Last Sunday we our ministry of the Word again took the form of a Discovery Bible Study (DBS) as we looked at I Cor. 7:17-24. The text has important ramifications regarding how we guide new disciples in making life choices out of obedience to Jesus. At its most basic level the text is rather simple. The apostle Paul’s “rule in all the churches” (v. 17b) is, essentially, “be as you are in your surroundings and obey the Lord’s commands.” A key assumption undergirding the apostle’s guidance is that when God calls us He does so as we are, where we are, and in light of what we are. There is, then, nothing which compels us to be something other than what we are when we come to Christ. The past does not matter nearly as much as the disciple’s ongoing commitment to obey the Lord (cf. Phil. 3:12-16). This is an important practical consequence of God’s providence, or His absolute control over every detail of existence. Our redemption (v. 23) obligates us to be obedient (v. 19), and in “keeping the commandments of God” changes in our class and status are indifferent matters for the most part. Our relationship with God hinges on the saving act of redemption through Christ Jesus and not on considerations of class, status or gender. This truth emerges from the text even though a reader may not be familiar with the 1st century cultural phenomena of slavery and circumcision (as a religious rite rather than a hygienic procedure). Unlike inveterately status-conscious sinners the Lord shows no partiality (Acts 10:34; James 2:1, 9). This being so, we have to be very careful to not devise extra-biblical criteria for what the Christian life should look like. God wants to change new disciples where they are. We must rejoice in people where they are rather than where we would like them to be. We want them to remain in their life settings insofar as they do not sin in doing so. It is the challenge of being “in the world but not of the world” (cf. I Cor. 5:9-11) writ large in one’s life. This makes for some messy situations, and a certain freedom of conscience must prevail in situations that scripture does not clearly address. Letting people remain in their life stations enables the gospel to permeate “foreign areas” like the leaven that it is. We should be less preoccupied about new disciples leaving their sub-cultures to join ours (while not diminishing the need for the church fellowship) than about being able to enter their sub-cultures and empower them to bring Christ to the people they know there. In response to what we learned we committed ourselves to these applications: *I will re-read this passage again this week in order to better understand it. *I will share what I have learned about this passage with a believer or unbeliever. *I will remind myself of my completeness in Christ when I feel dissatisfied with my station and status in life. *I will avoid putting unbiblical criteria for spirituality upon others. *I will not adopt any dress, mannerism or other external trapping to make me look spiritual. *I will think about and specifically recommit myself to obeying the Ten Commandments. *I will list five ways that I am a bondservant of Christ, and five way in which I am free in Christ. This Sunday we will minister the Word to one another with a look at Matt. 15:1-9. In lieu of our usual time of worship members and friends will begin prayer walks in our neighborhoods at 10am and gather at the building at 11am. The idea is to conclude our time together by noon. However, the last time we did this we met until 1:30! Everyone who reads this is welcome to join us for prayer and study as we go forward with new strategies for bringing the good news to our community.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 14:31:34 +0000
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