STEPS TO PEACEMAKING 3 - GO TO YOUR BROTHER ALONE
God’s children are blessed because they are peacemakers.
Matthew 18:15: “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.”
When someone is offended by a friend, family brother or sister, or church member, they often cut them off and refuse to have anything more to do with them. This is very immature and grieves the Holy Spirit who blesses those who do their best to keep the unit of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
It is wrong for offended Christians to gossip and spread their offences to others, especially if they have not made any real attempt to go to the one who caused the offence to put things right so that unity can be restored
It is wrong for offended Christians to in anyway seek to pay back evil for evil or trespass for trespass. This is also very immature and we would do well to remember that two wrongs can never make a right.
Romans 12:17, 18: “Recompense to no man evil for evil. . . If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”
Spreading slander about the one who offended you by spreading it on Twitter or Facebook is rendering evil for evil. All this type of thing is wrong and makes matters worse.
To go to someone who has wronged you takes courage and should be done as soon as possible. Many immature Christians often carry these grudges for years and this sort of behavior grieves the Holy Spirit. Refusing to talk to people or acknowledge those who have wronged you, perhaps not even intentionally, is rendering evil for evil and is not righteous behavior.
Cutting people off until they come back to you to find out what they have done wrong shows no humility. Just because someone, for the sake of restoring unity, apologizes or says “Sorry” does not always mean they are the guilty before God. It is wrong for the offended to sit back and coddle their hurts and wait for the offender, who may not know what they have done wrong, to come and repent and apologize.
Do not delay going to your brother or sister alone. The longer you wait, the more opportunity you give for sin to abound. The longer the rift or division is allowed to continue without being addressed, the harder it becomes for peacemaking.
Fathers, be responsible to practice these truths and teach them to your children.
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell
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