Forty-Nine At Forty-Nine.

During this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam mentioned an old sermon written by John Wesley. Catalogued simply as Sermon 49, it is an appropriate message for Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene as we approach the middle of our 49^th year of ministry.

The sermon, titled The Cure of Evil-Speaking, focused on the text found in Matthew chapter 18, verses 15 through 20. Wesley’s concern was that Christians, even under the guise of offering prayer support and genuine concern, violate the rule of God as found in this Scripture. How? By choosing to speak of persons, whether in truth or in falsehood, in the absence of the person. As Pastor Sam noted, absent people are unable to defend themselves, and often we speak of people differently in their absence than we speak when they are present with us.

The Scripture passage gives a clear protocol for addressing concerns of the spiritual community. First, we are to speak to the second party directly, and one-on-one.  If the person refuses to repent, then we are to attempt a second dialogue, taking a second believer (two-on-one) in the hopes of bringing the person to repentance. Wesley offers this petition: “If ye must be distinguished, whether ye will or no, let this be the distinguishing mark… ‘He censures no man behind his back: By this fruit ye may know him.’”

For most of us, it is not difficult to agree that we should not speak falsely of others, nor should we be accusatory, outside of their presence. Every person deserves opportunity for defense. The greater challenge, I believe, is to be transformed into a community which chooses even not to speak truth of others outside of their presence. Every person deserves opportunity for repentance, and our Lord Jesus has laid out the plan which He approves.

Let us pray that God will give us His grace, so that we can speak to each other with love and humility. Let us live life as a loving community, aware of the love and power of God, and conscious of His desire that no one be lost. Let us repent from, and renounce, all forms of evil speaking.

“The Lord enable us thus to love one another, not only ‘in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth,’ even as Christ hath loved us.” –John Wesley