Quit walking all over me...or not??? 1 Cor. 6:1-11 continued...

We inflict injury on one another for the sake of our "rights". Paul says - this is WRONG! If we are considering taking a fellow believer to court, God gives us a big red light. Believers are not to give away to unbelievers our God-given authority to judge. We need to begin standing up and making peace.

This may mean giving up a fight.
It may mean arbitrating a dispute.
It may mean church leadership mediating between fighting members.

Whatever the case, peace does not happen - it must be made!!! To make peace, someone may need to stand up and judge - something we hate doing in our relativistic "what right do you have to tell me I'm wrong?!" culture. To make peace, we may need to stand down...

This brings us back to our discussion in class on Sunday. Mindy had asked if we should allow people to walk all over us: "...You spoke about letting others walk all over you, and I understand God wants us to be humble and take sacrifices for his sake - however, is there a point at which you allow this to happen that others may not be able to see the glory of God in your life?" Each of us in class cringed at the idea of letting someone walk all over us. What does God have to say????

"accept wrong"
"let yourselves be cheated"
- Vs. 7

I wish those words weren't in this passage. I wish God didn't say them. But he did. Now we must deal with them, and obey them, no matter how much they may hurt.

What amount of wrong must I accept from others?
How much should I let others cheat me?
There must be a price-limit, right?

I mean, if someone cheats me out of my shovel, so be it. But if someone cheats me out of my computer, my car, my cash...no way!

This is about fairness, rightness, justice! Must I give up justice now?

Listen to Jesus:
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." (Matt: 5:38-42 nkjv)

I don't think I am very good at this...I don't think our church is very good at this...I don't think our entire Christian community is very good at this. We have bought the lie that justice and fairness must be demanded now.

Yes, God is just and fair, we just need to wait until He sets the record straight.
Until then, I'm going to need a lot of something called forgiveness. What did Jesus have to say about that?

"Then Peter came to Him and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven...'" (Matt. 18:21-22 nkjv)

Unlimited forgiveness, no justice or fairness - this is not sounding very fun right now. Yet the cost of being a follower of Christ is high - higher perhaps than some of us realize.

I was humbled by this high and costly calling this morning as I sat at the feet of a godly believer martyred by Hitler. Here is what he wrote from prison, unjustly accused by an ungodly government:

"Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross...costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has...it is costly becasue it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, pg. 47)

Have I signed up up for this costly grace yet? Have you?