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All in good humor here, but last week I spent quite a bit of time engaged in discussion with a couple of people about the “horrors” of the church, primarily how allegedly the entire church everywhere has become powerless, never speaks of sin, God’s discipline, or anything that might make people feel uncomfortable.
So I walked into church Sunday and the first thing I heard was, “For whom the LORD loves He reproves” and “Those I love, I rebuke and discipline.” I very nearly stood up and shouted, Now see, and the devil is a liar! It was somewhat comical, because they would have had no idea what in the world I was talking about, but God’s timing is just so perfect it makes me laugh sometimes.
Take that, random internet dudes.
So proceeded quite a wonderful sermon, a beautiful blend of love from the book of John, and discipline, too. Perfectly entwined as they should be.
The idea of love and discipline going hand in hand with one another can be really hard for some people. There are so many people who have trouble with authority, who have histories of abuse, who have hard time submitting to Christ. They simply cannot separate in their minds the difference between God correcting you out of love and their visions of some human bully on a power trip.
I always like to point out that “discipline” is the same root word as “disciple.” It simply means to teach. Sometimes it can be so hard to convince people that God is not out to get you, that God does not hate you, that God is not waiting to pounce the moment you do something wrong. Those things may be true of some human people, but that is not God at all.
Ironically those who were complaining the most about “the church” as a whole last week, revealed some other benefits of discipline, protection, provision, safety, order, a sense of belonging, and an awareness that you are loved.
Don’t let anyone tell you different. The devil is a liar.
See, there's this thing called biology... 
Does that make Donald J. Trump the Devil?
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And the very blackest of lies is the perversion of scripture eh msb?
Remember the devil taking the Lord to a high mountain and showing him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time……..then promising the moon as it were if He would but prostrate before Him; while they may have been under his influence, they were not his to give; then even worse, the idea of tempting Him to fall off the temple roof so God could send angels, a raping of Psalm 91, but the idea of the devil quoting scripture is astounding.
He is as you say, a liar, and the father of it. ‘Hath God said?’ I can hear that snickering hiss at the expense of ‘it is written AGAIN………..’ a truth so wonderful that to know the lie, we need the armor of ALL scripture being profitable.
But we also give the devil too much credit for things that the flesh is guilty of.He traffics in the area of distorting scripture, heck, my coveting or lust is my fault, not His.But boy can I smell his breath from afar, and see his tracks. But yes, the love of God kinda puts things in order, and automatically tells that crafty one to take a hike. And sometimes this love may come via suffering, which can be that pure furnace of pain even, that refining that can come no other way.
God can make no mistake, and His love is out of this world.
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Amen! His love is out of this world, indeed! I honestly believe He wraps us in cotton and keeps us behind a hedge of protection. The enemy has no power over us….except that which we surrender mostly by listening to his lies. Or worse, actually swallowing his lies. “Did God really say…” so, so true. His tactics sure haven’t changed much, but Jesus absolutely crushed him underfoot. 🙂
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Wraps us in cotton. Ha. And we’re not even special snowflakes! lol.
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LOL! Well not all of us…
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I would say that the blackest of lies is the perversion of the central theme of the scriptures, that is, the Gospel of Salvation.
Of course, Satan attacks from both directions – he is just as likely to twist the Law around to our liking so that we no longer see our need for a Saviour in it, but he is still not content until the only true hope we have is utterly destroyed as well.
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Now there’s an idea, to document the blackest of lies. Probably run out of paper sadly.
But to trifle with such truth, was met with Paul’s words: ‘if any man preach any other gospel……….let him be accursed.’
Straight and strong language.
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I love your word connection of discipline to disciples. Great post.
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Thank you 🙂
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AND to the sense of protection. Thanks for that!
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“…the “horrors” of the church, primarily how allegedly the entire church everywhere has become powerless, never speaks of sin, God’s discipline, or anything that might make people feel uncomfortable.”
I like how these people like us to rub OTHER people’s noses in their sin. How about, “Today, we will be talking about gossip and judgmentalism in the church…” 🙂
On discipline, one of the hardest things about correction is that it gets perceived as rejection, and no one likes being rejected! But knowing we are loved and valued changes this. A person who is affirmed and loved knows it’s only given for their welfare and will gladly receive it, and because it was given with grace.
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I agree. The devil is the master of deception, and a big fat liar. It sounds like you go to a good church, but we should all be aware of certain influences that are infiltrating the worldwide church on a massive scale, and is turning it into what is described in that first paragraph. I have personally seen and experienced it, but our Lord is faithful and He will protect His children. I can testify to that.
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Wow I see providence guiding the sermon in a timely matter.
You’re right, the Lord uses the church and the Devil is a liar.
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