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 A
member of a certain church told me that the son of an elder
there is guilty of an obvious moral wrong. My informant said
that because of money, family ties, church politics, etc.,
nothing would ever be done about it. It was a sordid picture
indeed.
Ideally,
the father should seek to correct his son; or failing this, ask
a friend (of family) to work with the situation. And father,
friend, and the whole church should be more concerned with
saving the boy’s soul than with preserving their individual
and collective pride. In 1 Cor. 5: the writer spends one verse
on the incestuous man, and the rest of the chapter on the
pride-filled church that would do nothing about it.
So
— I suggested to my concerned informer, that he go to the boy.
Acknowledge the weakness of the church; that nothing
would likely be done under the prevailing circumstances (and the
boy knows this as well or better than anyone else) but plead
with the boy on the basis of his obligation to God. This
is unchanged, regardless of what others may or may not do. “Show
the boy that you are concerned, and that you will
pray and work with him to make things right
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with God.”
My
listener was amazed shocked at my suggestion. “ME get involved
in a thing like that?? You must be out of your mind!! The family
might turn on me. Beside that, I am in business and can’t
afford to take such chances of losing customers.”
He
would have said more, but I interrupted. “Tell me again —
what is wrong with that church of which you are a member??”
“Why,
they won’t do anything about the sins of the members. They are
so wrapped up in their money — their little cliques and family
ties — that they would let the church go to hell before they
would move a hand. Why they —” and he stopped short in his
embarrassment. “They ———”
Yeahhh!
Well
son, whoever, wherever you are, your sin is no less because they
are weak. Will you be a MAN about it?
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