When Does a Person End Up Outside

When Does a Person End Up Outside

A person can end up on the outside in two ways:

Point 1: When do people get offended? Either immediately, when they hear the word of the cross, or somewhat later, as soon as they realize that what they are hearing doesn’t suit them, that they have come to the wrong place, that their “affiliation” was a misunderstanding. In other words, they were seeking something else.

It is reasonable for such people to go their way in order to find what they were actually looking for in another place or in a different way.

Point 2: It also happens that a few people are hypocrites in the church. Consequently, they do not go their way, even though in their innermost being they are opponents of the truth they hear because their hearts are evil. Such people must be put out—but when?

Think about Judas Iscariot. He was not put out immediately. Jesus knew that he belonged outside. Jesus did not let on that all was not well. He didn’t treat him differently from the others so that the others noticed it. The disciples had no inkling of it when Jesus revealed to them at the end that Judas would betray Him. See Matthew 10. Judas was also sent out to proclaim God’s kingdom, to heal the sick, raise the dead, and drive out evil spirits! To him it was also said, “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” Who can comprehend that? Who can follow Him on this point? Who can be that silent about what he knows and conduct himself so perfectly as if nothing is wrong?

When is such knowledge to be made known? When shall the hypocrite and the evil one be put outside? Only after his malice has been made manifest, so that everyone can understand it, so that they all can say, “Amen,” so that there is no division in the body.

The hidden things are for the Lord. As the Lord is silent, so the one who understands the hidden things shall also be silent. However, the things that are revealed are for us. Everything that is revealed is light. You can act when the entire matter has come to light and the whole church is with you—in the light.

We should also note that one can get the entire church along in a work of darkness—and that can be done very easily. If all the various members are carnal (which they often are—for example in the church in Corinth), or if the individual spiritual people are deceived by their human sense, then it is (for example) not difficult to get everyone to say “Amen” when it is a question of putting a dishonorable member outside.

Besides, it is easy for an entire church to make a mistake in every case, because they are used to agreeing with one another—for their calling is to be one. In such cases one has to resist the church if one wants to serve the Lord. See Ecclesiasticus 46:11-12.

We don’t have to make an effort to discover those who take offense. They leave in their time.

This also applies to those who, as the case may be, are to be put outside. They are made manifest in their time, and then it is easy and natural to put them outside.