Bumby Bible Questions 7

Introduction

Well, good morning. Good morning. The Lord has blessed us with enough of these where we’re going to stop numbering which QA it is. And just say good morning and get closely into it. Think about what we’ve been doing, of course, with the QA is taking questions, and please know that we are always both willing and needing more questions. So I don’t know how many times you’ll ever hear that, but please ask more questions. So take advantage now. If it was Ken told me that, I’d have to make him pay. Asking some tough questions. But we’re willing to take whatever sent in. And this morning we’re actually going to work on a couple of questions that really encompass several that we’ve taken in on two pretty big subject matters.

And so we may not address it on the nose, but the principles will adapt to several of the different question forms that we took in this week. And again, we appreciate the questions and keep them coming, as Greg said. Question number one, as Greg said, kind of encompasses uh multiple questions that we’ve received. And it’s simply should Christians stand up to politically effect change. I don’t know that we’re smart enough to intend this as a timely question, but it certainly fits close to an election tie. Uh, and to what should the Christian stand be when it comes to politics and being involved in politics? Now, before uh Greg and I give you what we believe is the biblical uh answer to this question, I would refer you back to our recent gospel meeting.

1. Our Citizenship Is in Heaven

Uh Brother Buddy Payne addressed, uh somewhat addressed this topic uh in the gospel meeting. And so whether you’re listening to this live or watching this on YouTube, you can go back to our website uh at Bumby.org and find uh Buddy’s lessons during our recent gospel meeting uh and watch or listen to that sermon and get his viewpoint on that as well. But should Christians stand up to politically affect change is the question. And when we start talking about the idea of Christians and politics, we must first start really every question is what does the Bible say? What does God want us to do? And we need to put that in the in a broader framework. And that framework is that we understand that as Christians, as children of God, we’re most importantly, let me say that again for emphasis’ sake, we are most importantly a part of a spiritual kingdom that transcends any kingdom or any government that we might live under today.

In our Bible reading this morning, we won’t turn back there, but in our Bible reading in John chapter 18, Jesus was asked from Pilate whether he was a king. Now we think Pilate was saying a king in the earthly physical sense. Jesus replied in the positive eventually, yes, I am a king, but not the type of king that you’re thinking of. In fact, he said famously, my kingdom is not of this world. And so as Christians, we must first and foremost have that mindset. That’s a difficult mindset to have because we’re living in this world. We’re inundated with this world, we’re inundated with politics of this world. But always remember that we’re not a part of this world. We are the part of the kingdom of God.

In the book of Philippians, chapter 3, the Apostle Paul reminded those Christians in Philippi that their citizenship was in heaven. Now, just a quick kind of history lesson about Philippi. Philippi was a Roman colony, which meant that if you lived or were born in the city of Philippi, that, though you were miles away from Rome, that afforded you Roman citizenship. It was like Rome’s home away from home, if you will. And so to those people, those citizens of Philippi who would have understood this concept very cleanly, that though they lived in Philippi, they were really citizens of Rome. To them, he wrote, your citizenship is in heaven. They would have understood immediately what that meant. Though they lived here, their citizenship, their allegiance was somewhere else.

It was in heaven. And we need to have that mindset, certainly, that though we live in a political system, we live in the United States of America, we vote, we do all of those things that it means to be a citizen of this country. Never forget that your citizenship is in heaven. That puts everything else we’re going to talk about in its context. Kind of reminds us of the song This World is not my home that we sing. This world’s not my home, I’m just a passing through. When we lose that concept of just passing through, we not only can’t agree with what Paul said in Philippians 3 on being citizens of a heavenly kingdom or being having a citizenship in heaven, but we’re missing what he says in chapter 1, where he says, for me to live is Christ and to die is gained.

So part of the fundamental principle before any question, and certainly a political earthly American question, is Am I living for Christ, period, or anything else? Am I willing to recognize that, well, yes, going on to be with God is the primary choice, the primary option, but while I’m here, I’m going to do the best I can for my Savior. That’s a heavy burden. That’s a heavy bar. And so that will color our thinking, as well as a strong passage to look at, maybe if you’re watching this, you can look at it another time. Hebrews chapter 11, in that great hall of faith in verses 13 through 16, after naming Abraham and Abel and Noah and Sarah, they weren’t living for the here and now, no matter what miraculous thing God did with them through and in their lives.

