the matter of church discipline is rarely discussed if ever practiced in the church today. i found it particularly interesting how Jesus approaches the issue in this passage. He starts by saying, "if your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you". church discipline is rarely enacted because we fail at this very first step. if our brother or sister "sins against us", we very often neglect or put off or refuse to "show him his fault" until the matter is either suppressed or forgotten or added to the list of resentments you already have against the person. and rarely is the issue kept "between the two of you". we rarely "go and show the brother his fault" but confide in others of the perceived hurts and injustices and offences we have suffered at the hands of that person.
this practice of not confronting the "sinning brother or sister" is fatal to the body of the church. we have all witnessed the terrible consequences that gossip and slander and the overall lack of church discipline has had on churches we grew up in. the fighting gets so bad and the hatred so deep that no one really remembers what the issue was in the first place. Jesus understood that if we have resentment or hurt within us that it will come out somewhere and somehow. better it come out privately to the person who has offended than in secret whispers to every other member of the church except the offender.
what destroys the unity of the body of believers, the fellowship of genuine, caring christians? the seed of resentment, the lack of a generous and forgiving spirit toward others, pride, and self-righteousness. moreover, we are just not willing to honestly confront each other even when it is necessary. it goes without saying that we must bend over backwards to do so gently and with great sensitivity and tenderness. but let us practice "conflict management" and "admonishment" in the right way when the need arises. we should not wait until the cancer becomes so deep-rooted that it destroys the whole body.
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3 comments:
Thanks Dulla! This way of dealing with an offence is hard...the right way but hard. It is easier for us to harbor a grudge or gossip than to confront in kindness but the easy way usually gets us in trouble.
I definitely agree that dealing with and confronting an offence is very difficult. But I also see how imperative it is to deal with it the right way for the benefit of yourself and the other person. Some may offend others without even knowing it, and if we fail to bring it to their attention they will just never know that their words or actions may come off offensive.
If you are not the confrontational type like myself, this may be one of the most challenging areas of your life.
Thank you sammonim,
It's hard to confront, I usually try to ignore it, but as you said it add to the list of resentiments...
I need to learn how to deal with it.
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