when sin goes viral

In Sunday's passage, Ephesians 4.25-28, Paul warned us to keep our anger under control so that we do not "give the devil a foothold."  During the sermon we talked about the word, "foothold", as more literally meaning, "place."  That is, when we give in to our anger and let it have the run of the house, so to speak, we give the devil a place in our lives.  Anger can then become an inroad for other sinful and destructive behaviors.  In fact, if untreated, it can go viral.

You can think biologically or technologically, but anger is like a virus.  Once in our system, anger grows and infects us and our relationships with others.  It does not lay dormant and may even mutate into more dangerous strands of the virus - hate, violence or abuse, for example.  If we harbor anger and feed it, if we give it that kind of place in our lives, it will go viral and infect everything about us.

I can speak about anger rather freely because it is something I have struggled with.  I remember years ago, when my children were little, I found myself yelling at the dog for something she had done.  I don't remember what it was, but I could probably guess.  I yelled at her and she ran upstairs to her crate.  I yelled at her all the way up the stairs and even once she was in the crate.  There she sat, trembling.  That moment was a revelation.  I saw my poor dog trembling at the anger I was pouring upon her, and it suddenly dawned on me: "That's what happens to the spirits of my children when I yell at them."  It was disheartening, to say the least.

By God's grace, I have grown in dealing with my anger in a godly way, and I continue to grow.  The ability to control my anger is one of those "apps" I mentioned on Sunday that is continually in need of "updates" from the Holy Spirit.

As I said on Sunday, however, I don't think anger is the only thing that can go viral in our lives.  Other sins have that kind of power, too.  And when we fail to treat them accordingly - to "take them off" and put something else on, instead; to confess them and ask for forgiveness - we suffer, our families and loved ones suffer, and the Church, the Body of Christ suffers, as well.

Thankfully, there is one other thing that is meant to go viral: the Grace of God.  Once we experience God's grace - once it's been "injected" into our lives - we are encouraged to freely "infect" others with that grace as well.  But we'll talk more about that this Sunday.  Peace.

Pastor Stacey Littlefield

a serious call to live in the light (from Pastor Bo)

Shortly after Jesus quoted John 3:16 verbatim to share the gospel with Nicodemus, Jesus added: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” (John 3:18-21).

This is heavy, but pastorally, we need to say stuff like this.

What I find fascinating, and what definitely rings true with what I know about human nature, is that when we are engaged in practices that we know we would be ashamed of in God’s presence, our response to the light, that is, truly seeing who we are and the choices we have made, is hatred toward and fear of that light. This hatred and fear is made manifest in doing anything we can to keep a certain part of our life in the dark. We’ll find a way to hide what we’ve done, and we’ll think we have done such a good job that no one will ever suspect. But God loves us too much. He’ll make sure we get caught, that we didn’t cover our tracks well enough. If we still hate and fear the light, we’ll deny any way we can. If that doesn’t work, defensiveness will rear its head.

In a passage we will get to soon, Paul tells us, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you’” (Ephesians 5:8-14).

Paul says that we already “are light” if we are in Christ. But then he calls us to live it out, to separate ourselves from the darkness and to expose the deeds done in the dark. It sounds like it has to do with exposing others, and I think it does, but even more so, we ought to be exposing our own dark deeds.

We hate and fear the light because the light shows that we aren’t fully who we think we are, or who others think we are. Sometimes, the light can cause trouble for us in our marriages, in our jobs, or with the law, with disastrous consequences. Actually, it’s not the light that does it; it is we ourselves that do the damage. It’s not the fault of the flashlight or the person holding it. If you are living partially in the darkness, do yourself a favor by exposing it yourself to the appropriate person(s) rather than getting caught.

Rather than getting caught, it works out much better when you come clean. Embracing the fallout ahead of time, first, tell a pastor or small group leader or some other mature godly person you respect. Yes, you have been wounded by others, and there’s a reason you made the choices you did, but tell your confessor the WHOLE truth without justification or excuses. Let them hear your confession and help you find a way out of the darkness and into the light. If your choices are secret because they will hurt or betray someone directly, you will need to tell them as well. Not over dinner or in the midst of something casual. Tell the person that you need to talk with them alone as soon as possible, and to clear their schedule to talk. It is best to disclose only to people who need to hear it, in other words, people who have been hurt/betrayed by your actions and one confessor or one unified party of confessors.

I know the procedure because I have helped people in this process in matters large and small, and have had to walk through this myself. No, it’s not easy. The advantage in you taking the first step in confession is that you are clearly trying to do what’s right without getting caught, and you have a bit more control (but by no means complete) over how it comes out and what to do about it.

It’s more important that you walk in the light than to have most people see your false self. It’s more important to be broken and humble before God than to keep your life together. It’s more important to lose an eye or a hand than to have your whole self get burned in the fires of judgment.

Yes, this is a serious call. But I hope that it changes somebody’s life. I hope that you can have the courage to confess rather than get caught. I’ve rarely see it done. But you can do it. God’s promise is sure: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). 

- Bo Bannister

a view from the edge (a post from Pastor Dawn)

When our son was about five years old, my husband walked into our two-story foyer to find him at the very top with one leg over the rail.  In this horrifying moment Frank discerned that our ever-adventurous child was attempting to be like GI Joe and propel himself off a mountain. 

Thankfully, Frank was able to calmly explain that he would more likely fall straight to the ground after which our son removed his leg from the rail and back to safety of the floor beneath him.  And I was grateful to come upon the scene seconds later, believing that my own fear, manifested in a flurry of words and emotion, might have made matters worse.

