quinta-feira, 28 de maio de 2015

PASTORAL WORD - the Church of CHRIST. (Mat. 16: 13-19)




My brothers and my sisters today I would like to reflect with you on the Church of Christ again. I have used this space to talk about the Church. Today I'd like to think with you about the kind of knowledge that we have of the Church. What we know about the Church? Do we really know the mission and who is the Church? I think we all know in theory. But in fact, at the bottom even we don't always know what it does and who is the Church of Christ. But what would this humble Shepherd to talk like that? Without doubt our behavior, our way of dealing with the Church of Christ. Unfortunately not always stop to think about it or to evaluate us even to find out if we really know what it does and who is the Church that we meet. Let's think a bit without constrangermos and honestly about what we do in the Church and we will realize that we don't know actually. We don't know his Ministry and who governs the Church. We said yes. But in fact don't. Let's see: we usually have criticism against the Church of Christ. If we were to meet everyone and all within their claims would have to be a lot of Churches including the Church. Would be more or less like this, we would have a main church and among this church would have other according to what you think and what they want the groups in their claims. Usually there are many discussions in churches about it about it, about this pastor, about that preacher. We take people to have sufferings within our communities. The whole time we're seeing and highlighting the problems and we don't have eyes for we see qualities of the people in the Kingdom of God. The very interesting in these discussions is that we see much of what is in our self-interest and inside our optics. How many things do not match so we were criticizing and always positioning against. Loved this is dangerous because we're not the ones who have power and authority over the Church of Christ, but is the Church of Christ who has power and authority over us. Always good to remember that the Church of Jesus received authority to forgive and retain sins. The Church of Jesus has authority to bind and unbind from the heavens. On the other hand we need to understand that when we talk of Christ Church we are speaking of Christ himself, since He is confused with his Church. Look in the book of acts chapter nine verses one through nine with emphasis on reflection to the verse five. Jesus responds to then Saul: I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Now, Saul (after Paul) was persecuting the Church. For Jesus chasing the Church means to continue it. He mingles with his Church. Why work with a church is the same as working with Jesus. Criticizing a church can be a critique of Jesus himself.
But we're here criticizing all the time. Call again the attention to a chronic problem that we have in our churches. Criticize our pastors. In Ephesians Chapter 4 verses seven to sixteen. Here Paul shows us that Pastorate is a called a God to equip and improve the church so that she (the Church) to grow up healthy. And this pastoral ministry is the Ministry of master. What's more, it was God who was called and his ministers as well as other ministries in the Church.
Brothers and sisters the Church of Christ is Christ himself in this world. Your job is to build the Kingdom of God in the hearts of the people.
We know that human beings make mistakes. But when mistakes are of people criticize with love to these people and not to the Church. When the errors are of the shepherds love to criticize these pastors without generalizing and without taking advantage of the opportunity to find that this is no good to us more, we need another pastor. Look at that danger. And if this is not the will of God? When we criticize a member of the Church or even a pastor we are putting us in a position to be criticized for them too? Sometimes not criticize because they know who the Church of Jesus is and what is it mission in this world.
Beloved, the Kingdom of God cannot be built on the basis of judgment and of the fingers at the ready (singled out for others). The Kingdom of God is built with love, tolerance, acceptance, acceptance, seeks to understand a lot more than being understood, meekness and Always considering others above ourselves. The Church needs to be a fraternal community. The umpire between us according to the Bible is the peace of Christ. Amen.
Rev. Jesué Francisco da Silva.

Nenhum comentário: