors and leaders, they treated like royalty. Others, they pushed aside like last week's garbage. 

 

So, in 1 Corinthians 4, Paul tells the Corinthian Christians – and you and me today – the proper way for us to view our church leaders: “as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (v. 1).  In other words, church leaders are the lowest slaves … while at the same time being the most trusted stewards.

 

As a pastor – Jesus’ servant and a steward of God’s Word – Christ hasn’t called me to be popular. He hasn’t even called me to be successful. He’s simply called me to be FAITHFUL. And the same is true of God’s calling on YOUR life. On Judgment Day Jesus won’t say to us, “Well done, popular and successful servant.” If we are faithful to our calling, He will say, “Well done, good and FAITHFUL servant.”

 

In verses 4 and 5, Paul describes three different judgments that he was subjected to:

 

#1: The judgment of OTHERS. Paul makes it clear in verse 3 that it bothers him “very little” when he is judged by others. As one translation puts it, “I couldn’t care less if I’m judged by you or by any human court.” Paul wasn’t living for the praise of man. He was living for the praise of God. And he understood better than most that man’s evaluations of his life and ministry were flawed. So, when Paul was in the center of God’s will, and he KNEW he was in the center of God’s will, he ignored the judgments of others.

 

#2: The judgment of HIMSELF. Paul didn’t stop there. He even ignored his own judgment of himself for the same reason. He understood that his own evaluation of his life and ministry could be just as tainted and flawed as others’ evaluations. As a pastor I’ll admit that at times, I’m my own worst critic. But even I won’t get to chime in and criticize myself when I stand before God on Judgment Day. What a relief!

 

#3: The judgment of GOD. On Judgment Day, others’ opinions of your life and ministry will be irrelevant. Even your OWN opinions will be irrelevant. The only evaluation that will matter is the evaluation of Jesus. That’s why we must faithfully carry out our assigned duties as servants of Jesus. That way, when you’re criticized by others, you can stand with Paul and say with faith and joy: “It is the Lord who judges me.”

 

Like Paul, I have decided to leave the judging up to the Lord. He is my perfect Judge. And He’s your perfect Judge too.

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Are You Neglecting God’s Temple?

“God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.” – 1 Corinthians 3:17b

In 1 Corinthians 3:16 Paul uses a powerful metaphor that speaks volumes about how vital Christian unity is: Together, we are God’s Temple.

 

Most of us are familiar with the passage that tells us our own individual bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). But did you know there are more Scriptures in the New Testament that speak about the Church being the temple of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Cor. 3:16, Eph. 2:21 and 2 Cor. 6:16) than there are about our individual bodies being the temple of the Holy Spirit? Most Christians overlook this clear teaching of Scripture … because, deep down, many Christians in America believe that while Jesus is necessary, the Church is expendable.

 

And for Christians who DO prioritize the Church, we avoid teachings about the Church being God’s temple because it’s uncomfortable. We don’t like to talk about the damage we’ve done to God’s temple through our infighting and complaining. Like the Christians in 1 Corinthians 3, we defile the Church – the temple of the Holy Spirit – when we sow seeds of disunity and division among Christians.

 

Fortunately, in verses 18-23, Paul tells us how to gain and maintain unity in our church … in four steps:

 

Step #1: We must have a proper view of ourselves (vs. 18-20). Many of the Corinthian Christians were intellectual snobs, still chasing after worldly wisdom and holding themselves above other Christians. So, how do we keep from being intellectual snobs? Paul answers, “View yourself as a “fool so that [you] may become wise” (v. 18). To “become a fool” means to check your ego at the door and be humble enough to learn.

 

Step #2: We must have a proper view of our leaders and teachers (vs. 21-22a). The Corinthian Christians were caught up in the cult of personality. They argued and boasted that their leader was the best, whether it was Paul, Peter or someone else. And Paul responds in verse 21, “No more boasting about men!” Paul urges Christians to stop placing their favorite leaders on pedestals and shining a spotlight on them. Only Jesus Christ deserves the spotlight.

 

Step #3: We must have a proper view of the world (v. 21-22). Paul tells us, “All things are yours, whether … the world or life or death or the present or the future.” Christians SHOULD enjoy life and the beauty of God’s creation. But Christians should also enjoy death (in God’s perfect timing), because when our physical bodies die, we remain spiritually alive – transported to be with Christ. That’s why Paul ends verse 22 by pointing out that the future is ours to enjoy. Because of Christ, we don’t just have the gift of the present – we also have the gift of the future.

 

Step #4: We must have a proper view of God (v. 23). It is in Christ that we find our proper view of everything. Only when we fix our eyes on Christ—the author and perfecter of our faith— can we truly eliminate division in the church and be the temple of the Holy Spirit that Jesus has called us to be.

