Paul's church tribunal: settling disputes before the saints
- Should Christians institute a Paul-style church tribunal (1 Corinthians 6) to settle everyday disputes instead of taking each other to court?
The main discussion: one host reads 1 Corinthians 6 on lawsuits among believers and asks why no church seems to institute Paul's tribunal. A co-host recounts a failed attempt to mediate a nasty divorce. The group lands on the diagnosis that believers avoid it because a Jesus-filtered process would likely end with 'why not be defrauded?' — letting go rather than winning — and jokes about needing robes, a gavel, and 'church thugs' to enforce rulings. They close by tying the pattern to Moses' father-in-law Jethro appointing judges in Exodus 18.
More on Discernment
-
'When God is silent': what counts as hearing from the Lord?
- What does it mean to 'hear from the Lord,' and how often should we expect it?
Mike brings a question from his Bible study, whose paragraph heading was 'when God is silent': the author wrote that he experienced God's silence for a couple of weeks and freaked out, and Ben expected a relatable years-long drought story — 'Oh, two weeks.
From No. 603 · Found Out
-
Mike frames the question: are more people hearing from God?
- Does it seem like more and more people are hearing from God — and is that real or a lie and a huge distraction?
Ben asks Mike for a two-sentence framing; Mike says listening to the book of Job while mowing made him furious when Bildad 'received a word from the Lord,' turning a bad human argument into an unarguable divine claim.
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God
-
Does God speak more now? Indwelling Spirit versus prophets
- Does God talk to people as much now as he did in the Old Testament or New Testament?
A host asks whether God talks to people as much now as in the Old and New Testaments. Ben's key distinction: the indwelling Holy Spirit means more people can have the experience…
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God
-
How to tell your voice from God's: the Bible test and leniency
- How can you tell the difference between you speaking and God speaking?
Ella distills the question: how do you tell the difference between you speaking and God speaking? Her first answer: we have a Bible — what God is telling you is probably already in it ('Ben's gonna have a proud papa moment').
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God