Expounding the More Perfect Way….Jesus Christ and Him Crucified Acts 18:24-28

Many have been offended/hurt in the body of Christ by fellow Christians and many believe that one has to put up with and continue in fellowship with the offender and keep moving as if nothing has happened. This isn’t the bible’s stance. The bible does expect the offended to forgive but fellowship may not be restored. The bible desires for us as Christians to admit our faults with the intent of not doing it again, and get it right with fellow believers. God doesn’t expect the offended to continue to be a door mat, but the goal is that we walk in fellowship with one another if at all possible. We can forgive the offender but sometimes the offender may not be willing to admit his/her faults and continue to walk in offending others.

~Shonette

ON RESTITUTION AND PRAYER
Matthew 5:23-26
23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the Altar (referring to the Brazen Altar as used in the offering of Sacrifices in the Law of Moses), and there remember that your brother has ought against you (is meant to describe our relationship with our fellowman);

24 Leave there your gift before the Altar (the intimation is that the Lord will not accept our “gift” unless we do all within our power to make things right with the offended party), and go your way (make every effort to bring about reconciliation, if at all possible); first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift (worship will not be accepted by the Lord, if we have wronged our brother, and have not done all within our power to make amends).

CHRISTIAN RELATIONSHIPS

25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are in the way with him (if we offend our brother and do not make amends, the Lord becomes our adversary, or opponent, which places one in a serious situation indeed); lest at any time the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison (regarding a Believer who offends a fellow Christian, and will not make amends, God becomes that person’s Adversary, and thereby is Judge instead of his Saviour, and spiritually speaking, puts such a person in a spiritual prison).

26 Verily I say unto you (the absolute solemnity of this statement), You shall by no means come out thence (come out of this spiritual prison), till you have paid the uttermost farthing (the Lord’s method of teaching was symbolic and figurative; if the Believer doesn’t make amends with his fellowman who he has wronged, he will suffer one reverse after the other; God will see to it).

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