II Th 3:15
15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
(KJV)
1Thes 3:11-13
11 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.
12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
(KJV)
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Our weakest point in the body of Christ today is how we correct one another.
Either we don't do it because we are scared that our friends and family won't love us anymore.
OR
We also wait until we can't handle it anymore and then SLAM the one we love with viciousness and cruelty.
The WAY OF CHRIST is a narrow road. We should correct the ones we love with peacefulness, calmness, steadfastness and consistency. We shouldn't belittle people. We shouldn't make people feel awful about their actions. In fact, we should let them know that "we too" have made that error or a similar one at one time in our lives.
Let me give you an example:
Once upon a time, long, long ago, I made one too many jokes in the workplace. This Christian sister corrected me very loudly and abruptly in front of everyone. (Disclaimer: The joke wasn't' racial or sexual. It still was not up to the standard of Jesus the Christ.)
I felt like I could crawl under the door jam. She was actually correct about my joke....but her correction was much more out of order then the actual joke itself. Love was not her motivation or platform for correction. This sister had a prideful superior attitude and she wanted "to put a minister in check".
When someone is wrong...we should pull them aside and correct them in love disciple to disciple. Once they ignore that private warning, then you should talk to them with two or three other Disciples. Once they ignore that...take them to the Church!!!
Matt 18:15-17
15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
(KJV)
Posted at: 21:15