We are living in difficult times in which adult children are disobeying the Scriptures that command us to "honor our parents" and going with the culture that says "parents are stupid and have nothing to offer.?
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Difficult Times Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."
This generation of adult children is dedicated to misunderstanding. If they really wanted to understand, they would ask to hear more instead of interpreting what we say the way they think about us and not the way we really are.
We are living out 2 Timothy 3 now more blatantly than ever before. When we know this we do not have to take anythnig personally and we are free to move on from them without putting up with their nonsense.
Matthew 13:55-58
"55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is His mother not called Mary, and His brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man acquire all these things?”
57 And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not dishonored except in his hometown and in his own household.”
58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief."
Jesus Christ was rejected by His own people why would we think it would be different for us when we attempt to tell the truth and help others to trust in Christ.
Our confusion comes when we tell the truth of the Scriptures to Christians who act like those Christ refused to speak to because of their refusal to follow the Bible, Christ's own words.
Matthew 10:21-23 "…21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."
God never told us anywhere in His word to remain friendly with family members who reject His Word and reject you. He told us to move on to others.
Matthew 10:14 "And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust off your feet."
Never feel bad at having to remove yourself from those who reject the Word of God. We are only the messengers; God brings the increase, their response is His business.
Saturday, May 23, 2026
Friday, May 22, 2026
Repentance and Forgiveness in Marriage
In marriage, when someone repents, and the spouse forgives, the impact of the sinful event diminishes greatly over time until it is only a faded memory and no longer a hurt.
The relationship becomes stronger than it was before, and the devil is put to flight. Hallelujah!!!!
If people would require accountability for offenses and the offender is sorrowful, then both parties grow emotionally and spiritually. Without this difficult process, no one changes, nothing good happens, and things even grow worse.
Reconciliation through confession and forgiveness is the only way anyone can benefit.
Sweeping things under the rug to merely feel better momentarily causes bitterness and further defiance.
We live in a culture that does not want to "work things out" through dialogue because it means we must evaluate ourselves and admit painful things about our character that need work.
What is missing is the attitude of "no pain no gain" in our relationships; the same mantra used for a physical workout is beneficial for character training in righteousness.
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him".
Nothing we do ought to be done for comfort, ease or personal gratification, all must be done to improve ourselves and our relationships.
The relationship becomes stronger than it was before, and the devil is put to flight. Hallelujah!!!!
If people would require accountability for offenses and the offender is sorrowful, then both parties grow emotionally and spiritually. Without this difficult process, no one changes, nothing good happens, and things even grow worse.
Reconciliation through confession and forgiveness is the only way anyone can benefit.
Sweeping things under the rug to merely feel better momentarily causes bitterness and further defiance.
We live in a culture that does not want to "work things out" through dialogue because it means we must evaluate ourselves and admit painful things about our character that need work.
What is missing is the attitude of "no pain no gain" in our relationships; the same mantra used for a physical workout is beneficial for character training in righteousness.
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him".
Nothing we do ought to be done for comfort, ease or personal gratification, all must be done to improve ourselves and our relationships.
Forgiveness God's Way
Thank the Lord for His system of relationships restoration. When confession of sin and brokenness occurs in the heart of the offender, the heart is changed forever.
When forgiveness is extended out of a deep love for the offender, then there is reconciliation.
When someone repents, and the spouse forgives, the impact of the sinful event diminishes greatly over time until it is only a faded memory and no longer a hurt.
People can and do change but only if there is a strong sense of hatred for sin. The person who forgives an offender is one who has sorrow for the pain the offender is going through and wants to restore them to fellowship.
Galatians 6:1-2 "1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
Restoration does not happen by flippanly saying words, its a spiritual desire to make things right, to be healed from the sin and to heal others of their pain of hurt.
When there is indifference to the offender and the only focus is on sparing oneself, then there is false forgiveness with a selfish motive. We ought to care more deeply about the spiritual well-being of the offender than we do about ourselves.
