Matthew 18:15 Moreover if your brother sins against you, go, reprove him between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. James 5:20 Let him know that he who turns a sinner back from the error of his way will save that one's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
[Part 2 of 2] Today many of God's children do not obey the teaching of this portion of the Word [Mark 18:15] . Some people always speak of others' wrongdoings, continually publicizing them. Some do not tell others, yet they never forgive and always harbor grudges in their hearts. Some forgive but do not try to restore. But this is not what the Lord wants us to do. It is wrong to speak of others' faults; it is wrong to keep silent yet be unforgiving in the heart; and it is equally wrong to forgive but not to exhort. The Lord did not say that it is good enough for us to forgive the brother who has offended us. The Lord also showed us that the offended one has the responsibility to restore the offending one. Since it is not a small thing to offend someone, we have the responsibility to tell the one who has offended us for his sake. We must think of some way to restore our brother and gain him back. When we speak to him, we must be proper in our attitude and pure in our intention. Our purpose is to restore our brother. If our intention is to gain him, we will know how to point out his fault. If our intention is not to restore him, it will only worsen the relationship. The purpose of exhortation is not to ask for recompense or to justify our own feelings; it is for the purpose of restoring our brother.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Watchman Nee, Messages for Building Up New Believers, pp. 356-357. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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