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CHURCH DISCIPLINE, LOVE, GOSSIP, SLANDER & MALICE [DEAR BRETHREN 13]

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Dear brother,

You are a courageous, gracious, and loving brother to move forward with the first step of church discipline. As you and other brothers have found, certain members of God’s believers that you know well are in sexual sin. You love them too much to allow this or even participate with your silence!

We don’t need to discuss the sin for it is apparent according to the Word and you have other witnesses of their confession. You now wait to see if the offending parties will actually stop this sin.

Let’s quickly review the Matthew 18 believer’s discipline process as taught by Jesus Himself.

Matthew 18:15-20 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 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. If he refuses to listen to them, [Read more…]

FOR I HAVE HEARD THE SLANDER OF MANY [FRIDAY FIRE 20]

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How often have you been the victim of slander? False talk that are lies spread abroad about you?

If you closely walk with Christ, this a frequent occurrence that evil people use to derail your walk with God. The devil, his angels, and demons love it and use it on us all the time. It works if you don’t resist the urge to retaliate.

Our brother David in Psalm 31, an individual lament to God, cries out beginning in verse 12:

I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. For I have heard the slander of many, terror is on every side; while they took counsel together against me, they schemed to take away my life.

Then he employs a familiar strategy, invoking imprecatory anger in verses 17-18. That is, asking God to shame, maim, or take out his enemies vs. doing it yourself. Wow. Since we have no clue about mid-eastern thought and culture, we in the west fail to understand that this is loving your enemies. Leaving room for the revenge of God.

The apostle Paul used imprecatory anger when he sarcastically told the Galatians 5.12 he wished those bothering them would ‘castrate themselves.’ Yep, that’s what he said. Check it out. Not nice, but “biblical.” Jesus was not ‘nice.’ (See: FURTHERMORE: NICE IS NOT THE POINT [AT THE BATTLE FRONT 34])

Wikipedia states that imprecatory Psalms are those that invoke judgment, calamity, or curses, upon one’s enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God.

David declares his righteous, holy imprecatory anger, “Let the wicked be put to shame. Let them be silent in Sheol.” Good idea, it seems to him and God. What about us?

“Lord God, help our prayer to be David’s prayer as he muses in this song, ‘But as for me, I trust in You, Lord. I say “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.’”

Your friend and brother in fighting the good fight,

Marc

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Saints, we’re one day closer to Home, and Him! Love Him wholeheartedly!

You may view our Archives here: FRIDAY FIRE – ARCHIVES;   Complete Archives; feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion. May our Father richly bless you with His grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in order to walk worthy of His name.