The Church and the Spirit (Jude 1:17-21)
Gary McManus, 08/28/2022Part of the Holy Spirit series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
August 28, 2022 Jude 1:17-21
Today: anger, sin and the Holy Spirit.
Pastor McManus has been angry:
May 22, 2022: Pastor John Lowe of Warsaw, Indiana.
May 26, 2022: the Southern Baptist Convention
published their report of crimes and abuses of some
500 Southern Baptist Pastors. (And the report is
NOT COMPLETE!)
--even locally, we have not been spared these crimes.
We (you with the Pastor) are all fighting evil in the world. Ephesians 6:12: “OUR STRUGGLE”. . .”we struggle”, “we wrestle”, “we fight”. . .
Pastor McManus feels that he is doing his part.
Where are those other Pastors? Pastor McManus
is angry remembering Ephesians 4:26.
Anger is energy/power. It is to be channeled to empower some good work or some good cause.
Pastor McManus is not yet that far along.
Notice today’s God’s Word reading. . .
Isn’t this situation exactly as Pastor has described
these crimes of the clergy?
Jude: history or prophecy? BOTH!
For Pastor McManus, healing the wounds isn’t enough.
Pastor McManus wants to work on prevention.
(Notice that almost all offenders are men. Does it
mean anything? Pastor found one woman.)
Consent is an important concept. Consent is only possible between EQUALS. If the two parties, even if both adults, are not equal, there can be no consent.
Protestants, Martin Luther taught 500 years ago
about everyone in the congregation having the
Holy Spirit. There is no spiritual hierarchy.
One either has the Holy Spirit or not.
Christian Churches have come closest to this
ideal. The Pastor is a preaching Elder, not the head
Elder. Jude makes a terrible indictment of those so called spiritual leaders—NO Holy Spirit!
Consultants: congregations who have suffered these offending clergy, have not exercised their Holy Spirit authority.
Note what Jude states: they (may) have not the Holy Spirit!
Consultant: Churches tend to see pastoral misconduct as a sin, rather than an abuse of power.
The Pastor (and congregation) must deal with the sexual behavior problems AND the abuse of power problems.
“Like-the-Master-Ministries” reminds us all:
A common claim: “Jesus said judge not.” (Matthew 7:1)
1. Read several verses. So, if we judge with righteousness, we will be judged with righteousness (that is good).
2. We are not judging the fitness of the leadership, we are judging the leader’s behavior.
(1 Corinthians 5:7)
Example: if the Pastor claims the Holy Spirit over and above the congregation? Matthew 7:3-5: the Pastor didn’t take the log out of his own eye first. (log= pride or power)
Pastor Gary: if the Holy Spirit is in question,
it is time for discernment of the Holy Spirit.
(1 John 4:1, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11).
“Confronting a church leader is always difficult,
but God will help you.”
The answer to Pastor’s anger?
The answer is the church of Jesus Christ and
the Holy Spirit in you.
Jesus, John 16:13:
“When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He WILL guide you. . .
And John 14:16-17: but you know Him (the Spirit of Truth), for He dwells with you and will be in you.
Amen.
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