As I sit here in front of my computer, I am struck by how much of my life is consumed with selfish desires and ambitions. In Israel, during the reign of Darius, Haggai the prophet lectured the people against looking to their own houses at the expense of God's house. The more they tried to gain satisfaction through selfish means the more unhappiness they garnished. God told them that they would not find happiness until they rebuilt the temple.
Why we think it is easier to withdraw into our own private little lives and ignore the seeking of God's kingdom, and the life of the community of His people, I am not sure. It has something to do with how we are selfish beings, how we would rather care for ourselves than for others.
It has come more and more to my attention that in many circles of Christians there is good attendance in the church, and the people in the church have excellent mental knowledge of theology and principles, BUT there is very little conversation about personal faith and personal experience with the will of God. Older members of the church are not involved in mentoring the younger believers, except as it involves teaching Sunday School and Catechism classes. Those are all good things, and yet there is an unspoken line that few people dare to cross. Instead of church being the open, honest, truthful place that it should be, church becomes a place where people hide behind visible righteousness, and refuse to appear vulnerable. We challenge each other, but do not offer comfort or healing.
I am not denouncing Catechism classes and Sunday school, those are good things, and it is always good for Christians to challenge each other. Yet it is not healthy for us to posture ourselves as free of sin. We are a sinful and fallen people, and God has given us a community to keep us accountable. A pastor I heard while I was at school said that secrecy is the breeding ground of sin. In the church this is especially true. When there exists the lie of closed doors and things that nobody needs to know about, sin will grow, and like a cancer, devour the church from within.
This has been true in my own life as well as in the lives of people I know. While I was in school it was easy for me to get hooked into watching television shows on my computer. I would think that I could escape the world, and that the escape would give me mental peace. Those shows I was watching filled my mind with lies about relationships, and about what good and evil are. That 70's Show may be funny, but it is full of lies about what a good marriage is, about the roles of men and women, and about what makes a good person and a good life. Even the jokes are a false idea of what is funny. I filled my mind constantly with these things. There was a time when I couldn't go a single day without retreating into that world. in moments when I would stop the cycle and delve into my Bible, pray and "consider my ways." (Haggai 1: 7) I realized that I was harming both myself and my relationships with my friends. Like most people, I find it very hard to admit defeat and willingly confess to another person that I sin. However, when I finally confessed this struggle to my fiancee, the light of honesty that shone in that moment burned away the shame and the attraction of the sin. There are still easily moments of temptations, but they are more easily vanquished, and become easier when I confess the moment of temptation itself.
It is a lie of Satan that we believe when we think that we will be haunted by shame if we confess our sins to other Christians. The opposite is true. When we confess our sinfulness to those we love and trust in the faith, we will find that we are bound together even closer to them, and that we are able to stand together stronger against sin than we ever were able to by ourselves. Satan is horribly afraid of the strength Christians would have if they were open and honest with one another. He would much rather have us splinter ourselves off and think that we must fight our sins on our own.
So let the church come and bow before Christ. Let all men come and confess their shadows to their friends, for in shining light into dark corners, the darkness is chased away. There is no more attractiveness to the monsters of the dark when the light reveals their true visage and purpose.
I encourage you, if you have a bosom sin that you are struggling with, find a friend that you can trust and tell them about it. Don't spend too long thinking about it, do it quickly, and watch the Holy Spirit work wonders in the lives of both of you.
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