Conviction Among Brethren

Matthew 8:15-17 says, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

I went to one of my friend’s Bible Studies tonight, where my Philosophy and Apologetics teacher speaks. It was fun, because everyone there knows everyone, and we all have a blast. They’ve been going through the book of Matthew and they came to these verses. We stopped and talked about them, and we were all pretty open to what the speaker had to say.

(Just a side note real quick, Mr. Golden, my teacher and the speaker there, has a great influence on me, and has really challenged my faith and made it stronger. Without him and others in my life, I’m not sure that I would be where I am today.)

When we began discussing this verse, we all put up walls in our minds that read, “I know what this means, and my opinion will never fully change.” However, I’d have to say that they did tonight. It just kind of blew our minds that we are to make the church a place where people can grow together.

Basically, from what we discussed tonight, we believe that churches are too accepting because they want big numbers, or they feel like they have to outreach to everyone. The truth is, some people just won’t accept the Gospel. The reason Jesus tells us to confront those is for healing and redemption, but when we hear the word, “confront,” we think of it in a negative context. Romans 7:7 says, “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.’ ”

We need conviction in our lives to know when we are doing some wrong. If we live our lives without anyone correcting us, how can we know that we are doing something wrong, and change? Don’t think that this is a sign of a lack of love, but it is the most loving thing possible. God says that a father who loves his son will discipline him. He is correcting him so he doesn’t make bigger mistakes later on.

Right now, I’m not sure if I know exactly what you’re going through, but know that God is crazy about you, and He wants you to live according to His will. He will mold you, even if it does hurt a little, to His perfect plan. If someone comes up to you to confront you about sin in your life, accept it, and realize that they love you more than those who noticed it, but continue to live on the way you do.

God forms people with a chisel. Just a fair warning – Forsake All