(References Story of Joseph Gen. 37,39-50)
There is an elephant in the room and I feel it's time we address it. The dreaded two words in the church world today that could almost even be considered a type of profanity for some of the elders, with all due respect. Those words are CHURCH HURT! Some ministers tend to avoid this topic overall, understandably so due to the complex nature of each and every saints specific situation. It would only make logical sense to proceed with caution, but I feel God wants us to dive a little deeper here.
When we look at the story of Joseph we see how his father favored him over his older brothers which caused them to question their father's love for them and envy their baby brother. We also see the beginning of Joseph's giftings being revealed to him through dreams. Joseph, not yet having an understanding to what was happening, shared these dreams with his family prematurely which lead to him being misunderstood and rebuked.
Joseph's brothers devised a plan to kill him and lie to their father that he was eaten by a beast because they were overcome with jealousy. Reuben, the eldest brother, suggested throwing Joseph into a pit instead so that Joseph's blood would not be on their hands while secretly planning to rescue him and return him to his father. The other brothers then ripped Joseph's coat and threw him in a pit. When a group of Ishmaelites passed by, Judah suggested selling him as a slave instead to make a profit. Once Reuben returned to the pit in an attempt to free Joseph he realized that Joseph wasn't there and became grievous in heart.(It is indicated that Reuben was not with the rest of his brothers when Joseph was sold into slavery)
I grew up in church myself, Apostolic Pentecostal. Glory Hallelujah! Thankfully I've been blessed to know God's presence since my youth and I never want to take that for granted. Due to growing up since birth in the church atmosphere and being fortunate enough to have a mother who believes in fellowshipping with the brethren, I have also seen my fair share of offense in the church body. Some my own, some witnessing others unfortunately. Just as in God's word, we have many examples of betrayal, heartbreak, disappointment, etc. The body of Christ is not exempt from experiencing these series of unfortunate events either.
I feel that no passage speaks to church hurt quite like the story of Joseph does, at least for me. In comparison, just as the older brothers became envious of their little brother when their father showed special attention, we too sometimes can begin to feel envious of our siblings in Christ when God starts to use them at certain capacities. I might even go further and say sometimes we may question a pastor's judgement when he/she decides to use someone that to our natural eyes does not deserve the position or title, unknowing of the giftings that God is about to birth in that individual. Maybe we feel that we've been loyal to certain ministries for many years and never received an opportunity to serve at the capacity that we would like. Maybe we don't feel important or a part of the ministry or kingdom work when we are behind the scenes instead of being used to boldly tear down enemy camps.
We can begin to question our value and our Father's love for us while looking at our brethren through smeared glasses. When we start to feel like this we allow a seed of bitterness and rejection to take root inside of us. Just as Joseph's brothers began to murmur behind his back when, on his end, all he wanted was their acceptance, we can do the same. Just as the older brothers plotted against Joseph to kill him, figuratively speaking, we can do this as well. I know that you've heard the old time saying "hurt people hurt people." Remembering Proverbs 18:21 we also acknowledge that we can use our words to either speak life into someone's being or choose to kill them with our words. When we let bitterness take root, oftentimes we can tend to speak from a deep place of hurt resulting in "hitting below the belt" comments being made during conversation and spewing that bitterness onto our fellow brethren. This could easily become a stumbling block for the other individual.
Also, in comparison to the passage, usually God places a "Reuben" in the midst, sometimes we may even be the "Reuben". God will usually put it on a brethen's heart to intercede on behalf of the saint that has been wrongfully afflicted. Sometimes even offenses happened in plain sight but due to being the minority opinion "Reuben" was fearful and didn't publicly defend his brother as God placed on his heart to do. Reuben also being the oldest, and most mature, knew better period. It is important for us seasoned saints to remember to set the tone and example for our younger brethren in church. When God tells us to move, be obedient. Even if you are not a seasoned saint but you feel the holy spirit tugging on you for the sake of your brother or sister in Christ, trust that! Otherwise you may end up feeling remorseful and guilty just as Reuben did.
Now to touch on Joseph, its clear that Joseph was still yet young, lacking understanding and in need of grace when it came to his purpose in life and the use of the gifts God gave him. Due to this, Joseph offended his family by coming off as self righteous, regardless of if it was intended or not. This is the "hidden truth" behind the offense. God needed Joseph to mature, he needed to humble him just a little more. Joseph's faith and understanding needed to grow, and by the end of the story he went from a naive young teenage boy to a mature grown man with knowledge, understanding and unshakable faith. We oftentimes can even find ourselves being Joseph in the situation, especially at the beginning steps of walking into our ministry. Sometimes God will allow the offense or the "church hurt" to bring you directly into your calling! The pruning process hurts, people! There is no way around it, but we must be willing to allow ourselves to be pruned. When we pray "thy will be done", do we actually mean it? The refining process can let us know a lot about ourselves. Joseph while in Egypt had his ups and downs, his times of success along with his times of trial. Joseph was, for one, forced to be a slave, then wrongfully accused of rape, and then imprisoned for years over it but, nothing hurt him more than what his brothers did to him. It was a crutch for Joseph in a way, a wound he would never let heal. We see this when his brothers showed up in Egypt during the famine. Imagine seeing the people who hurt you the most in life after so many years, after carrying that baggage around with you for all of your adult life. Only to add salt to the wound when Joseph finally sees his brother Benjamin again as an adult. It is assumed that Joseph missed out on the majority of his brother's childhood based on biblical evidence. Wow! Talk about Offense!
I word it like this to make specific points, I feel God wants us to see here that yes "church hurts" can run real deep. I won't go into detail because I am sure you can think of something on your own. I mean, look at the examples in the bible, they are there for good reason. God knows and sees all. Once sin entered the world, it had liberty to run rampant unfortunately. But God! We know how the story of Joseph ends, and to those who don't, I do recommend reading the referenced scriptures above. Joseph ultimately forgives his brothers of all offenses and moves them and their father to Eygpt to live with him and his family. Futhermore, Joseph's brothers took accountability for their sins, they repented and humbled themselves before their brother and asked for forgiveness. All was forgiven and God received the glory out of that situation. Joseph's purpose in life was fulfilled and all was well.
If Joseph can trust God enough to forgive his brothers for the horrendous acts that they commited against him, then why can't we as children of God and brothers and sisters in Christ learn to do the same for the sake of the kingdom? I hope and pray that each and every one of us learn to allow God to minister to us as he sees fit, that we learn to forgive faster, love with a godly love quicker, and that God gives us discernment in all of life's situations so that God and God alone can get the glory out of our lives! Nothing else matters, no person, no situation should ever stand in between you and who you know God has called you to be! Let's destroy enemy camps ya'll!
Remember as always to walk in faith, in love, and IN PURPOSE!
~Jennie
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