THE MOB MENTALITY

Greetings to you and may you prosper in the knowledge of our Lord. The Father is so mindful of us. He has caused us to see ourselves right down to the smallest details. However, we must acknowledge the correction of the Lord. We cannot ignore His instructions even though they may refute things that are already established and in place.

We must accept that the Body of Christ belongs to the Father and He knows how to govern the church, which is a community of baptized believers. As stated in the previous chapter, we tend to rethink God's methodology, hence never producing what God wants from us as a church. May I also reflect on the past? This is necessary if we are to truly turn the page with God.

In times past when one walked in sin, others in the church who became aware of it began a dialogue amongst themselves. The dialogue was not always negative. Most times it was motivated by the actual concern they had for the one in sin. Let us hear God in this. It is so important that we adhere to the instructions of the script because not to do so can abort any chance of restoration in the life of the transgressor.

Christ’s instructions were to confront privately first giving that individual the opportunity to repent and be restored. If we fail to implement this step we must ask ourselves why. Are we ignorant of God’s method of dealing with sin or are we slightly over zealous in our attempt to purge the sin from among us or could it be that in some cases we might be a little over anxious to bring the offender before a fierce inquisition? If the latter is the case then we might miss the first instruction and allow the dialogue between those who know about the incident to be the motivation for a group confrontation.

With spiritual protocol out the window we find ourselves in “the meeting.” Now the meeting is where the one who is in sin and those whom God has allowed to know of the sin, come together to communicate the situation in an open forum. This is also where we often drop the ball in one another’s lives. First of all, this meeting usually always takes place after much dialogue where everyone gets poised; not allowing themselves to come into the meeting with an open mind to hear from the person they have come to restore. And when you have a closed mind, you either cannot or refuse to hear God.

So what happens is that sometimes a group of closed minded people go into a room to restore a person based solely on their knowledge of the Word but without discerning or the leading of the Holy Ghost. But remember they have come to deliver one of their own; someone who is in sin at the moment but nevertheless they, too, have sat under the Word and also know the operation of God.

If such is the case, then it follows that they also know when God is not operating. This is where the ball drops and the group becomes a mob. Let us remember the meeting was originally called to deliver the one in sin but not allowing the guidance of God will negate all of our efforts. The evidence that God has left the building “so to speak” is that the meeting will persist for hours and hours with no deliverance coming forth. This is the mob mentality. Saints, there are no examples of Christ taking all night to counsel anyone. His counsel was usually short and direct. Why were His meetings so short and ours so long?

Let us look closer at some of Jesus' confrontations.

- Well, He met a rich man. Christ told him to sell his possessions and come follow Him.

- He also met with a woman at a well. He told her things about her life no one knew.

- And He also had confrontations with His disciples, one in which He referred to Peter as Satan.

I could go on, but my point is these confrontations and others were all short meetings. If you would go and read all of His confrontations with sin you will see they all have one thing in common; in each encounter you never see where Jesus waited for the people He was talking with to agree with what He had said.

Can we truly say the same? In some cases, this agreement has become much too important. We stay all night trying to hear someone admit to their disposition or deeds. Is it that the admittance somehow gives the confronters a sense of achievement? But could it also be that Christ never needed such small victories.

After all, admission is not always repentance. But our meetings go on for hours because those who called the meeting are not satisfied with just speaking the truth in love as the Lord guides and let it be done. We must know that even if the transgressor does not admit their wrong, at least they heard God and know His heart and mind concerning their sin. Their denial of the truth is not a hyssop plant that washes it away.

The focal point of the meeting should be to bring the offender face to face with truth (God). What they do after coming to that confrontation is between them and Him. We are simply to proceed as the scriptures instruct. Now let’s deal with the why and the consequences. The scriptures are very clear as to where God stands in this matter.

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Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another,

1 John 1:9-10

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

But suppose the transgressor does not regard these passages? Where do we stand on this matter? When we seek for admittance rather than reform in people we counsel, pride becomes our motivation; believing that the transgressor’s admission of guilt somehow confirms the meeting is of God, and that He indeed sent us.

The consequence we suffer is that the Father will not fellowship with us in the meeting by the destroying of yokes. I have been in many meetings where the offenders admitted guilt but their character has never really changed over the years. In some cases, they simply changed their modes of operation so as not to land in any more meetings.

ANOTHER WAY AND THE CONSEQUENCE

Whenever we deal with sin outside the boundaries of the faith our methodology will have a negative impact on the church.

If the transgressor is not responding the way the scripture instructed him or her to, if the confronters are not following strict spiritual protocol, then the dialogue of the meeting will go beyond the disposition of the offender. The consequence is that those who have called the meeting will eventually stop trusting one another when and if they ever take their turn in the hot seat inside a meeting that is called to confront them.

Remember the human mind is like a tape recorder that records consciously and unconsciously. Remembering dialogue that is not motivated by God will cause people to close their minds, though they themselves are in need of godly counsel.

This knife slices both ways, for those who hear such offensive counsel eventually conform to the method and thus close their minds and hearts to the offender, who really needed to hear from God so that the impression of God could have been made in his heart. Both the offender and the confronters will come to shun such confrontations thus, further abandoning the instructions of our Lord.

THE SOLUTION

Our example, which is Christ, never desired anything for Himself. And when He spoke to someone He was satisfied knowing that in that person’s life He was God's mouthpiece. The ministry of reconciliation is sufficient if it is worked as Jesus mandated. The Lord spoke to me and said, “Those who have sinned against me are burdened enough. Do not make their way hard. You will encounter some who will not have the courage to be vulnerable to the confronters enough to admit their wrong. Ministers love and allow them to be convicted through that love and kindness. Speak the truth in love and let patience have its perfect work.”

Mark the perfect man.

Amen.