2. Use Our Citizenship to Advance the Cause of Christ

They were living for that city whose builder and maker is God. And so that is, of course, our underlying principle. But to get a little bit more specific, we do still live in this world. And while, yes, it was Paul even who said, For me to live is Christ and to die is gained. That didn’t mean he did nothing but come to a church building and read his Bible, pray, or visit the sick. We kind of think of spiritual things as just the most spiritual elements we can think of. When often when we recognize how we use our time for God is not just when we’re at a building or when we’re saying a prayer or when we’re reading our Bibles or doing Bible lessons. It should be all the time.

Jesus said, You’re to deny yourself daily and follow after me. And so in this lifetime, Paul, the greatest example of that, and if you look in Acts chapter 22, he starts by giving his story essentially of how he was converted from being a devout Jew to a devout follower of Christ. And they find out that they started to beat Paul, and they made a big mistake. Without looking necessarily at the intricate details, if you look at the end of Acts chapter 22, maybe some of you may know what was the big mistake when they whipped Paul. Well, as we talked about before, he was he had Roman citizenship. That’s a big problem because who did you not beat during the Roman Empire’s reign? Any Roman citizen.

And Paul was not afraid to pull that out. And that’s an important principle, not just that we can avoid beatings by saying we’re Americans, but to say that when it is important to the work, when it’s important to our lives, we are actually part of this world. And in this case, many people here are of an American citizenship. But then you look at Acts chapter 25, and even in a different capacity, where Paul is giving an answer, he’s essentially on a trial of sorts. He’s willing to appeal up to Caesar. Again, using his Roman citizenship. Now, was that just for his faithfulness? Well, yes and no. No, because appealing before Caesar was an earthly matter. But let’s talk about for a moment why did Paul appeal to Caesar?

Well, he thought he’d be charged guilty. Well, what’s the problem with Paul who’s ready to meet God? Paul realized while we live in this life, what is our entire purpose? Our entire reason for living is to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul did that better than literally just about anybody, and that’s our example. That’s who we need to walk in the footsteps of. So if we can use our citizenship to advance the cause of Christ, I think Paul shows us in numerous places, not even just what’s here. We can and should. But if we’re talking about just doing things to kill time or to cause problems, that’s not at all the example that Paul illustrated for us. And Greg, you make a good, an excellent point that our Christianity, our citizenship in heaven, being a part of that spiritual kingdom, affects every facet of our life.

We bring that Christianity with us wherever we go. The Apostle Paul, we’ve talked so much about this morning, taught that so many times in the book of Ephesians, the book of Colossians, that whether you’re a husband or a father or a wife or a mother or a son or a daughter, or you incorporate your Christianity into that relationship. Whether you’re a slave or a master in the first century days, you bring your Christianity, your spiritual citizenship into that relationship. You’re a citizen of a government, whatever government it is, your citizenship in that government is going to be affected by your Christianity. And so I guess in some sense, if we ask the question, should Christians affect political change, I guess you could argue that how could we not?

3. Pray for Kings and All in Authority

Just by our citizenship in heaven, just by us living the good Christian life, hopefully, we’re going to affect others around us. It’s going to affect the way we live, the way we pay our taxes, the way we vote. Everything is going to be affected by that Christianity. We can’t turn that off if we’re truly a child of God. We need to also understand what our responsibility is in this kind of maybe dual citizenship that we have, being a part of this world, but more importantly, a part of that spiritual kingdom. Turn with me if you will to 1 Timothy chapter 2. The Apostle Paul, or more importantly, the Holy Spirit, directed the Apostle Paul to write these words, 1 Timothy 2. Let’s start in verse 1.

It says, Therefore I exhort, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. And then he includes specifically this category in verse 2, for kings and all who are in authority. And so Paul says, here’s one way that you can affect political change is prayer. Now let me pause here and give a plug for prayer. Preachers talk a lot about prayer. Every list that we compile includes prayer. And so it might tend in our mind to be one of those, yeah, yeah, oh, yeah, you have to say that. But do not minimize the power of prayer. Pray for kings, for all who are in authority. And here’s what our prayer should be, and hopefully the result of it will be that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. So as we try to spread this gospel message, as we try to live this gospel message in our own life, we pray. We pray that this kingdom that we live in might be affected such that we might be able to keep glorifying our God in the most open and productive way that we can. So when you think about what does that look like, then to kind of go back to the original question, should or can a Christian stand up to politically effect change? The example of Scripture is we need to focus on which kingdom first and foremost. The kingdom of Christ, the kingdom that’s spiritual, that’s not of this world.