If we care about others, we will inform them about how their actions or attitudes have harmed someone so they can repent and be cleansed while the relationship is restored and strengthened.
Stoicism and psychology cares only about protecting oneself, very little about the rehabilitation of those who have repented. This is why it teaches; "forgive for your own sake" instead of the model of relationship restoration God requires.
Luke 17:4 "nd if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
Let's not forget the part of this passage that says; "if the offender turns and says, 'I repent, ' you must forgive him."
When forgiveness is extended out of a deep love for the offender, then there is reconciliation.
When someone repents, and the spouse forgives, the impact of the sinful event diminishes greatly over time until it is only a faded memory and no longer a hurt.
People can and do change but only if there is a strong sense of hatred for sin. The person who forgives an offender is one who has sorrow for the pain the offender is going through and wants to restore them to fellowship.
Galatians 6:1-2 "1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
Restoration does not happen by flippanly saying words, its a spiritual desire to make things right, to be healed from the sin and to heal others of their pain of hurt.
When there is indifference to the offender and the only focus is on sparing oneself, then there is false forgiveness with a selfish motive. We ought to care more deeply about the spiritual well-being of the offender than we do about ourselves.
If we care about others, we will inform them about how their actions or attitudes have harmed someone so they can repent and be cleansed while the relationship is restored and strengthened.
Stoicism and psychology cares only about protecting oneself, very little about the rehabilitation of those who have repented. This is why it teaches; "forgive for your own sake" instead of the model of relationship restoration God requires.
Luke 17:4 "nd if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
Let's not forget the part of this passage that says; "if the offender turns and says, 'I repent, ' you must forgive him."
You Shall Know Them by Their Fruit
Next time you hear a testimony about someone like this, remember what God said in His Word: That testimony is "I know that person is saved, but they have spent years in their old lifestyle and though nothing changed, but I know they are saved."
We can know the spirit of a person by how they choose to live every day. One slip-up does not tell us anything, but a lifestyle defending sin tells us a lot.
2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.'"
1 John 3:9 "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God."
Matthew 7:16-17 "16By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.…"
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
We can know the spirit of a person by how they choose to live every day. One slip-up does not tell us anything, but a lifestyle defending sin tells us a lot.
2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.'"
1 John 3:9 "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God."
Matthew 7:16-17 "16By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.…"
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
Accountability s God's Way of Reconciliation
There is a very wrong teaching about forgiveness that is being taught by nearly everyone these days.
They say forgiveness does not mean reconciliation. This is completely wrong and based on feelings and words alone.
God declared that forgiveness was predicated on confession of sin and was for the purpose of reconciling a relationship.
If there has been true forgiveness after repentance, then there will be reconciliation followed by an even deeper closeness in the relationship than there was before.
The purpose of forgiveness is not to keep us from becoming bitter, it is for the sake of the relationship.
God made it clear how confession of sin and forgiveness is suppost to work and what it is suppose to accomplish.
Luke 17:3-4 "…3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
People overlook this phrase in the Luke passage: "if they return and say "I repent."
We are commanded to bless our enemies, not to take revenge, and keep ourselves from bitterness, but this is not forgiveness. If there is confession of sin and forgiveness extended, then there will be reconciliation.
Too many people today believe all people are going to heaven because God forgives, even if they are not sorry; this could not be farther from the truth.
Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
This culture needs to stop pretending they forgive while still refusing contact with the offender. There is good reason to avoid those who are not sorry and even think they did nothing wrong defending their sin against us. However, forgiveness is not accomplished until the offender is convicted of their sin and wants to repent and reconcile.
If we obey God by acting with love and kindness, no matter what they do, then we will remain innocent, but this is not reconciliation; it is refusing to be manipulated into acting like the offenders.
Christ treated everyone correctly all the time, and most were not reconciled to Him. He never said to people; "I forgive you even if you are not sorry."
When Christ said on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do", He was not forgiving individuals; He was asking the Father to extend forgiveness to the world because of His sacrifice. Extending forgiveness to those who are repentant is far different from forgiving them when they are not repentant.
