The Prodigal's ReturnSample

Pedestals

Bailey Hartman

[Matthew 18:15-17 MSG] If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church. If he won’t listen to the church, you’ll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God’s forgiving love.

Church hurt is real. It happens to almost all of us in our Christian walk. The Bible addresses some of how to handle this in Matthew 18. Too often, we become gossipers or gather hatred and create grudges without ever even trying to address that person about how we feel or how they may have made us feel. Something I have learned is that almost no one intends to hurt someone when they say things or do things that cause hurt.

We can also look inside ourselves and know that we all fall short every day. Romans 3:10 says that “There is no one righteous, not even one”. We need to go back to the Truth that relationships are a priority. God created us to be in relationships with not just other people, but other believers.

If you have experienced hurt from another church member, I am sorry. Many worldly followers have left and hate churches because of how they have been treated. Please, do not let yourself become another victim. God loves you and calls you to be with His followers in fellowship. Let us all start to take responsibility for how we treat everyone. Apologize first, even if you feel as though you are not in the wrong. Help to change the narrative about churches taking in believers and wounding them.

God, help us to use our eyes to see inside of ourselves. Help us show love and compassion even when we are wounded. Most of all, help us follow your word and your teachings to mend broken fences within your people. Amen.