In a perfect world, relationships would be strong and healthy. We’d never have to deal with enemies, conflicts, or violence. No hidden agendas, passive-aggressive behaviors, hit-and-run tactics, cold wars, or sneak attacks.
But ours is not a perfect world.
It was for an imperfect world that our Lord Jesus laid out a strategy to deal with a brother or sister who stubbornly refuses to be held accountable for abusing your trust or attacking your person.
Jesus’ plan is recorded in the same chapter of the Bible as that familiar parable about leaving a flock of 99 to go after one stray sheep (Matthew 18:12-14). The parable and the plan are connected. Christ’s strategic approach is to throw a lifeline to the lost sheep. “If your brother sins against you,” says Jesus, “go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over” (verse 15).
The Good Shepherd wants us to engage a straying fellow Christian with due process. Christian due process. Be discrete. Protect his or her reputation. Give him or her a fair hearing.
At the same time, Jesus is brutally honest about those who say they belong to his family but deny their confession by refusing to repent: “But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector” (verses 16,17). If the individual remains entrenched in sin, treat him or her as an unbeliever.
But the expression Jesus used to describe an unbeliever is significant. He did some of his most important work among pagans and tax collectors. He loved them. He was eager to become a part of their lives, make time for them, talk with them, live among them— and die for them. Unbelievers mattered to Jesus, as souls in need of saving.
Thank God! Before Christ claimed us as his own in Baptism, you and I were unbelievers.
God’s people are sometimes referred to as the church militant. The term church militant may make Christians sound like an offbeat paramilitary group, but it actually does convey our posture in a world that hates Jesus and his truth. (See Matthew 10:22.) As members of the Savior’s church, we are not interested in winning political wars on earth. Our mission is all about winning souls for his eternal kingdom. It is a noble conflict in which he has engaged us. The orders are clear: Go. . . . Preach. . . . Teach in Jesus’ name. And he has promised to be with us as we carry out our “co-mission” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Are you ready? History has recorded the inspiring words of great generals as they prepared their armies for battle. The apostle Paul’s brilliant address to God’s warriors in Ephesus will serve as the final word before you enter the fray. May it inspire you to fight the good fight of faith with purpose and passion:
Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:10-18)
Excerpt from Devotional Thoughts for Christians in Conflict.