November 4, 2009

To Tell or Not to Tell

This past Sunday, a couple was baptized. We had the Lord's Supper that evening, and the couple came forward to give their testimony. This same couple had been up front a good bit the past few weeks to stand before the church and ask prayer. As they told about their shortcomings and failures and asked forgiveness of the church and respective spouse, I remembered when "church" used to be that way. Sometimes I feel like we're in a time warp here, and it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Now, I know that there is an appropriate time and place to air the dirty laundry, but I also know that the Bible tells us to confess our faults one to another. I also know we're encouraged to seek the prayer of the saints and the elders, and how can this be done if we are too "private" to admit when there's a problem? I am the guilty party here. Unless the Lord does some MAJOR something-or-other in me, I've never stood up and don't plan to, to share my sins with my brothers and sisters in the church. Sure, I'll tell you if Ken's lost his job or Caroline has a fever or I've got a toothache, but REALLY personal? Probably not. I wonder how many opportunities for encouragement and prayer support have I missed by not getting personal.

1 comment:

  1. Its hard to share those things because they make us vulnerable. You really have to know when to share and admire those who are brave enough to be transparent.

    ReplyDelete

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