4. Act in a Godly and Dignified Way

And anything that would stand in that pathway has surpassed something that should be number one and only as our priority. However, as Paul has shown, and even included in verse 2, sometimes the issues aren’t completely separate. And so, insofar as our politics in this country’s rights and freedoms and liberties and even suppressions of rights and liberties and freedoms affects the work of Christ, we should not only care about that, but do something. But I want to look at two key principles here. Look at the end of verse 2. Yes, we are to pray for kings and all who are in high positions, and by the way, that includes a bunch of people who are a lot more mean and disagreeable than our presidents who we’ve elected even over the last 20 years.

But this last phrase in verse 20, why? That we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. That not only tells us there is an impact of what we might call the state that we live in, unearthly citizenship, but also what are we aiming for and what are we always living under the principles of? Living a godly and dignified life in every way. That doesn’t always match our current politics. Doesn’t matter which side you’re on, or if you’re in a different side or a third side or an eighth side. Every way that we live is to be godly and dignified. For what purpose? Verse 4. God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Now think about that. If I don’t act in a godly and dignified way, if I don’t pray, or my kingdom, my leadership, my authority of the kingdom I’m a citizen of, does not help that, and I act out so strongly against it that it causes a problem. What have I distracted from? My first principle, that spiritual kingdom, the kingdom of Christ. And so it raises a question, frankly, can we act? Yes. Should we act? In some cases, of course. But I’m curious, if somebody followed me for a week, if somebody followed you for a week, which citizenship would they say you value more? And people’s opinions don’t really matter. It’s of course God who already knows the answer to that question. But can I give a couple quick tests?

What is your social media reflect? More about American political system for better or for worse? Or Christ’s kingdom. And if it is about America’s political system, is it about something that allows the spread of the gospel, or is it about something like money? Is it more about something like a type of flag that we prefer? You see, sometimes we view earthly kingdoms and spiritual kingdoms as the same when really they’re not. And sometimes we treat them as they’re different when really they are similar. So what type of political causes should we be acting on? Those that impact the body of Christ, but they’re always to be done how, verse two, in a godly and dignified way. What are we praying for, verse 2? Kings, yes, and those in high positions, but to what end?

So that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life focusing on verse 3 and verse 4, teaching as many people the good news of Jesus as possible. And anything that steps in that way or turns off 50%, 40%, 30%, or 10% of the people who would be willing to listen to that most important news would violate our priorities as those who put the spiritual kingdom first. We can’t have it both ways. We’re either first foremost and with the most priority, a member of Christ’s kingdom, or we’re trying to straddle the line and put a foot in both. And Jesus says back in Luke chapter 9 and verse 23, we’re denying ourselves daily, take up our cross and follow after him. That includes some uncomfortable conversations that may just need to be avoided.

That includes some dignified behavior that needs to be put in practice regardless of how somebody responds to me. But Jesus has done the most important thing that could ever be done. He showed us great love that Dennis led us in many songs about this morning, that we can have forgiveness of sins. That’s what we should stand up about. That’s what we should be thinking of with the most priority and how we expand our influence for Jesus each and every day. So a Christian should affect change in whatever facet they live in. And this should go without saying, but we’re going to say it anyway, that we affect that change in a peaceful, loving way. Christians should never resort to violence in any way. In fact, Jesus said, since his kingdom was not of this world, that his servants, his followers would not fight.

And so to oppose an ungodly government, to impose to oppose ungodly behaviors, must be done in a godly way. We don’t fight ungodliness with further ungodliness. And so the Christian never resorts to violence in any shape, form, or fashion. That would be violence even out of the mouth, hateful speech, hateful words. We affect change, yes, but we do so in a godly, loving, peaceable, as Greg said, way. And so let’s be citizens of this government, but most importantly, let everybody know that you’re a citizen of God’s heavenly kingdom. There’s really no good transition for it, so we’re going to go to the second block of questions here. Questions of church discipline. Everybody, I’m sure was excited for that. We took several questions on how to deal with different scenarios.

