This morning I
was meditating on Jesus’ letter to the seventh church, the lukewarm church of
Laodicea.[1] Jesus’
solution to their lukewarm condition includes this word of rich encouragement: “Those whom I love, I reprove and
discipline, so be zealous and repent.”[2]
The love Jesus
was speaking of is the love of affection. Even though this church had turned
away from him, and was in an adulterous affair with the world, Jesus still had
loving affection for them, like a husband wanting his adulterous bride to
return to his heart and home. This caused him to reprove them, or bring their
true condition into the light, so they would have opportunity to deal with it.
To bring this about, he would discipline them for their sinful behavior with
the aim of turning their hearts back to them.
As I was
considering how Jesus would “reprove and
discipline” a church, I was reminded that each of these letters was written
to “the angel” or “the messenger” of the church, meaning, the
head pastor of the city, or, perhaps, to the church elders of the city who were
to operate as one man in caring for the church.
Jesus had
already taught the church that it was our responsibility to carry out reproof
and discipline of sin in the church.[3] Paul
had already given this clear exhortation to pastors: “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove,
rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”[4]
When Jesus wrote
the seven churches,[5]
he sent his letter through John.[6] He
had already made clear that he does his discipline through the church. He had
already commanded pastors to reprove and rebuke in his name. It is fair to say
that the pastors/elders who received the specific letter from Jesus that
applied to their city-wide church were responsible to carry out the
instructions in Jesus’ name. He is the head of the body communicating his
thoughts, plans and purposes for the church to the leader-members of the body
who were to equip the rest of the body to walk in the ministry Jesus described.[7]
Because Jesus reproves
and disciplines lukewarm churches in love; and because the pastors of the
church are to apply Jesus’ will in loving reproof and discipline, I looked up
Scriptures concerning reproof to see what I needed to know about putting this
Scripture into practice.[8]
Here is what I discovered:
“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his
reproof, for the Lord reproves him
whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”[9]
Lesson: God’s view of reproof is that it is an expression of his love
and delight in his child. Therefore, the child of God is not to despise this
discipline, or feel weary if the reproof continues longer than we imagine we
need.
“Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself
abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.”[10]
Lesson: some instances of reproof will not go well for pastors. In such
cases, “abuse” and “injury” are sure to follow.
“Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a
wise man, and he will love you.”[11]
Lesson: in practical terms, some reproof will be less than desirable,
since it will make the scoffer express hatred; while other expressions of
reproof will show the reproved to be wise and even more loving to the one who
would care enough to expose their sin and kindly lead them to repentance.[12]
“A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to
the wise.”[13]
Lesson: someone with a scoffing heart will not go to the wise for
counsel because he does not want his sin to exposed in the light that would set
him free. Pastor, them’s the breaks!
“Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn
prudence; reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.”[14]
Lesson: when a scoffer is given due discipline, the simple learn from
this how to have good judgment and common sense. When a man of understanding is
reproved, he gains even more knowledge of what is good and right in God’s eyes.
When King Saul was disciplined by Samuel the prophet, all Israel learned what
was good and right in God’s eyes. When King David was disciplined by Nathan the
prophet, he gained knowledge of God’s ways, repented, and followed God all the
rest of his days.
“Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is
a wise reprover to a listening ear.”[15]
Lesson: as one would wear a piece of jewelry in the ear as an ornament
of beauty, so, the one who speaks reproof into a humble heart is a treasure to
the “listening ear”.[16]
“He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his
neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.”[17]
Lesson: metaphorically speaking, when the prideful stiffness of someone’s
neck of rebellion meets the unrelenting reproof of God, the person’s neck of
rebellion will be broken beyond healing. King Saul resisted to the very end and
was broken in the defeat of battle. King David humbled himself under reproof,
and continues to be a reproof and encouragement to people all around the world.
“For the ruthless shall come
to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be
cut off, who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare
for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is
in the right.”[18] Lesson: Those men who are positioned to reprove, will
face snares from the “ruthless scoffer”
who will spread the kind of words that make the reprover appear to be the
offender.
Pastors can
also expect to see those who “watch to do
evil” present their “empty plea”
with such effect that it “turns aside him
who is in the right”. Thankfully, this will not always be the case, but it
was in the times of the prophets; it was what Jesus faced from the religious
elite; and it was the kind of thing that kept getting Paul thrown into prison. Jesus
still promises that it is the ruthless scoffer who shall “come to nothing, cease, be cut off”.
“They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him
who speaks the truth.”[19]
Lesson: a pastor’s obedience to reproof may sometimes be hated and abhorred
by those who prefer living in their sin.
“And have you forgotten the exhortation that
addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the
Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.”[20]
Lesson: God’s people may need reminders from church leadership that
discipline should not be taken lightly, and reproof should not be treated as
something wearisome. God would not reprove if he did not love.[21] Because
he loves, he reproves. Loving pastors must follow in his steps.
“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous
and repent.”[22]
Lesson: Pastors, as under-shepherds, must love, reprove, and discipline,
even as Jesus himself continues to do through his body, the church.
Perhaps it is
because of the dangers involved in reproving God’s people that Paul used such
strong language in introducing the pastor’s job of reproving and rebuking sin
in the congregation. He wrote: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to
judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:”[23]
The
following exhortation to “preach the
word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with
complete patience and teaching”,[24] was not given by a man operating as a spiritual maverick. It was
given by Paul as an apostle, speaking in the presence of God, and the presence
of Jesus, the one who will appear in judgment. It is more important for pastors
to be right with Jesus, than with those they reprove.
Now,
to show that the difficulties in reproving people are not confined to the Old
Testament alone, Paul elaborates on what will be the experience of church
leaders in the days ahead: “For the time
is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears
they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will
turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”[25]
While it is necessary for pastors to reprove and rebuke whether it is received
or not, there will be a growing characteristic of people ignoring reproof and
listening only to those who say what they want to hear.
What does the
pastor do? “As for you, always
be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your
ministry.”[26] In other words, carry on doing God’s will no matter how it is
rejected or received. We serve the Living and True God. Let him reprove,
rebuke, discipline and encourage us in his love, and then let us lead the people
of God by following in his steps.
From
my heart,
Monte
© 2013 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
[1]
Revelation 3:14-22
[3]
Matthew 18:15-17; cf I Corinthians 5
[5]
Revelation 2-3
[6]
“The revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon
take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the
testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.” (Revelation 1:1-2); “John to
the seven churches that are in Asia:” (Revelation 1:4).
[7]
“11 And he
gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
12 to equip the saints
for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the
unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be
children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of
doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth
in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
16 from whom the whole
body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when
each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up
in love.” (Ephesians 4:11-16)
[8]
“24 Everyone
then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who
built his house on the rock. 25 And
the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house,
but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these
words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his
house on the sand. 27 And
the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew
7)
[9]
Proverbs 3:11-12
[12]
“4 Or do you presume on the riches of his
kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant
to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2)
[16]
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.’” (Revelation 3:22)
[21]
“For the Lord disciplines the one he
loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” Hebrews 12:6
[23]
II Timothy 4:1
[24]
II Timothy 4:2
[25]
II Timothy 4:3-4
[26]
II Timothy 4:5
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