This memory came to my mind as I contemplated Pastor Stacey’s last two sermons on Ephesians 4 and what it means to live in unity with the community of believers.  While the case of a child about to jump from a ledge is an obvious call for loving intervention, I wonder how equipped we are as disciples of Christ to know when and how to intervene in other, less obvious circumstances.

This is an important question to ponder since the Apostle Paul is clear that we are to “bear with one another in love” (or more literally, “to put up with one another in love”), since to do so, according to the Apostle Paul, is no passive act!  Putting up with one another in love requires the Holy Spirit's wisdom and empowerment to know when to overlook the actions of another and when to do the challenging work of talking them off the ledge well!

Proverbs 19.11 states that, “it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.” Yet numerous other Scripture references suggest this is not so when overlooking an offense is motivated by passivity or avoidance rather than a genuine desire to honor God in relationships with others.  Peacemaker Ministries offers three clear criteria, rooted in Scripture, to help us determine when overlooking an offense is a godly option.  They are:

• Has the offense created a wall between you and the other person for more than a short period of time?

• Is the offense causing serious harm to God’s reputation, others or to the offender?

• Is the offense part of a destructive pattern?

If any the answer to any of the above statements is yes, then overlooking the offense is not a biblical option.  Instead, you are likely being called to  the difficult work of talking someone off the ledge, regardless of how you feel about it.  But as Pastor Stacey said last Sunday, if you are all too eager to go... don’t!  Consider calling a godly friend or more mature believer, first.  Take the time to prepare -- through God's precepts and the prayers of others -- to go in such a way that we might all grow into the mature body of Christ as each part does it work.  


Let me pray for you …

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for providing a way to live in a covenant relationship with you and others through your Son, Jesus Christ. 

Forgive us, Lord, when we take that gift for granted.  Have mercy on us when our own sinfulness cause harm to one another whether through passivity or aggression. 

Help us to live together as you designed us – in unity and peace.  Grant that we might have the discernment and courage needed to do so by knowing when to overlook an offense and when to do the difficult work of speaking the truth in love. And may you meet us in those efforts with the peace and transformation that only your Spirit can bring. Amen.

Pastor Dawn Bodi 

rules for community life

On Sunday we talked about making every effort "to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4.1-6).  We were reminded that community and unity, our relationships with one another in the church, are vital to the mission.  But we did not have time to get into the practical details of just how that is done.

A few years ago I shared with you Three Rules for Community that get at some of the pragmatics.  The word rule, here, means "way of life."  You won’t find these rules written out in the pages of Scripture, but I do believe that they are practices that are supported and upheld by the teaching of Scripture, and they are very practical ways of "making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit."  I was first taught these rules back when Kim and I served with Youth With A Mission in Amsterdam, in a community of about 200 people.

The Rule of Miranda -- As in, “You have the right to remain silent, because anything you say can and will be used against you.”  If it comes out of your mouth and begins with, “I probably shouldn’t say this, but…”, then don’t say it.  It’s your right.  Remain silent.  Zip it.  Even prefacing your remarks with such a phrase is proof that you know better.  Listen to what you know and do it.  It is better to be silent than to destroy community with unkind remarks, gossip or slander.  I believe it was Mark Twain who warned us that it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. 

The Rule of the Benefit of the Doubt -- When we are confronted with the opportunity to assume the worst about someone, why not give them the benefit of the doubt instead?  If someone disappoints you or if you hear something unkind about someone else, give them the benefit of the doubt.  Assume the best, rather than the worst.  Assume the person in question had good intentions in doing what they did or saying what they said.  Assume they are trying to do the right thing and that if they haven’t met your expectations, there is a good reason.  Assume that you don’t have all the facts and that if you did it would shed light on the situation.  If you do this, you will help to squelch your desire to complain and gossip about others. 

The Rule of the Opposite Spirit -- When someone speaks angrily to you or accuses you of something, respond in the opposite spirit or attitude.  If they are angry, respond with kindness and gentleness.  If others gossip to you about someone, defend the person they are talking about and then move on to another topic.  If they are critical and judgmental, respond with graciousness.  This is very hard to do, but I am convinced that it is a good rule to live by and that if we are able to do so, more and more, true, biblical community will be the result and the witness of Christ will be brighter and stronger in our world.

May God grant us all the discipline and grace to abide by these "rules" for the sake of our unity and the Good News of Christ Jesus.  Amen.

your God is too small!

In our passage from Sunday, Ephesians 3.14-21, Paul closes off the first half of his letter with a doxology.  After praying that his readers (and us) will be filled with all the measure of God's fullness, he sings out,

Now to him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen. (Eph 3.20-21)

What a mouthful!  On the way out of church on Sunday, someone came up and shared a story with me that ended in this question: If God is able to do more than all we ask or imagine, what are we asking for?  In other words, How deep and expectant are our imaginations?

Of course, this doesn't mean that we should just go out asking for things and expect even bigger things.  "If I ask for a moped, will I get a Harley?"  No.  That's not what's going on here.  At issue is the very power and imagination of God.  When it comes to God's plan and his work in, through and among us, he wants more for us than we often want for ourselves -- more than we could possibly know or imagine.  Our desires and hopes in our walks with God do not come close to measuring up to what he is capable of giving us.  Such is his love and power.

What are you asking God for this week?  What do you hope God will do with you and through you for your loved ones, co-workers and neighbors?  Are you "settling" for something less than God wants to give you?  Don't settle!  Reach out, reach up and ask for God's best in your life, then go where he leads you.  You will not be disappointed.