Acts 3:19: "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."
God never forgives or reconciles to those who are not sorry! The condition for becoming born again is to confess our sinfulness, trusting in Christ to change us into a new creation, and desiring Him to do all the work in us.
No one will be reconciled to us or to God when they maintain their wicked attitude of remorselessness.
When we say to people we should forgive when someone is not repentant, we are giving them a false picture of how Christ forgives and enabling them in their sinful stance.
It is not unfriendly or unkind to withhold forgiveness to the unrepentant, just the contrary, it may help them see their sinfulness has consequences and it may even cause them to see the error of their ways and rethink their attitude.
Our world is growing worse in terrible attitudes and disrespectful actions because of the psychology that teaches the lie that friendliness is what causes people to rethink their own heart. Just the opposite is true, when we require nothing from offenders, we enhance their selfish and ignorant stance.
Proverbs 22: 24-25 "24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man,
25 lest you learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare."
When we require nothing from others and they require nothing of us no one grows and changes. Holiness is either stymied or non-existent, everyone grows more evil because there is no accountability.
Satan loves this because it causes people to place pressure on the innocent party to forgive and continue with those who have abused them, or at least feel responsible to be or do something God never intended, while the offender is never told to repent.
Justice is important to God and it should be important to us too.
Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Isaiah 1:17 "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."
God did not write these verses just for the righteous; He wrote them for the offender too. Never ignore what the offender did and pretend your lack of accountability absolves them.
They say forgiveness does not mean reconciliation. This is completely wrong and based on feelings and words alone.
God declared that forgiveness was predicated on confession of sin and was for the purpose of reconciling a relationship.
If there has been true forgiveness after repentance, then there will be reconciliation followed by an even deeper closeness in the relationship than there was before.
The purpose of forgiveness is not to keep us from becoming bitter, it is for the sake of the relationship.
God made it clear how confession of sin and forgiveness is suppost to work and what it is suppose to accomplish.
Luke 17:3-4 "…3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
People overlook this phrase in the Luke passage: "if they return and say "I repent."
We are commanded to bless our enemies, not to take revenge, and keep ourselves from bitterness, but this is not forgiveness. If there is confession of sin and forgiveness extended, then there will be reconciliation.
Too many people today believe all people are going to heaven because God forgives, even if they are not sorry; this could not be farther from the truth.
Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
This culture needs to stop pretending they forgive while still refusing contact with the offender. There is good reason to avoid those who are not sorry and even think they did nothing wrong defending their sin against us. However, forgiveness is not accomplished until the offender is convicted of their sin and wants to repent and reconcile.
If we obey God by acting with love and kindness, no matter what they do, then we will remain innocent, but this is not reconciliation; it is refusing to be manipulated into acting like the offenders.
Christ treated everyone correctly all the time, and most were not reconciled to Him. He never said to people; "I forgive you even if you are not sorry."
When Christ said on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do", He was not forgiving individuals; He was asking the Father to extend forgiveness to the world because of His sacrifice. Extending forgiveness to those who are repentant is far different from forgiving them when they are not repentant.
Acts 3:19: "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."
God never forgives or reconciles to those who are not sorry! The condition for becoming born again is to confess our sinfulness, trusting in Christ to change us into a new creation, and desiring Him to do all the work in us.
No one will be reconciled to us or to God when they maintain their wicked attitude of remorselessness.
When we say to people we should forgive when someone is not repentant, we are giving them a false picture of how Christ forgives and enabling them in their sinful stance.
It is not unfriendly or unkind to withhold forgiveness to the unrepentant, just the contrary, it may help them see their sinfulness has consequences and it may even cause them to see the error of their ways and rethink their attitude.
Our world is growing worse in terrible attitudes and disrespectful actions because of the psychology that teaches the lie that friendliness is what causes people to rethink their own heart. Just the opposite is true, when we require nothing from offenders, we enhance their selfish and ignorant stance.
Proverbs 22: 24-25 "24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man,
25 lest you learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare."
