Posted December 29th, 2011 at 06:58 AM by Lois
Correction....there are those who feel a minister has the authority to confront and correct you about any and all aspects of your life, even things quite personal. Some feel they have no right to correct anyone over anything. We have all heard stories that we cannot correct those in leadership, but must leave any correction to God.
There is also the aspect of *how* correction should be made. Are we to openly rebuke people in front of the church for any and all matters? Do you have a right to face your accusers? Should someone just accept the word of one person? Do we have any recourse if we feel the correction is unwarranted or carried out in an inappropriate manner?
The Bible does give the church guidelines concerning correction. But how does this compare to what we were taught and what we may have personally experienced in an unhealthy church?
Many of us experienced it first hand or at least witnessed it. In order to not fall prey to this in the future, you need to get to the heart of it. When we find how the Bible describes correction, then we can hold others to this standard and not allow ourselves to be put in this position again.
I recall my former pastor telling of an incident which happened in his church prior to my becoming a member. He felt there was division in the church and he sat at the front of the church and had each member parade by him and say whether or not they'd been speaking negatively about him. (He based this on an OT incident.)
I forget all the details but I have it recorded on a tape where he brought it up in a sermon (more than once he mentioned this event). So he 'corrected' the people in front of all. After this incident, the church had a split.....I wonder why???
Ministers are not to police people. The Bible teaches against this. Remember when the disciples were discussing amongst themselves which of them would be the greatest? Jesus told them that the greatest must be the last of all, and a servant of all. (Mark 9:35)
In Matthew 20 it describes how the mother of John and James went to Jesus with a request that each of her sons sit at the side of Jesus in his kingdom. Of course, this didn't sit well with the other 10 apostles! But Jesus called them together and explains in verses 25- 28, "...Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. BUT IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU: but whosoever will be great among you, LET HIM BE YOUR MINISTER. And whosoever will be chief among you, LET HIM BE YOUR SERVANT: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
If a pastor does not have the heart of a servant and a minister, then they should step down. I Peter 5:2-3 also shows this: "FEED the flock of God which is among you,...
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