5. Various Forms of Church Discipline

For example, what can a church do with a certain type of living situation or a certain type of member attending, not attending situation. And so what we’re going to do is we’re going to look at basically, as we have them three slides first, what are some options available to the church for just church discipline? It goes beyond just withdrawal, although that is, of course, on the list. And we’re going to look at what does the Bible teach in terms of how do we respond to some objections about that, and then look at some of those specific circumstances in light of the biblical truths surrounding it. All right, when we start talking about church discipline, I think it’s very important for us to understand that in the scriptures in the New Testament, there are various forms of discipline.

I think sometimes we make a mistake when we lump it all into one, that there’s just one form of discipline. Maybe one way to think of this is think about disciplining your children. We understand that with disciplining our children, there’s different forms of discipline. And sometimes that behavior that we’re trying to correct decides whether they get time out, whether they get grounded, or whether they get floored. You know, that discipline changes depending upon the behavior that we’re trying to address. And so it is with church discipline. And so we make a mistake in lumping it into there’s one type of church discipline. This isn’t really our intent this morning, but we we need to understand the first form of church discipline is not corrective discipline, it’s instructive discipline.

Preaching and teaching is a form of discipline. It’s that instructive discipline. But really, we’re focused upon this idea of corrective discipline. One form is withdrawal. We won’t take the time to read. You can turn over to 1 Corinthians 5. We won’t read that entire context, but you remember the situation in Corinth that they had in their midst a fornicator, one who was guilty of having his father’s wife. And he was still in their midst. He was still assembling with the saints. He was still eating social meals with his brethren. And the Apostle Paul addresses this subject and says, that shouldn’t be the case. You shouldn’t have a person like this in your number. And he tells them two reasons for this corrective discipline. Let’s look there in 1 Corinthians chapter 5.

We won’t read the whole context, but I do want to notice a couple verses.

In verse 5, he says, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. The first motive was to save his soul. You take this harsh action that Paul even describes as delivering him to Satan, casting him out of your midst into the realm of Satan. That harsh form of discipline was so that his soul might be saved. Then the second purpose is given in verse 6. Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole love? And so the second motive was for the moral purity of the congregation. We can’t have that immorality in our midst because it might spread. It might spread by association.

It might spread by saying, well, if it’s okay, then I can do this. And so two motives were given to save the soul of the individual and the moral purity of the congregation, when they had this fornicator still in their midst. Now, Paul would expand that later to say if it was an idolater, reveler, other topics, doesn’t have to be just fornication that’s being dealt with. But these type of overt sins, if someone is still wanting to pretend like everything is okay, that they’re still a part of the body of Christ, still a part of the local church, then this form of discipline was, Paul says, to withdraw from such a one. Don’t have fellowship with that person. That’s what we see sometimes as most extreme form of corrective discipline.

And Paul instructs in this case that that’s what was to be done.

What is the purpose? To deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. Everything we’re about to mention, every situation, every specific uh tool the church has been given on behalf of God is for the salvation of souls. Whether it is of the collective group, not to be influenced to the negative, or the individual themselves. That’s a really crucial detail. This isn’t discipline, this isn’t spite, this isn’t you annoyed us, so we’ll annoy you back. This is for salvation for souls. And so that might help us understand the idea of marking. Well, look, just at Romans chapter 16, we’re not going to read all of those verses, but just uh chapter 16 and verse 17 in particular, and perhaps look at 18.

But in Romans chapter 16 and verse 17, the English Standard Version I’m reading from doesn’t do this as effectively as many of your translations will. So please read along carefully with me here. In Romans 16, 17. I appeal to you, brothers to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught to avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive. So, of course, in verse 17, instead of watch out for your translation may say note or mark. And that leads an important question because you can note behavior on two different ends of the spectrum, both by the definition and the biblical use of this word.

You can note good behavior and emulate that. Or you can note bad behavior. But not just the word note should we key in on. Notice the end of verse 17. What should you do with somebody that you have noted is partaking in this evil and living in this way? Avoid them. Now, so to avoid somebody, you have to first know why you’re doing it. Does Romans 16, 17 say, just avoid whoever frustrates you? No, somebody who is creating divisions, creating obstacles contrary to sound doctrine. And if such, then they must be recognized or noted or marked, and subsequently avoided. Again, does that match the principles of 1 Corinthians chapter 5? Yes, on both primary accounts. One, so that they will recognize there’s something wrong with what they’re doing, and hopefully they’ll repent of that.