When we require nothing from others and they require nothing of us no one grows and changes. Holiness is either stymied or non-existent, everyone grows more evil because there is no accountability.
Satan loves this because it causes people to place pressure on the innocent party to forgive and continue with those who have abused them, or at least feel responsible to be or do something God never intended, while the offender is never told to repent.
Justice is important to God and it should be important to us too.
Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Isaiah 1:17 "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."
God did not write these verses just for the righteous; He wrote them for the offender too. Never ignore what the offender did and pretend your lack of accountability absolves them.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Forgiving to Reconcile is God's Plan
I do not forgive for the sake of my own peace; I forgive to reconcile the relationship when someone is repentant and desires to heal the bond of friendship.
Luke 17:3-4 "…3Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
God is all about relationships and little about feelings. We have feelings, and we need to pay attention to them, not to act on them, but to gauge our hearts to see if we are indulging ourselves or obeying God. We must evaluate our feelings according to the Word of God so that we do not follow feelings that are not accurate.
Feelings lie to us often; they tell us things are bad when they are good, and things are good when they are bad. We cannot trust our feelings, which is why I place no value on making myself feel better by claiming to forgive when someone is unrepentant.
Nothing is resolved according to feelings. In fact they can make us feel proud that we are special because we feel good about forgiving, but it does not cleanse us of anything, nor does it help the relationship.
Saying, "I forgive" someone who is not repentant does nothing at all. It does not resolve any problems, it does not seek to understand someone, nor does it cleanse anyone of anything.
God is not about pretending attitudes to feel superior; He is about resolving problems between people. If they cannot be resolved because someone will not admit to their failures, then we must move on and let God.
We are commanded to bless those who curse us when in company with an offender, but this is not a resolution to a conflict, nor can the relationship be mended until there is sadness that the relationship is broken.
Confession of offense and forgiveness are two sides of the same coin; both must be present for a relationship to be restored. When we pretend we forgive but do not reconcile, then the process is not complete, and the relationship remains broken.
It has been psychology that has taught this idea that we should just say in our head we forgive when someone else is not repentant to make ourselves feel better, but it is useless to God's plan.
God does not forgive without repentance; He is our ultimate example. When there is repentance and forgiveness extended it is a beautiful thing, and the relationships become stronger than it was before.
God cares more about results based on His principles than He does about feelings. We can only do our part, which is seeking confession to be reconciled; we cannot do the part of the other person.
Notice you rarely hear of anyone chastising the offender to confess and repent? All the pressure is placed on the one who was wronged to forgive, but no pressure is placed on the one who offended. Seems unbalanced, doesn't it?
Next time you are tempted to chastise people to forgive someone, be sure you also go to the offender and tell them to repent. And, be sure you counsel the one to wait upon the repentance before forgiving, so there will be a real and lasting bond of friendship.
We are seeking reconciliation, as well as spiritual and emotional maturity, which only comes from both confession and forgiveness. We are not seeking a superficial sweeping under the rug and pretending you did your part by messaging your feelings.
Luke 17:3-4 "…3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”"
Let's obey the Bible when God says; "rebuke your brother" and "if he comes and says I repent, forgive him."
Luke 17:3-4 "…3Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
God is all about relationships and little about feelings. We have feelings, and we need to pay attention to them, not to act on them, but to gauge our hearts to see if we are indulging ourselves or obeying God. We must evaluate our feelings according to the Word of God so that we do not follow feelings that are not accurate.
Feelings lie to us often; they tell us things are bad when they are good, and things are good when they are bad. We cannot trust our feelings, which is why I place no value on making myself feel better by claiming to forgive when someone is unrepentant.
Nothing is resolved according to feelings. In fact they can make us feel proud that we are special because we feel good about forgiving, but it does not cleanse us of anything, nor does it help the relationship.
Saying, "I forgive" someone who is not repentant does nothing at all. It does not resolve any problems, it does not seek to understand someone, nor does it cleanse anyone of anything.
God is not about pretending attitudes to feel superior; He is about resolving problems between people. If they cannot be resolved because someone will not admit to their failures, then we must move on and let God.
