S) "25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another."
Ephesians 4:25 (NASB)
O) This passage is in the context of unity among believers, so it's not talking about malicious deception. This passage is talking about the Christian F-word: Fine. Jon Acuff has a funny blog entry about it here, and it really sums up this verse. If we're really thinking of ourselves as one body, the body of Christ, then we're not helping ourselves or anyone else by glossing over our problems. Most people will quickly agree that it's unhealthy to keep secrets from a spouse. If you're struggling with a sin, or having financial problems, some other kind of trouble - it would be utterly foolish to hide something like that. Why? Because your spouse is one flesh with you. They are blessed as you are blessed and hurt when you are hurt. The same is actually true with the body of Christ! Sure, practically speaking it's less direct, but it's no less true! If something is wrong in your life, whether a sin, or tragedy, or affliction, or trial, etc, then it's going to hurt your ability to be an effective member of that body. Now, maybe this effect is lessened if you were already "dead weight" but I'm sure no one reading this falls under that catagory ;)
A) This certainly becomes more impactful as a member of church staff. If I'm struggling with a sin, that's going to affect my capacity for ministry. If I have issues that are draining me emotionally (like some kind of family chrisis) then it will affect my ability to minster effectively (distracting, exhausting, etc). It's hard to be honest, though. Sometimes it's guilt, sometimes it's that I don't want the attention, sometimes it's that I don't want to "be a bother," but ultimately, I can't afford to be "fine." The only fix here is to hold myself accountable to church members in bold faith and unadulterated truth. I'm going to immediately follow up this post with some text messages...
P) Father, I need courage to be more honest with my brothers and sisters. I don't often think of this as a lie, I suppose. It seems less like a lie sometimes, and more like an "interpretation" of the word "fine." I can't keep that up, though. Holy Spirit, help me be bold in my confession/requests. Sometimes I need to be vocal about my deficiencies; sometimes I need to be a snitch. Convict me in those moments, God, to be honest with my brothers and sisters, my church body. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
A) This certainly becomes more impactful as a member of church staff. If I'm struggling with a sin, that's going to affect my capacity for ministry. If I have issues that are draining me emotionally (like some kind of family chrisis) then it will affect my ability to minster effectively (distracting, exhausting, etc). It's hard to be honest, though. Sometimes it's guilt, sometimes it's that I don't want the attention, sometimes it's that I don't want to "be a bother," but ultimately, I can't afford to be "fine." The only fix here is to hold myself accountable to church members in bold faith and unadulterated truth. I'm going to immediately follow up this post with some text messages...
P) Father, I need courage to be more honest with my brothers and sisters. I don't often think of this as a lie, I suppose. It seems less like a lie sometimes, and more like an "interpretation" of the word "fine." I can't keep that up, though. Holy Spirit, help me be bold in my confession/requests. Sometimes I need to be vocal about my deficiencies; sometimes I need to be a snitch. Convict me in those moments, God, to be honest with my brothers and sisters, my church body. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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