Confessing Sinners and Growing Saints

Our little faith community has been going through a six-week study on confession, sin, repentance, obedience, forgiveness and spiritual renewal. Our journey has taken us through tough, painful stories of willful disobedience and even rejection of God's biblical standards. We've walked down some difficult roads in words from David (Psalm 51), to the particularly difficult words and stories connected to the prophets: Amos, Joel, Jonah, Isaiah and Hosea.

We began our journey with a heart piercing video and song by Derek Webb entitled, "I Repent". Following that video in our weekly "Prayers of the People" (aka "P of P") on that first Sunday, there was brokenness, tears of confession and people crying out to God for forgiveness. It continued during the P of P each week. Different people would cry out to God in confession. Others were weeping out loud over sins. Kleenex boxes are darn near empty in the worship center. And much of this stuff was heavy, deep, dark, and even dysfunctional. Much of it would have made a tenured Baptist deacon, or Presbyterian elder blush. And frequently those confessing, or pouring their hearts out to God were surrounded by one or two, who offered a hug, a pat on the back, a touch of a hand, and often a prayer that said, "We love you. We're struggler's too. We feel your pain before God. And we want to help begin the road of repentance with you." Please understand this wasn't for show, loud or about calling attention to self. It was done quietly, reverent, sacred and holy. Sometimes the pauses between confessions were uncomfortable and long as God's Spirit quietly moved among us.

Confession is costly. Confession is risky. It's like opening the window to our soul, or pulling back the curtain on our thoughts. Confession (at least in the Bible) is not sanitary, neat, or safe. It's dirty and it's messy because our sin is dirty and messy, which is why a lot of churches never get to it in small groups, let alone in corporate worship. Yet, in 1 John 1:9 we are reminded that confession within the context of community is needful, helpful and it serves to remind all of us that we are not without sin as some in John's audience were declaring in that Early Church letter.

Not one significant revival (Welsh, Reformers, Asbury, Howard Payne and Wheaton) in history started without confession. Young Evan Roberts who God used to bring about the Welsh Revival showed us the way when he prayed, "Oh God, bend me."

Henry Blackaby put it well when he wrote: "Confession is not just for those who don't mind admitting their faults. Confession is a command given to every Christian...If confession does not come out of repentance, it is merely admission, and not true confession.....Confession is not a sign of weakness; it is evidence of your refusal to allow sing to remain in your life."

I began that series in a bidding prayer by offering my own litany of things for which I needed to repent. Sorry, but God's grace has already covered those tough, public admissions and my faith community has surrounded me, as well as others in similar fashion, with much love, encouragement and accountability. God has us working on those things together in a safe and authentic community. I've found that many want to hear the confessions of others, but the silence is deafening when they are asked to offer their own. I'm so proud of my little church because we don't go there. We're all depraved and imperfect. We understand sin and we're learning how to live out grace, even when confession is painful.

As I reflect on these powerful six-weeks and the precious things people shared and trusted within community, I'm one proud pastor. No, I'm not published, I'm not on the conference circuit, I'm not in a mega-church, my messages aren't on podcast, or video, and I don't want to beam my face to multiple campuses via video. I haven't earned a doctorate, I've got more questions than answers, and believe me, I am not even close to being as holy as some of the saints who are showing me a better way at Mosaic. And yes, I've been in a lot bigger churches with bigger budgets, higher salaries and larger facilities. However, I have never been more proud of an affiliation with a bunch of sinners, saints and fellow strugglers than I have at Mosaic Community Fellowship! Hey MCF elders, staff, members and attenders YOU ROCK!