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Are You Building With Straw?

“No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
– 1 Corinthians 3:11

When they started building the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in 1135, it was never intended to lean. But five years into construction, the building began to tilt. The architect and engineer tried to correct the lean by making the remaining stories shorter on the uphill side, but it just kept getting worse.

 

Over the next 600 years, engineers realized that the tower wasn’t just leaning. It was actually FALLING, at a rate of 1 to 2 millimeters per year. Finally, from 1990 to 2001, a team of experts worked together to save the tower. If something hadn’t been done, the tower most likely would have toppled over by now.

 

Do you know WHY the leaning tower leans? It has a weak foundation. The foundation is only 10 feet deep – far too shallow for such a tall building. To make matters worse, the tower was built on spongy marsh soil.

 

In 1 Corinthians 3, the Apostle Paul speaks of laying a foundation and constructing a building. But he’s not talking about building a chapel, a prayer room or a cathedral. He’s talking about building the Church – the body of believers who follow Jesus Christ. Together as a church, you and I – and Christians all over the world – are a building under construction. We are God’s building.

 

And Paul makes it very clear verses 10 and 11 that he laid a rock-solid foundation for the Church. Its foundation was and is Jesus Christ, and that foundation can NOT be changed. Even if someone WANTED to change the Church’s foundation, he/she couldn’t. The foundation of Christ crucified is firmly set in place.

 

However, there is still a way to sabotage Christ’s great building project. All you have to do is construct a shoddy building on top of the quality foundation. Therefore, Paul writes in verse 10, “Each one should be careful how he builds.” In verse 12, Paul gives three examples of quality building materials: gold, silver and costly stones; and three examples of substandard building materials: wood, hay and straw. Bottom line: There are wood churches filled with hay Christians, and there are gold churches filled with precious stones.

 

As we work together to serve God, we need to ask ourselves: Are we building something of quality that will last, or are we building something shoddy that will topple? Contrary to popular belief, a solid gold church isn’t necessarily one that is big and looks successful to the world. Many big, successful-looking churches are wood, hay and straw in God’s eyes. They are built on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ crucified, but because they don’t preach, teach and uncompromisingly live out the enduring word of the Lord, they are wood, hay and straw.

 

In God’s eyes, quality building is building that centers on the Word of God, especially the gospel. In Matthew 24:35, Jesus says: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.”

 

Therefore, as you serve Christ, give Him your very best. And as you serve Him with your church family, give Him your very best. Build on the solid rock foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ and proclaim the enduring Word of God that is more precious than gold, silver and costly stones.

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Grow Up!

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put away childish things.” – 1 Corinthians 13:11

Have you ever known someone who was really immature—someone who did NOT act their age? In an article in “Christianity Today,” Jen Wilkin tells about one of the most immature people she and her husband ever met. Her name was Charlotte.

 

Wilkins writes: “From the moment we stepped into her space, it was all about her. She demanded our full attention day and night. Forget rational arguments or the needs of others; it was The Charlotte Show, 24/7. She thought only of herself and demanded loudly and often that her needs be met. Our schedules bowed to her every whim. She uttered not a word of gratitude…. And we didn’t mind one bit. Because all 7 pounds and 15 ounces of her was doing exactly what she should.”

 

Then, Jen Wilkin adds: “What is appropriate in an infant is appalling in an adult.” And in 1 Corinthians 3, Paul has to call out the Corinthian Christians and tell them: “You’re acting like spoiled brats! Knock it off!”

 

Even after being saved for several years, the Corinthian Christians were still hanging out in the spiritual nursery. They were still immature. That was a tragedy in the church in Paul’s day, and it’s a tragedy in the Christian Church today.

 

So, Paul tells the Corinthian Christians in verses 1-3a: “I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly — mere infants in Christ.  I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly.”

 

“Milk” in God’s Word includes the entry-level teaching that new Christians should be able to digest easily with the help of the Holy Spirit – for instance, the basic Gospel message about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, as well as the beloved Bible stories about Noah, Moses and Jonah. That’s all MILK! “Solid food” is the deeper doctrine that helps us to better understand God so that we can more effectively trust, love and obey Jesus Christ. Learning how Jesus uses the cross to transform you so that you can join Him in His great ministry here on earth—that’s solid food.

 

In these verses, Paul reveals the two main characteristics of immature Christians: #1) They refuse to dig deep into God’s Word (vs. 1-2). #2) Immature Christians’ thinking and behavior are indistinguishable from that of non-Christians (vs. 3-4). As theologian John MacArthur warns, “Spiritual truths that we ignore and neglect will become less and less remembered and meaningful…. Nothing causes us to ignore God’s truth more than not living it.”

