Plantation SDA Church
Welcome! Our speaker today is Pastor Joseph Salajan
Welcome to our Online Bulletin.
The online bulletin has been enhanced with additional information to make it more relevant to you. It includes:
• Links to the live stream and service rebroadcasts
• Sermon Outline.
• Bulletin
• Church Newsletter
Feel free to take notes. Save the bulletin so you can review the sermon information
Online Services
If you'd like to watch today's service again or if you can't make it to church, here are some links so you can view the live service and/or sermon/service rebroadcast.
Sermon Theme:
f you're a follower of Christ you should follow Christ's protocol for dealing with other people's sin. You can't be indifferent; you are the keeper of your brother!
Social Media Tags to share with your friends:
#arbitration #sin #fault #hurt #wrong #witness #witnesses #lawsuit
Matthew 18:15-17 NKJV
Who Can Heal?
Not everybody that has a scalpel is a surgeon. Not anyone that puts on a clean robe has his/her hands clean... Only God can heal the wound...! There is a specific protocol to be strictly followed. Never allow people with dirty hands touch a wound... The infection can be more dangerous than the wound itself...
Jesus describes a three-step protocol to follow when your brother wounded you.
Step #1 Alone
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him ALONE!” Don’t involve anybody. Not even a friend, or your pastor!!! You and him alone!!!
Question: Does this rule only apply when my brother sins strictly against me, or to any sin of my brother that I become aware of?
This applies to sin in general. Now, of course, you cannot invent sins…! Only if your brother sins…
Am I my brother’s keeper?
I know this goes against the grain of our individualistic American society… but the answer is: Yes, you are!
Step #2 Two or Three
If step #1 fails, (reconciliation cannot happen) you “kick it up a notch.” This doesn’t mean you get angry and start a public campaign…! Jesus tells you exactly what that “notch” is: But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that `by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. (v. 16)
The 2 or 3 witnesses was standard judicial procedure in the Old Testament and in early Christianity. A single witness was not enough to establish facts in the courtroom. Only on the testimony of two or three witnesses can a charge be established.
Matthew 18:16 NKJV
In this passage, the 1-2 witnesses that you take with yourself are not necessarily as eyewitnesses of the sinful act, but as witnesses of the allegation… They are not people you “gang up” with to out-power you brother! Dirty hands should never touch a wound!
You should be looking for unbiased people that can function as witnesses; people that can see, not blinded…). You need people of integrity whom both you and your brother will recognize as such. Whenever I ask someone to be a witness, I always ask him/her: How do you feel about this…? Is your heart in the right place? If you know you may biased, don’t go…
Why are the witnesses needed? You may assume your brother is wrong! What if you are wrong? What if both of you are wrong? Who will establish the truth?
Matthew 18:20 NKJV
Step #3: “…if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church...”
Please understand: that doesn’t mean you come in front of the congregation in a worship service. The role of a worship service is neither to make publicity to sin, nor to put people to shame. The church has a body of spiritual leaders that can be asked to look into this situation and if they deem it necessary they will bring it to the church business meeting.
Last Resort
If even this effort fails: “…let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.”
What does this mean? Start over and introduce Jesus to them –love on those people. Start with the basics of the Gospel…What was Jesus’ attitude toward the heathen and the tax collectors? The point is not to get rid of the sinner; it’s all about winning a sinner back…
The Goal
The goal is: do your best to solve the problem at the lowest level possible... Negotiation->Mediation->Arbitration (Don’t go outside the church for arbitration!).
Today we hardly have cases that reach the level of the church. I wonder why? Maybe because we follow the protocol... and all sinners are gained. My conviction is this: if Christ’s protocol is followed, we will rarely (hardly ever) have to bring anything to the church... But what if we have dropped the protocol... (and we allow dirty hands to touch the wounds)?
Don't Give Up
Not every process ends with a happy end. Don’t give up easily... Follow the protocol!
Dirty Hands Should Never Touch A Wound!
Bulletin
This section contains the traditional bulletin, including:
• The Ministry of Giving
• Service Order and Participants
• Songs in today's service
• Sunrise/Sunset times
Newsletter
The last section of the online bulletin is the newsletter. Its similar to the print version but enhanced with live web links and other interactive features. It includes:
• Prayer Ministry Update
• Calendar of Events
• Social Media Links for Plantation SDA Church
FIRST READING:
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Celia Casey from
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Patricia Gustafsson from
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Nicole Loiten from
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Chelsea Nicolas from
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Margareth Nicolas from
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Michael Arbens Nicolas from
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Adanna Ryce from
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