And secondly, so that we don’t follow along with them into any error or into any problems in violating God’s will. So we’re seeing different types of discipline for different situations. Another one that we need to take note of is in Matthew chapter 18. Here is a privately showing someone a fault. This is a sin between two individuals. Jesus begins in Matthew 18, verse 15, saying, moreover, if your brother sins against you. It’s important to understand that what we’re talking about here is really an individual or a private situation. Here are two brethren. One sins against another. Jesus says, first, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you’ve gained your brother. But if he will not hear you, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established.

So there’s step two. Step one was privately go to that person. Step two, if that doesn’t work, take two or three more. And then step three, verse 17, if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church or to the congregation. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you as a heathen and a tax collector. And so other people may need to get involved if this situation can’t be reconciled privately as it ought to be. And so here’s a private matter and the steps of discipline that need to be enacted. Now it’s important to note that this is talking about a private individual situation. This pattern doesn’t necessarily apply to some public sin. It doesn’t apply to the first Corinthians chapter 5 situation.

You didn’t have to go to that fornicator privately. This was something everybody knew about. But here was a situation of an individual sinning against another individual and the steps that were to be taken really in disciplining this brother in trying to make these things right between these individuals. And even in these short three verses, if you look at the end of 15 and the end of 17, the same two themes are in every form here. The end of verse 15, why would you go and do this in private? If he listens to you, you have gains your brother. Again, all of these forms are for the salvation of everybody involved. Verse 17, if they don’t listen to the one or the two or three witnesses, or to the church, there is to be this separation.

6. Answering Objections to Church Discipline

Again, why? We go back to 1 Corinthians 5 and even Romans 16 to avoid everybody else falling into that sin too and causing problems. And so that person will recognize the need to repent. And so when we think about what is the reason for each step of discipline, we need to remember that the reason is love. The reason is concern for souls. It’s not anger, frustration, retaliation. It is love for the souls of the person involved in the sin and for everybody else who’s around them, to not fall into sin or in any other trap that Satan wants to lay for us. And so when we think about some objections to this, though, this becomes a little bit more interesting. People say, well, maybe we should just be loving.

And we put that in quotations because the Bible says what we just read is to be done from a loving perspective. What could be more loving than 1 Corinthians 5, verse 5, helping somebody have their spirit saved in the day of the Lord? That’s the best that the Bible offers for love. Salvation from sins. That is true love. But really, what’s intended by that from a worldly perspective is, you know, if you do something that makes people mad, if you isolate them or confront them, that’s going to make it worse. Well, the problem with that is twofold. One, loving is concern for souls. But two, God’s word says, here’s how you handle it. So it really doesn’t matter how we think or if we think it’s good psychology or a good philosophy, God says you do this so that people will recognize that need.

In Hebrews chapter 12, you see a reference, we won’t necessarily look at that, but you see a reference to where God is even willing to discipline, or fathers will discipline, again, out of what cause? Out of a cause for concern for those who they are disciplining. What is showing love? From a biblical perspective, taking action to help restore somebody’s soul into the kingdom of Christ. Nothing is more loving than having that attitude and following God’s will to accomplish that end. Another objection that sometimes is raised is simply saying that it won’t do any good. That this isolation, and if we think about it, many of these forms of discipline include that. Withdrawal in 1 Corinthians 5, uh treating them as a publican as a sinner in Matthew chapter 18, the idea of noting and avoiding them in the book of Romans.

And so isolation seems to be a fairly common theme in this discipline. And some would say, well, it doesn’t do any good. Whereas we’re going to see a little bit later, that’s not our call to make, first of all, that it won’t do any good. God instructs us to do it. And it will do some good. But let’s start here with this idea of withdrawing a fellowship or avoiding someone, whatever terms you want to use to describe this isolation. This really demands and implies that there was fellowship to begin with. And so that’s where we have to start. We need to begin to feel like a family. And so that when that fellowship is withdrawn, something’s really missed. And so we we integrate at one another.

