For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God? -1 Peter 4:17
I’ve been a Christian for 40 years and I’ve never seen a time of cleansing like what we’re seeing in the church right now. Leaders are literally falling like dominoes before our eyes!
We are very foolish, however, if we think this is just about Christian leaders and the sins they commit. This is a call to examine our own hearts. Every single one of us should humble ourselves before the Lord and realize that judgment begins in the entire household of God, not just those who are in positions of leadership.
If we’re not examining ourselves in this season and repenting of the sin that is in our own life, we are failing to get the message that God is trying to send!
The correct response to judgment
When we see judgment taking place in God’s family it should cause us to come into the fear of the LORD.
As soon as Moses had finished saying all this, the ground beneath them split open, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households—all Korah’s men and all their possessions. They went down alive into Sheol with all they owned. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly. At their cries, all the people of Israel who were around them fled, saying, “The earth may swallow us too!” -Numbers 16:31-34
When the Judgment of God came upon these people, and the earth swallowed them up, the correct response was NOT to look at them and say, “I knew it all along. They finally got what they deserved!!”
We might be tempted to point our finger at the sins of others, but it’s almost never a good idea. It’s far better in a day of purifying judgment to humble ourselves.
God was sending a message, and the people got it exactly right when they said, “The earth may swallow us too!”
This event was meant to wake up the entire community. It was not just about Korah’s rebellion. This event was meant to send a message to all the people of God, and to instill the fear of the LORD.
I urge you to read the account of the events recorded in Numbers 16. There are some extremely serious lessons to be gleaned from this chapter. You would think that having the earth open up and swallow people alive would immediately humble everyone who witnessed it, or heard of it happening, and yet, for many people that is not what took place. They continued in the rebellious attitude that Korah had exhibited just before the earth had swallowed him and his companions alive. Because of their lack of repentance, and hard and stubborn hearts, God sent a plague among the community, and 14,700 additional people died from the plague!
They had seen God’s judgment come upon Korah and yet they thought that they were somehow above being judged themselves.
We see the same kind of lessons in the Book of Acts when it came to the judgment of Ananias and Sapphira. Both of them were struck down and died for their deception. The result was that the entire community of believers entered into the fear of the LORD.
Not only did the Church enter into the fear of the LORD, but even those who did not consider themselves Christians stood back in fear!
And great fear came over the whole church and all who heard about these events. -Acts 5:11
The correct response to the judgment of God, is to fall on our face before God, humble ourself, and be in the fear of the LORD.
This attitude is expressed in the following verse.
If you, O LORD, were to keep track of sins, O Lord, who could stand before you? But you are willing to forgive, so that you might be feared. -Psalms 130:3-4
God opposes the proud
There’s a principle that threads its way through the entirety of the Bible:
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. -James 4:6
When judgment is taking place in God’s house the last thing I want to do is put myself on God’s radar screen by getting up on my high horse and acting like I’m better than everyone else!
This is the time to examine ourselves. It is not the time to get proud and haughty and start pointing fingers at the sins of others!
But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. -1 Corinthians 11:31-32
This passage contains, what I believe to be, one of the most precious nuggets of wisdom in the entire Word of God when it comes to the subject of Divine Judgment.
“But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.”
This is profoundly simple, and profoundly wise! It’s a call to humility.
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. -Isaiah 57:15
In his first letter to the Corinthians, we find the Apostle Paul explaining why many in that Church found themselves in the condition of being “weak and ill”. They may not have understood that their sickness was caused by the disciplinary hand of God.
What we find here, is that there were some who were treating their brothers and sisters in Christ with disrespect by partaking of communion in a way that dishonored them.
When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. -1 Corinthians 11:20-22
I urge you to go to 1st Corinthians and read the whole chapter. The end result of their conduct, was that the disciplinary hand of God came upon them, and we’re told that many became sick, and some even died!
That is why many of you are weak and sick, and quite a few are dead. -1 Corinthians 11:30
Thankfully, God is not in the habit of acting with such severity! But the point that I am trying to make is that we ought to be very careful how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ. And I think it is especially applicable in a time where God is cleansing the Church.
When I see judgment taking place in the household of God, I ought to take note of the fact that I’m part of the household!
Being a part of God’s household, I want to do everything I can to avoid coming under the judgment that I see going on all around me!
What should I do then?
“But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.”
I simply humble myself, let the Holy Spirit search me, and judge myself instead of waiting for Him to judge me! This is why I believe humility is so important at this time.
