Souls That Matter To God Are At Stake

152 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 5:21 I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. Wow! Paul wants Timothy and us to take any charges brought against spiritual leaders (pastors) very seriously. He calls in God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels as his witnesses! Don't be prejudicial or partial in these matters church. Don't let favoritism, money, popularity, or anything else cloud the issues. Stick to the facts and the testimony of the witnesses before any judgment is made. The Bible is rife with references against preferential judicial treatment. Jas 2:1-4 says, My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? And in 2Ch 19:5-7 we read, “Then he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, 6 and said to the judges, "Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment. 7 "Now therefore, let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes." Good advice for any disciplinary matters within the local congregation, go into it with the fear of the Lord upon you. Very often souls that matter to God are at stake. Therefore, follow the procedures as laid out in Scripture. Stick to the facts, listen to reliable witnesses, and show no partiality! And always remember the goal of any church disciplinary procedures is the restoration of the erring brother or sister.