Imperfect Attendance.

“In church every Sunday for twenty years, but still ‘shacking’.” –Dr. Donovan Case

How can the twenty-first-century church operate with first-century principles? By knowing and doing the will of God.

When our guest speaker, Dr. Donovan Case, made the statement about shacking, he took a bold step to point at the gross, sick, diseased underbelly of the church—not just our local body, but the sickness of church communities across the globe. We are eager and zealous to do some great things for God, but we have neglected to take the time to sit still and allow God to do some miraculous things in us. It seems that in spite of our spending time every day with the Healer, we’d prefer to stay sick.

In reflecting on Bronx Bethany’s 2013 theme Pursuing Holiness, Promoting Healing, we have had almost a year’s worth of sermons, seminars, and community events designed to help people move towards complete healing. There has been much discussion on healing pertaining to physical, mental, and financial areas of life. But, are we as a community also committed to full pursuit of the healing of lifestyles? Are we ready to admit to God (and ourselves) that some of our lifestyles are deeply damaged, and are damaging to the faith community we claim to love?

For those of you who are not familiar with the term shacking, it refers to the pursuit and maintenance of sexual relationships with one or more persons to whom an individual is not married. In some cases, shacking also includes the sharing of a household and finances. For persons who claim to be solid Christians, shacking is a sin that stands in stark opposition to God’s word concerning how we are to live (see Genesis 2:21-24; Matthew 19:3-12; First Corinthians 6:12-7:17).

Dr. Case’s statement, though, goes beyond the issue of an anonymous individual’s choice to ignore God’s commands. It moves all of us to reflection, each holding a mirror to our own faces. We all can take inventory of our lives, and we may see one or more areas in which we have repeatedly failed to walk in obedience to the One we claim as our Lord and Master. What grief have we caused the Spirit of God when we have chosen to spend years, or decades, engaged in actions that He abhors? Whether those actions are as blatant as murder or as subtle as self-righteous pride, the Lord has given us a wake-up call through Dr. Case. It is time to repent.

Lord, You see us engaged in a worshiping community, and You speak to each of us individually. Speak to our hearts today. Give us ears to hear You. Give us hearts that are happy to obey You. Give us wisdom to renounce and reject everything that pulls us away from Your gracious presence. Give us courage to say no to the sins that seem to be satisfying us, when in fact they are destroying us. Spirit of God, we need Your help. Form and reform us: make us reflections of Your glorious image.