We associate in fellowship with one another in this close-knit family that we’re supposed to have, so that when that is withdrawn, then something truly is missed. Look in the book of 2 Thessalonians, chapter 3, where again some instructions were given to discipline those. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, verses 14 and 15 says, and if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person, and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. There’s a painful step that’s made there to isolate that person so that they can feel that their behavior is not acceptable to the Lord. But then look at verse 15. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. This goes to what Greg was talking about, the idea of the motive behind it, this love.

We don’t treat them as an enemy, but we admonish them, there’s the discipline, but we admonish them as a brother. We let them know that this hurts us to use the parental uh adage again, this hurts us as much as it hurts you. But we’re doing this because we love you. And so the isolation, if there was fellowship as there ought to have been in this family, then it will be missed. And it will be painful to that person that they’ll miss that fellowship. They’ll understand the hurt that’s involved and the seriousness behind the action that’s being taken. I think one final objection is: who are we to make these judgments? Who are we to judge others? And again, the problem is consistent with each one of these is first and foremost, God says we have to be doing this.

You think about that Romans 16, verse 17 passage, what do you do? Watch out for somebody who does something that is contrary to the will of God and avoid them. And he said, watch out for what is that contrary thing? Creating obstacles, creating divisions. Well, that means you had to note that. First of all, you had to physically witness or understand it. And secondly, make the judgment that that is causing a problem. 1 Corinthians chapter 5, you had to know that there was fornication going on and make the judgment that that was contrary to God’s word. Matthew chapter 18, verse 15 begins, if your brother sins against you, that means you have to notice and then make the judgment that there has been wrongdoing. And so who are we to judge others?

The scripture says we are. But as 2 Thessalonians 3 15 says, we’re viewing each other not critically, not looking out for any fault, but rather with love, not regarding each and every one of each other as enemies, but rather as family, or as Paul says here, as brothers.

And that is, what do we do with someone who just quits attending? That we don’t see them anymore. Well, in some sense, the isolation is already been taken care of, hasn’t it, by their part? And so the idea of withdrawing, uh not allowing them in our midst to fellowship and to be an active participant in our worship service maybe doesn’t apply because they’ve made that call on their own. There may be another form of isolation that could be enacted, and that is the idea of eating with one another, the social interaction that’s talked about in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. If that is a part, and it should be a part of our fellowship, then that needs to be excluded. Another idea is the idea of noting that person.

We may have to simply say, because of this decisions that you’ve made, we cannot consider you a part of this work anymore. And so that’s the idea of noting. And that takes various forms. We make a public announcement. Take their page out of the church directory. That’s a form of discipline to say, sadly, we can’t consider you a part of our work anymore. And that’s that idea of noting. But we do all of this, as we’ve been stating, at a motive of love, and we admonish them as a brother. We don’t write them off. We still contact them. We still encourage them. We plead with them. We cry and pray for them that they might come back. The motive changes everything. Let’s remember that. It changes the way we enact discipline.

Conclusion

And it also makes what we do, even as painful as it might be, it makes acceptable to God and hopefully effective to those brethren that we’re trying to help win their souls. And just one kind of concluding word before Kendall dismiss us in a prayer. Keep in mind that if you notice, each of these scriptures, not only is there an attitude of love, there’s concern for two different parties in each of them. There’s a concern for the individual who is involved in this sin, and we focused a lot rightfully so on that. But notice in 1 Corinthians 5, who else did Paul have great concern for? The congregation, the church there. In Romans 16, what are we trying to note somebody and avoid them for? Because they’re creating obstacles and divisions in the family of God.

And you think about each of these passages in Matthew 18, why would the church even have to get to a point where they make someone a Gentile and a tax collector or a heathen? Because it impacts those who are sound in faith. So we need to be concerned for our souls and the souls of everyone with that loving spirit and those guiding principles. Appreciate everyone giving us a little bit of extra time. We’re going to be dismissed in a word of prayer. Will you pray with me? Dear God and Father in heaven, we pray that you will help us. Help us to be citizens in this government. Help us to be the light and the salt that we ought to be. That we can affect people around us, and most importantly, that we might lead them to you.

More importantly, help us to be good citizens in your kingdom. Help us to love one another. Help us to admonish one another and do whatever we can to save the souls of those around us. Help us in these endeavors, Father. Help us to be always motivated by love. Our love for you and our love for one another. In Christ’s holy name we pray. Amen. We’re now dismissed.