Tweets & Rants 20 February 2013: Matthew 18:15-35; Acts 25:13-27; Psalm 41; Leviticus 11-13
is startled how we take a verse about church discipline and make it about healing…where 2 or 3 are gathered…Mat 18:20 @WeeManWest
“If a man’s hair falls out from his head, he is bald; he is clean.” Lev 13:40 #goodtoknow @WeeManWest
Matthew 18:17 This is the final phase of church discipline. After you have gone individually to a person who is sinning against you and have made no means, then you go to one or two other believers. If that doesn’t work then present the issue to the whole church. If that still doesn’t work the person in the wrong is to be dis-fellowshipped for a time. All in all Christ is saying we should exhaust the means available to us to put an end to conflict within the body.
Matthew 18:20 I would really like for someone to explain to me how a verse contextually used to discuss the application of church discipline has somehow been twisted to mean that if two or three of us agree on a certain activity God should perform, whether it be healing, prosperity, etc, that God has to do that for us?
We cannot interpret a text while divorcing it from the context in which we find it being used.
The context is two or three agreeing on church discipline, to bind someone under church discipline or to loose someone from church discipline. This text is not about healing or prosperity but instead it is about church discipline.
Matthew 18:21 With the talk of binding and loosing, which Peter was already told the church would be empowered to do, it is fitting that Peter would ask this question. How often should we show mercy?
Biblically, we should ALWAYS show mercy. This is a very difficult practice because some people will do horrible and terrible things to us and those we love in this world. Yet Christ commands us to show them mercy. Let that simmer for a little while.
Matthew 18:34 We are to be people of mercy because we have been shown great mercy. Mercy is so difficult to show when we have been devastatingly wronged, but it is what God calls us to show.
Acts 25:23 Leaders in this world like to show out in their “authority”. Here we have great pomp and pageantry around King Agrippa. Yet the man most authorized by God in the room will slink in held by chains.
Psalm 41:1 We should be motivated by the Holy Spirit with a care and concern for those in poverty. We won’t necessarily be able to deliver all the poor in this world by ourselves but we should each do as we can to help them in their plight.
Psalm 41:10 Jesus would surely be raised up from the dead and He did indeed have His vengeance upon Israel in 70AD.
Leviticus 11:3 We see hidden spiritual discernment found in God’s detail of clean versus unclean land animals. Clean land animal will have a hoof that is cloven and chew the cud.
The cloven-hoof pictures for us a separation from the world. Whereas the other animals walk barefoot, these are not so exposed. They are separated and set apart.
Chewing the cud pictures for us our meditation on the word of God. We should continually bring back up what we have read and digest it again and again and again until we have chewed all the meaning and application from the text that we possibly can.
Leviticus 11:9 We see similar principles among the sea creatures. They must have fins and scales.
Fins for guidance in the sea as we should all have the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we maneuver through this world around us.
Scales for protection from the sea (just like the hoof). The scales are a barrier to the sea around them. They are separated and set apart.
Leviticus 11:13 The birds that are unclean are those that eat flesh. We are not to live by the flesh but by the Spirit of God.
Leviticus 11:20 The insects that are clean to eat are those with jointed legs and the ability to escape from the earth that feast of the grass of the field. It’s about being separate and not eating the flesh.
Leviticus 11:44 The point is that God wants His people to be consecrated, set apart (sanctified) and holy. The clean animals point us to the spiritual principles of holiness.
We should be separate, set apart, sanctified from this world we live in.
We should meditate continually on God’s word.
We should have the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
We should be led by the Spirit of God and not feast on the flesh.
We should be ready to escape this world.
We should feast only on the word of God.
Leviticus 12:3 I’ve seen a lot of people get bent out of shape about the double the period of uncleanness in giving birth to a girl versus giving birth to a boy. However, we can’t miss that the boy is circumcised while the girl is not. I think this may be part of the reason for the difference in time. I believe the circumcision makes the difference.
Yet, it could also be that girls are just so special that the whole process takes twice as long :).
Leviticus 13:8 Leprosy is a disease that gets into and under the skin. Leprosy is a picture of our sin. Leprosy is difficult to overcome.
Some things only appear to be bad on the surface, but given time everything works out ok.
Yet other things really are a problem of the heart and require divine intervention in order to be healed.
Leviticus 13:15 Leprosy, if bad enough, would expose the raw flesh underneath through the wounds. However, if healed the flesh would be again covered up.
How often do we, through our sinfulness, give full exposure to the fact that we are following the lead of our flesh and not the Spirit of God?
Leviticus 13:46 A leprous person had to wear torn clothes, let their hair hang free, and cover their upper lip crying out their uncleanness. They must dwell in solitude outside of the camp.
We must be willing to pronounce our uncleanness and to face solitude outside the camp to be fruitful for Jesus Christ. His most fruitful moment was on a cross outside the camp as He bore our uncleanness upon Himself.
Radical Ranting Patriot 
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