Cherry Picking Time

It's not quite cherry-picking time here in mid-Wisconsin, yet many Christians practise this with their Bible verses throughout the year. Today's verse is an example of that - a verse that I myself have been guilty of cherry-picking.

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” - Matthew 18:20

Have you ever said that before praying with someone, before a prayer meeting, or at a Bible study? As Inigo Montoya once said, "I do not think that means what you think it means." And it doesn't. That verse is actually the last verse in a passage of scripture dealing with church discipline - the disciplining of our brothers and sisters in Christ, caught in sin. Let's read the whole thing - in context.

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” - Matthew 18:15-20

These words from Jesus are an extension of the commands that God gave Moses in Deuteronomy. Another verse about what to do if someone sins.

"One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." - Deuteronomy 19:15

What Jesus was sayingin Matthew is that whenever two or more Christians gather in His name His spirit is there with them. His Word is there with us in our hearts. The Holy Spirit will be present, and we can THEN rebuke a brother or sister who is unrepentant in their sin.

It's basically like this: Would Jesus rebuke a believer and call them to repentance if He indeed found them unrepentant in their sin? Yes, I believe He would do that. And so should we.

We as believers should not be sinning. Period. And we should pray that God's Holy Spirit would reveal any sin in us, to us. God forgives us our sins, if we repent of them. If we don't repent, we will be kicked out of God's church and the doors will be shut on us. That's just the way it is in God's Kingdom.

Cherry-picking verses for our own comfort and convenience is not a good practise.