TAKE IT OUTSIDE THE CAMP!

Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19; Luke 10:13-37; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 12:12-14

“You must have a designated area outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. Each of you must have a spade as part of your equipment. Whenever you relieve yourself, dig a hole with the spade and cover the excrement. The camp must be holy, for the Lord your God moves around in your camp to protect you and to defeat your enemies.”

“I warned the proud, ‘Stop your boasting!’
 I told the wicked, ‘Don’t raise your fists!
 Don’t raise your fists in defiance at the heavens or speak with such arrogance.’ For no one on earth—from east or west, or even from the wilderness—should raise a defiant fist. It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall.”

“The wicked are trapped by their own words, but the godly escape such trouble.”

I love the Bible’s practicality, never more so than when thinking about today’s quote from Deuteronomy. Once more, God provides for the health of His people in a very pragmatic way: take your excrement outside the camp, and cover it so it does not endanger others! What sound advice! It applies equally to all the spiritual excrement we spread throughout the Body of Christ.  Take all the garbage outside the camp. It’s dangerous to spread rumors and criticism. Don’t tolerate it. Make those who insist on dwelling on such things take it outside and bury it.

I should be clear about my concept of “spiritual excrement.” I am not speaking of honest concerns or theological disagreements. In no way would I support rejection of legitimate Christian instruction, correction or education. Accountability is a critical component of the character of the Body of Christ. What is not critical, but can be deadly, is the ad nauseum repetition of personal opinion, gossip and hearsay without foundation as if it was fact. That kind of judgment poisons everything it touches. Its impact and destructive potential is almost always underestimated by those who arrogantly believe they are divinely appointed to distribute their personal feelings as gospel to anyone who will listen and, especially, to those who’d prefer not to. In short, picking a scab until it bleeds does nothing but promote infection.

Tonight, our church faces a distinct crossroads, and it is very unclear how the tide will turn. Several church members have legitimate concerns about various things. Some really did try to follow the dictates of Matthew 18, but felt their efforts were dishonored and dismissed without fair hearing. So they formed a group within the Church. Then, they made the fatal mistake of giving the group a name and, hence, presumed legitimacy. Pretty soon, the group’s leaders lost their own perspective, as they were consumed by the sheer volume of criticisms levied by various individuals at church leadership. Rather than being the positive agent of change its leaders hoped for, the group rapidly became a cesspool for the dumping of every frustration and personal vendetta any member of the group cared to raise. They now are perilously close to creating precisely the type of schism they say they wanted to avoid in the first place. Tonight is our annual church conference where the plans and leadership of the church are set for the upcoming year. I pray it does not turn into the bloodbath some maliciously are hoping it becomes.

What causes one believer to voice such venom against fellow believers? Why do others tolerate the spread of such destructive forces within an institution specifically designed by God to stand against those very things? I don’t know. But I do know the Church is not the place to air our dirty laundry or to vent our spleens in the name of Christ.  And, thankfully, I still believe in the power of prayer to reconcile individuals and turn all hearts to the Spirit’s will. May those who make Jesus their first and only objective always prevail! May those who disagree with that priority take it outside the camp!