Social media’s influence
I’m NOT saying that there isn’t a place for proper exposure of sin. In the Old Testament Nathan the prophet came to King David and called him out.
Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” -2 Samuel 12:7
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul openly addresses sin that was going on in the Corinthian Church.
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. -1 Corinthians 5:1-2
Clearly, there is a proper place for calling out sin.
There’s an interesting verse in Hosea that I came across while I was meditating on this subject.
When I heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim will be exposed, as well as the crimes of Samaria. -Hosea 7:1
In this verse God connects exposure of sin with healing. His intentions behind exposure are redemptive in nature.
In most cases this unveiling, or exposure of our sin, takes place privately as the Holy Spirit convicts us. His conviction is meant to turn us from our sin so that healing may come. I think it can be said, that depending on the circumstances, and the seriousness of the issues that are at hand, that God’s usual preference is to attempt to first resolve things privately rather than publicly. This is why we find Jesus giving the following counsel.
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church… -Matthew 18:15
We can see from this passage that when there is an unrepentant heart and a refusal to deal with known sin, there is, by the words of Jesus Himself, to be a progressive escalation of public exposure.
It should also be said that in some cases certain sins, by the nature of those sins, should be directed to law enforcement. Matthew 18 is not meant to circumvent the legal system!
For the purpose of this post, however, I am speaking not of punitive action, but of the general principle that God’s purposes are redemptive.
Scripture clearly teaches that exposure of sin, and it’s subsequent repentance, is part of God’s healing process.
Therefore, we should be extremely careful that we do not set ourselves up as judge and jury over the Body of Christ!
Social media has created an unprecedented opportunity for gossip and accusation, and that should be avoided at all costs.
If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. -Galatians 5:15
In my own mind, I’m personally convinced that much of the exposure that’s taking place right now is because the Lord is setting things right in His Church.
On the other hand, I’m also convinced that the Lord is looking at each one of us, not just leaders. I believe it’s entirely possible that each one of us is being tested.
He who examines hearts and minds assays our response to the exposure we seeing happening all around us.
Are we inclined to point our finger at others, or are we inclined to examine ourselves?
The answer to that question can be very telling.
The devil masquerading
I also have another reason for being cautious during this season. It would not surprise me if the enemy tries to take advantage of the present situation of “exposure” by dressing himself as an Angel of Light, masquerading as one who is doing the Lord’s work, while actually sowing dark seeds of accusation and suspicion in the Body of Christ.
I think the present time requires us to be extremely discerning. Not everyone who is accused is guilty! And yet again, there are some who are guilty, whose sins were long ago forgiven. I am absolutely sure that the devil would like to resurrect sins that God has long ago put away.
The purifying fire of the Lord is of a completely different nature than the destroying fire of the evil one.
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. -James 3:6
If you have no fear of inserting yourself into situations like this, and decide you’re going to make a ministry out of exposing others, just remember that God’s penetrating gaze knows everything about you too!
…all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will repay each one of you what your deeds deserve. -Revelation 2:23
While it might be true that God is leading some people to go on social media and be “agents of change” by bringing to light things that are hidden- for most of us, it would be far wiser to humble ourselves, and let this season of cleansing do its effectual work, by turning us from our own sins.
Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and so that he may send the Messiah appointed for you—that is, Jesus. –Acts 3:19-20
The worst thing that we can possibly do is see others being judged for their sins and fail to change our own sinful behavior!
The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD. -Obadiah 1:3-4
We’re living in great pride and deception if we see judgment happening all around us, but somehow think we’re immune from the purifying flame.
When you look across the landscape of the Church, and see the Hand of the Lord bringing deep correction in the lives of others, does it cause you to be in fear, knowing it could just as easily be you being called to account?
Or are you like “Unfaithful Judah”, who in the following story, can see the Judgment of God coming upon others, but nevertheless, persist in your own sin unafraid??
Her sister, unfaithful Judah, saw what she did. She also saw that, because of wayward Israel’s adulterous worship of other gods, I sent her away and gave her divorce papers. But still her unfaithful sister Judah was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods. –Jeremiah 3:7
When you see God judging others for their sins, and you pridefully remain unafraid, you are just setting yourself up for a fall!
Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds! Why should you die, O house of Israel?’ -Ezekiel 33:11
Return, Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. -Hosea 14:1
Make no mistake about it. We’re in a season of cleansing. The only proper response in a season of cleansing is to humble ourselves.
This season is not about exposing the sins of other people, this season is about examining our own hearts and repenting of our own sin.
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. -Isaiah 55:6-7