 

Christians, use it or lose it! If you don’t want to lose what you’ve been learning in God’s Word recently, you’ve gotta live it out. If you don’t live it out, you will neglect it and will most likely forget it. Jesus Christ gave His life for you. So, how can you help but dive into the deep end and live your life for Him?

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, now meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

God’s Secret Wisdom

 “‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ … these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9

Is it REALLY so hard to believe the Gospel message – that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son? And is it REALLY so hard to believe that this same Jesus desires to live inside you and continue His great work through you?

 

For many people, the answer is … YES. In 1 Corinthians 2:7, Paul reveals the main reason so many smart people don’t believe the gospel message. They don’t believe it, because they don’t understand it. And they don’t understand it, because God has hidden its true wisdom from them. Why would He do that?

 

One reason is found in 1 Corinthians 1:29: “So that no one can boast before Him.” If there’s one thing that God hates, it’s pride. So, if someone comes to God proud, puffed up and full of himself, God will intentionally hide the wisdom of the cross from him. But if you come to God with a humble heart and a teachable spirit, the outcome will be very different. His Holy Spirit will reveal to you the wisdom that, because of your former arrogance, was once hidden from you.

 

When someone comes to God with a humble heart, sees the truth of the cross and accepts Jesus as Lord, wisdom begins. But it’s ONLY the beginning. The Word of God has been described as a river: Certain parts are very shallow, where even a little lamb can safely get a drink of water. Other parts of the river are deep enough for an elephant to disappear under the depths. As Christians, we shouldn’t spend our entire lives only sipping in the shallow end.

 

In 1 Corinthians 2:9, Paul writes: “As it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ … these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit.” In Old Testament times, no one was able to see, hear or even imagine the cross of Jesus and what it would mean to hopeless sinners like you and me. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we have been blessed with insight and understanding. We can experience God’s love in a way that no one in ages past could.

 

Jesus Christ has blessed every Christian with the gift of His Holy Spirit for many reasons, including THIS reason in verse 12: “that we may understand what God has freely given us.” The Holy Spirit has access to all of God’s wisdom and understands every bit of it. So, if you’re a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is your COUNSELOR, giving you the best advice; your REMINDER, reminding you of what Jesus has taught you in Scripture; and your TEACHER, teaching you about who God is and what He requires of you. The Holy Spirit gives you insight and wisdom you could never have had on your own. To God be the glory!

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, now meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Get Out of the Spotlight!

 “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom…. I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

– 1 Corinthians 2:1-2

 

Scottish pastor John Hutton shared the story of a man who was known as a drunkard and a lowlife. But to everyone’s surprise, one day he gave his life to Christ.

 

His drinking buddies thought he had lost his mind. They said, “Surely you can’t believe in the miracles that the Bible talks about. You don’t actually believe that Jesus turned water into wine!” The new Christian responded, “I don’t know if he turned water into wine. But in my own house, I have seen Him turn beer into furniture.”

 

The new Christian didn’t waste his time arguing with his unbelieving friends. He just pointed to his own transformed life.

 

And in the First Century, the Apostle Paul took a similar approach. The unbelievers in Corinth didn’t get saved because Paul was a stronger debater than all their intellectuals and philosophers. They got saved through the simple, foolish-sounding gospel message about Jesus Christ dying on the cross for their sins. Paul knew that people don’t get saved because you can out-debate them.

 

Paul makes it clear that when he was in Corinth, he did not preach the gospel “with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (1 Corinthians 1:17). If Paul had let his high I.Q. and oratory skills take center stage, Paul would have gotten the glory, not Jesus. And that, my friends, is a sin. As we do ministry, Jesus alone must be in the spotlight.

 

In chapter 2, Paul continues: “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 1-2).

 

The Corinthians had seen plenty of professional speakers and philosophers who would “wow” audiences with their amazing speeches. But Paul refused to be an entertainer or a showman who took the spotlight for himself. Instead, he consistently shined the spotlight on Jesus Christ, basically saying, “Look at Him, not at me! Look at what Christ has done! Look at HIM!”

 

Paul writes, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (vs. 4-5). And how did Paul’s preaching demonstrate the Spirit’s power? Here’s the answer in two words: CHANGED LIVES.

 

A transformed life is the greatest evidence of the true wisdom and power of the gospel. When Jesus Christ takes hold of a hard human heart and turns beer into furniture, there’s no evidence more convincing than that. The world’s most inspiring sermons will not persuade your family and friends to accept Jesus Christ as much as your changed life will.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, now meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc

How to Correct a Christian

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you.” – 1 Corinthians 1:10

The Corinthian church was messed up and needed fixing.

