"Wicked Hearts"

"But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers." (Psalms 74:6) If you follow these seemingly endless ramblings, then you may have noticed something of a little discouragement in the way I view a lot of what goes on in the church; being in leadership for over ten years at a very small fellowship can do that to you; and when I say small fellowship, I mean 150 people or less qualifies as small. I really enjoyed the fellowship, but I hated the breakups and the total neglect for following God's rules of order. If you don't know what I am referring to, it's in reference to the way you hold meetings and Robert's Rules of Order, but to the point of the way you run a church, and God's Rules of Order for ministry. Oh, you did not know there were rules of order? Well, typically, everything has rules, nothing is by chance or without a set of guidelines. The biggest and most destructive thing that happens within the body of Christ is people not caring for other people; meaning, we sometimes care more for ourselves than we care for others. The way this is usually demonstrated is by the way they handle disagreements or faults. Instead of going straight to the brother or sister that they have an issue with, they first gather people together on their side, and then they feel embolden to do whatever it is they want, no matter what the Bible might say of the matter. I take serious issue with this, because I have been the one people had come to when they wanted to complain about the pastor; instead of just going straight to the pastor, they would come to me. Not such a good idea, because I would never have it, and I would never take their side. I would always tell them to talk to the pastor instead of me; and then I would followup with the pastor to see that they did. I felt that was an important thing to do, especially if the issue was one about teaching or doctrine. You would not believe how fast things can get out of control over a simple thing like doctrinal disputes. But the saddest thing of all, is how little informed that people are regarding the Scriptures, and what the Bible teaches regarding order in the church. Not that I am a saint when it comes to following order, because everyone of us are much more weaker than we realize that we are. If you push the right buttons, I can be just as wicked as the next guy. We all think that we are above reproach, until we get offended by something, and then it's all cards off the table and everyone to their own corner. That's not the way to settle disputes with brothers and sisters; and it's not the way we demonstrate love for one another...
 "If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won't accept the church's decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector." (Matthew 18:15-17) NLT