Sharp Rebuke

12/10/2016

Titus 1.12-14 12 One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth. – St. Paul

I wonder what one of our own prophets would say of us? Americans are frenetic, busy; always reaching for the next goal and never content with what they’ve achieved. They are fat, spoiled, and careless.

Now, I must agree, not all the Cretans were as the prophet denounced. But generally, they were. The same could be said for Americans. I have visited a couple Third World countries. I wouldn’t call them liars, evil, lazy, and gluttonous; but I would say they operate at a different pace than we Americans do. Every culture has its culture.

Now, I recently went to an Air Force Basic Military Training graduation. I never saw someone get “dressed down” but I did see many young men who were quite different in their demeanor and decorum because of their training. All of them would agree: they were all repeatedly rebuked sharply. They came into Basic Training one way and came out another.

Paul, the Apostle said to Titus: rebuke them (the Cretans) sharply. Don’t take any of their crap and push them to be sound in their faith paying no attention to folktales or the human commands to do so. When is the last time you were rebuked in Church by someone other than the pastor in his sermon?

What would happen in the American Church if we were so committed to the truth that we would sharply rebuke those in the local church who were evil brutes, liars, evil brutes, and gluttonous? Would it make a difference? Is there a place in the modern church for effective and loving sharp rebuke?

I have seen and heard criticism of the military and the way they go about things. I will admit, there is a plan and a purpose for what they do and why they do it – it gets results. So, what about the Church? Why is it we rail against certain sins and leave other ones alone? Why is much of the evangelical church so outspoken about homosexuality and so quiet about adultery and divorce? Makes you wonder why there isn’t some sharp rebuking going on…

I’m not sure we trust each other all that much, and I know we don’t love each other all that much either. The military does what it does to get a fairly rapid result; it has nothing to do with love. But why is it in the Church that because of love, we don’t get after one another for being stupid about our faith? The military and the Scripture both have expectations; what are the expectations in the modern church?

I admit it would take courage and hard work, but in the greater view of things would it be worth it? If we profess Jesus as Savior on Sunday and go out and live like hell Monday through Saturday, what does that really say about our faith? If we add to the Scripture all sorts of humanism and rituals,  what does that really say about our belief in those Scriptures. What would it say of our faith if we cared enough to jump in front of a bullet to save a brother but then rebuked him for getting in the way of it in the first place?

Lord, Help us. Help me. Amen