 

So in the apostle Paul’s first letter to the Christians in Corinth, he has his work cut out for him. But before he starts digging into their problems, he spends several verses letting his Corinthian church family know how much he thanks God for them.

 

Paul’s approach in 1 Corinthians 1 reveals this beautiful principle: Before you rebuke or correct a Christian brother or sister, you should reach out to them in love, as Paul does in verse 4: “I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.”

 

Then, before Paul lowers the boom with his first rebuke, he writes: “He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful” (vs. 8-9). Paul lets his readers know that their current failures are NOT permanent failures, because God is at work! He won’t let them become eternal failures. Because “God … is faithful.”

 

Only then does Paul move on to the Corinthians’ first big problem: disunity. Schisms and quarrels were taking place within the church, breaking it up into had no fewer than four factions. They were becoming “groupies” for their favorite church leader. Warren Wiersbe says it so well: “Instead of emphasizing the message … the Corinthians emphasized the messenger.” These divisions had brought the church to the brink of a spiritual divorce.

 

As he pleads with the church for unity (v. 10) , Paul reminds the Corinthians that there is only one Christ in Christianity (v. 13). There is only one Savior who was crucified for you. And He is the ONLY one into whose name believers are baptized.

 

Here are three lessons we can draw from this passage: 

 

Lesson #1: Before you rebuke or correct a Christian brother or sister, share your heart with them and let them know how much you thank God for them. Every Christian needs a rebuke or correction at one time or another. So, never forget this important principle. 

 

Lesson #2: By Christ’s grace, your current failures aren’t permanent failures. The God who was faithful to save you is also faithful to sustain you. You are a work in progress – and so is your Christian brother or sister. God’s still working on you, and God’s still working on them. And God WILL be faithful to finish His work.

 

Lesson #3: Refuse to be a church leader’s “groupie.” Just be a committed follower of Christ and a unifying servant in His Church. Don’t follow men. Follow Jesus. And don’t put servants of Jesus up on a pedestal where only Jesus deserves to be.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, now meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

What Should a Church Look Like?

 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” – Acts 2:42

There’s no doubt: The 1st Century Jerusalem Church was one of the impactful churches in history. Without it, Christianity as we know it today would not exist.

 

In Acts 2, at the start of the Day of Pentecost, there were only around 120 Christians in Jerusalem. But by the end of the day, there were 3,120. God’s Word is clear that the cause of this explosive growth was the Holy Spirit, who descended on the church just as Jesus had promised. Acts 2:41 tells us that 3,000 people got saved that day – and that was just the beginning.

 

In Acts 2:42-47, we discover this impactful church’s top five priorities. These priorities helped this once-tiny group of believers change the world.

 

Priority #1: Learning God’s Word together. Jesus’ apostles had sat under His teaching for at least three years, and Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would remind them of all that He taught. Learning the Old Testament scriptures AND Jesus’ teachings was a top priority for the Jerusalem Christians.

 

Priority #2: Sharing with and caring for each other. The second priority of the Christian Church in Jerusalem was fellowship. Take another look at verse 44: “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” Theologian John Stott writes: “Christian fellowship is Christian caring, and Christian caring is Christian sharing…. That we have hundreds of thousands of [poverty-stricken] brothers and sisters is a standing rebuke to us who are more affluent.” The early Christians took care of each other.

 

Priority #3: Worshipping Jesus Christ together. The Jerusalem Christians devoted themselves to “the breaking of bread” – that is, communion. But verses 43, 46 and 47 describe something beyond the ritual of communion. They ate together “with glad and sincere hearts, praising God.” Regardless of whether they were in a home or in the temple courts, whether they were taking communion or just sharing a meal, they lived lives of Christ-centered worship.

 

Priority #4: Praying together. Many Christians don’t see the importance of praying together. Many think it’s perfectly fine if 100% of our praying is done on our own. But Jesus disagrees. Private prayer is biblical and necessary, but so is praying together. In Acts 1:14, Luke tells us that the Christians “all joined together constantly in prayer.”

 

Priority #5: Evangelizing together. The fifth priority of the early Church is evident in verse 47, which shows the Christians “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” There’s no doubt: The Jerusalem Christians prioritized evangelism. They reached out in compassion and love to those who didn’t know Christ, and they continued to boldly preach the Gospel message. As a result, more people got saved every day.

 

May we never be so preoccupied with learning, sharing, worshiping and praying that we forget to share Christ. The Holy Spirit is a missionary Spirit. And you and I must be missionaries both inside and outside the four walls of the church.

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:30 and 10 a.m. at 16209 Kamana Road in Apple Valley. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.