Poisonous Mango

There will always be "that guy". At least until heaven, the church will always have that individual who claims the guise of Christianity, but has no real desire or intentions to live accordingly. By no means does our works determine our salvation. Under such constrictions, I am set to burn for a long time (in hell that is). But James effectively addressed this concept of faith vs. works as follows: "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." (James 2:17) Faith is the undercurrent of a lifetime spent pursuing God, and the product of such a lifestyle can be no other than the fruits of the spirit. Love, patience, kindness, and self-control are but a few of the many qualities that the Holy Spirit in you, sanctifying your life, can produce. God's abounding grace is that he allows us to experience this sanctification, although we deserve to suffer for eternity.

Tonight I ate a mango and it was delectable.

If the mango tree was poisoned, I would probably die or become violently ill, as many people do when poisoned. In the same way, how can the church allow poisonous fruit to infect the Body of Christ? (meaning the church body) There is probably at least one person whom we know is "that guy". This instant judgment is probably the vain judging that we do as humans, trying to place ourselves as greater than our friends. It is this initial judgment, however, that can potentially reflect a lifestyle that our misguided friend may not be pursuing--namely, a lifestyle of pursuing God. Priorities and decisions over a period of time often reflect the deepest desires of an individual, and we must confront our friend if these decisions reflect a consistent willful desire to sin. If there is no repentance after individual peer-to-peer assistance, confrontation by a small group, and eventually confrontation by the church, the behavior of our peer is demonic.

My human emotions cringe as we see "that guy" leaving the doors of our church screaming "F this place!!", or even as he walks out silently. At first glance, I can't stand the unloving attitude that this process seems to portray, but whom did Jesus attack most severely? Pharisees, and others who claimed faith, but had no desire to live a life governed by God. He uses some of his harshest language and most frightening actions to clear his temple of such blasphemers. Though rejecting demonic activity within the church is not always necessarily intuitive, it is biblical.

Beware of "that guy"

Don't eat the poisonous mango

nate.