We are commanded to bless those who curse us when in company with an offender, but this is not a resolution to a conflict, nor can the relationship be mended until there is sadness that the relationship is broken.
Confession of offense and forgiveness are two sides of the same coin; both must be present for a relationship to be restored. When we pretend we forgive but do not reconcile, then the process is not complete, and the relationship remains broken.
It has been psychology that has taught this idea that we should just say in our head we forgive when someone else is not repentant to make ourselves feel better, but it is useless to God's plan.
God does not forgive without repentance; He is our ultimate example. When there is repentance and forgiveness extended it is a beautiful thing, and the relationships become stronger than it was before.
God cares more about results based on His principles than He does about feelings. We can only do our part, which is seeking confession to be reconciled; we cannot do the part of the other person.
Notice you rarely hear of anyone chastising the offender to confess and repent? All the pressure is placed on the one who was wronged to forgive, but no pressure is placed on the one who offended. Seems unbalanced, doesn't it?
Next time you are tempted to chastise people to forgive someone, be sure you also go to the offender and tell them to repent. And, be sure you counsel the one to wait upon the repentance before forgiving, so there will be a real and lasting bond of friendship.
We are seeking reconciliation, as well as spiritual and emotional maturity, which only comes from both confession and forgiveness. We are not seeking a superficial sweeping under the rug and pretending you did your part by messaging your feelings.
Luke 17:3-4 "…3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”"
Let's obey the Bible when God says; "rebuke your brother" and "if he comes and says I repent, forgive him."
Appreciating One Another in the Body of Christ
Fellowship gatherings in homes in the first century were devoted to the people centered around Christ and not a building or a system.
It is a wonderful thing because everyone is free to share, edifying one another as they speak of Christ. The relationships were deeper because they were centered around Christ, not a man-made system with rules and expectations God never commanded.
1 Corinthians 14:26 " 26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church."
The leaders did not dominate the church gathering; they guided by example and teaching, and all were included in the exchange, allowing others to bring their perspectives and gifts. When we know the gifts of each are from the Holy Spirit, we will not be criticizing others or expecting them to be something God never called them to be.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
"12 For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one part, but many.
15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has arranged the parts, each one of them in the body, just as He desired.
19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20 But now there are many parts, but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again, the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;
23 and those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our less presentable parts become much more presentable,
24 whereas our more presentable parts have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked,
25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another.
26 And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it."
In God's body of believers, no one is less than anyone else, and all are to be honored and blessed by the love of the others.
When we appreciate that everyone has a part and everyone is to be loved, there will not be competitiveness or a sense of superiority.
We can even appreciate differing personalities that bring color and life to everyone else. With this perspective, we can stop judging things that are not sin and be grateful, treasuring our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Praise God for His design within the church gathering and the beauty of it when all work together in their particular gifts.
It is a wonderful thing because everyone is free to share, edifying one another as they speak of Christ. The relationships were deeper because they were centered around Christ, not a man-made system with rules and expectations God never commanded.
1 Corinthians 14:26 " 26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church."
The leaders did not dominate the church gathering; they guided by example and teaching, and all were included in the exchange, allowing others to bring their perspectives and gifts. When we know the gifts of each are from the Holy Spirit, we will not be criticizing others or expecting them to be something God never called them to be.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
"12 For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one part, but many.
15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has arranged the parts, each one of them in the body, just as He desired.
19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20 But now there are many parts, but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again, the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;
23 and those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our less presentable parts become much more presentable,
24 whereas our more presentable parts have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked,
25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another.
26 And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it."
In God's body of believers, no one is less than anyone else, and all are to be honored and blessed by the love of the others.
When we appreciate that everyone has a part and everyone is to be loved, there will not be competitiveness or a sense of superiority.
We can even appreciate differing personalities that bring color and life to everyone else. With this perspective, we can stop judging things that are not sin and be grateful, treasuring our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Praise God for His design within the church gathering and the beauty of it when all work together in their particular gifts.
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