‘One who separates himself seeks his own desire; He quarrels against all sound wisdom. ‘ Proverbs 18:1
If you are tracking with this series, we are working through the idea of Christian Fellowship and the ideas behind the importance of being connected to the body of Christ.
I will include links to the previous posts on the bottom of this post for those who want to review them.
In this post, we will look at reason #2 why people avoid fellowship: The people say one thing but they do another.
Yes!! There is a lot of this. But here’s the reality: ‘So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. ‘ Romans 14:12
When we allow the action of others to dissuade us not to do what we are called to do, this is on us, not them. I wrote this in an earlier post, but it is worth repeating, there is someone in there who needs us, and there is someone there we need.
There is something deeper going on if we allow others to give us an out not to engage in the fellowship of others. Those whose hearts are changed by God will have the desire to be with others in the faith. If this is missing in one who claims Christ as their Savior, I would advise them to be on their knees before our Lord until He makes it clear in their heart the sin that they are holding onto.
Jesus has given us instruction on how to handle those we find difficult. If there is an offense, we are called to:
- Address this with the individual directly. This may be enough to cause the other person to repent.
- If this is ineffective, we are to go with a couple of other church members. There is power in a show of love from several people. And if this does not do it.
- We call it before the church.
How we deal with others in the church will stand as a testimony to the love of Jesus Christ. When the witnessing world sees us chew each other up, what does that tell them about our faith?
‘Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. ‘ 1 Peter 4:8
‘Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. ‘ Ephesians 4:1-6
Another area that I think many people struggle with is that everyone’s path is unique to them. I find that sometimes others feel that their way is the only way. This is disturbing sometimes because those who see it this way seem to have very little peace. Jesus is the only way; aside from that, everyone has their own experiences and struggles.
When we start to make our walk about how things are done instead of who we are following, we enter into perilous territory.
Heavenly Father, please help us. Help us to follow Jesus instead of finding fault in others as if there is a reward for it.
Please help us understand that everyone has a cross to bear. Let us be there to shoulder their burdens and help them along the way.
Thank You for the people You allow into my path, let the light of Jesus Christ shine brightly through my heart and in my actions.
In the loving name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏🏻❤️
