FULL of GRACE & TRUTH

A guide for dealing with criticism against the church or yourself.

PEOPLE FIRST

People are eternal. Arguments will cease, points of view will change, and tempers will eventually fade away, but people will last forever. Let’s not push away the eternal over the temporal.

Read 1 Corinthians 13 - The basic point; nothing matters unless it’s done with love for people, in the same way God has shown His love for us.

1. People before Power - Leadership, the moral high ground, and being “right” are not more important than the person in front of us. Lay them aside, as Jesus did, to care about and serve a soul that will exist forever in one of two places.
2. People before Points - If you’ve ever been on Social Media then you know that it doesn’t matter how well argued your point is, or how convincing you are, your point will almost always fail to change anything but further engrain someone else’s way of thinking. Our point should be ‘Jesus loves people’.
3. People before Preferences - We all have a preference for just about anything. Let’s be careful not to let our preferred way of doing things interfere with God’s way of loving them, and us.

FULL of GRACE & TRUTH

John 1:14 tells us that when Jesus came to us, reflecting God’s character and goodness, He came full of grace & truth. As reflections of God ourselves we need to approach each situation the same way; not with some balance of grace and truth, but with ALL Grace & ALL Truth.

This means that in the face of criticism we are to be lavish in grace, both towards the topic being criticised and the person doing the criticizing. We don’t lash out, we don’t pour out judgement, we offer grace. We seek to understand their point of view, we give the benefit of the doubt, and we put love for the person above defence of the point.

It also means we are steadfast in truth. Just because we love the person does not mean the truth stops being true, and sometimes the most loving thing is to confront a wrongdoing. It just means that our presentation of the truth needs to be full of grace, and our outpouring of grace should be full of truth. Share the truth you know, but hand it out dripping with grace.

2 Timothy 2:24-25 And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.

DEESCALATE the SITUATION

1. Don’t take it personally, even if it’s personal - allowing your emotions to dictate your response will usually end in hot heads, hurt feelings and hollow hearts.

Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

1. Combativeness is what happens during combat. The war is not against the person, but against the enemy of our souls; who is seeking to steal, kill and destroy everyone involved by any means possible. Remember who the real enemy is.
2. Seek to understand their point of view, rather than simply convincing them of your own. Often the mere attempt to see things from their perspective will diffuse or mitigate the situation.
3. Pray for them, and if possible with them. Many have testified to the great power of praying for those who oppose or frustrate them. It is often by this simple act that hearts are softened, minds renewed, and relationships restored.

Matthew 5:43-45 - “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

SUMMARY

1. Put people first.
2. Drench the truth in grace.
3. Calmer heads, mouths and typing fingers will always prevail.

SPECIFICS REGARDING lighthouse church’s MSA

1. The MSA has been in place for well over 5 years. The original MSA dates back to LH’s campus on 3rd Avenue, Glen Burnie. This is not a new initiative, directive, or mandate, nor is the recent request to review and update an individual’s assurance of agreement.

2. The original MSA covered 5 major areas:

a. Sexual Immorality - "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people” - Ephesians 5:3

b. Course/Profane Language & Action - “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” - Ephesians 5:4

c. Substance Abuse - “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” - Ephesians 5:18

d. Quarreling/Gossip - "…not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” - Romans 13:14

e. Appearance/Presentation - "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

3. While maintaining the same spirit and content, the MSA was revised and simplified this year. The areas specifically highlighted in the revised MSA were activities pertaining to Sexual Behavior, Substance Abuse, and Use of Social Media (https://lhchurch.churchcenter.com/people/forms/20297). Some ministries, namely our Small Group leadership and Logic ministries, had already been operating off of this revised MSA for some time. In order to ensure uniformity across the church, the revised MSA was disseminated church-wide this calendar year.

4. Since 2016, all individuals required to sign a MSA are asked to review and sign the MSA annually as a refresher. This annual requirement is done at the turn of the new calendar year and serves as a reminder to our volunteers concerning the biblical standards and expectations set forth by Jesus as outlined in His authoritative Word.

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves…” - 2 Corinthians 13:5a

Teams that require a signed MSA:

-Worship

-Babysitting

-CR Babysitting

-LH Kids

-LH Buddies

-Welcome Center

-Experts

-Ministry Leads

-Prayer Response Team

-Communion

-Service Coordinators / Guest Experience Coordinators

-Logic

-Creative

-Photography

-Women's Ministry

-Men's Ministry

-Events Day of Coordinators

-Deacons

-Small Group Leaders

-VBS Volunteers

Teams that DO NOT require a signed MSA:

-Cafe/Coffee Station Team

-Broadcast

-Online Engagement

-Greeter

-Parking

-Production

-Quick Response Team

-LH Store

-Security

-Tech

-Usher

-Set up/Breakdown