“Instead, be kind to each other,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven
you.” Ephesians 4:32
NLT
Paul’s
letter to the church in Ephesus was one of encouragement, as he shares the nature and appearance of the church. More specifically, Paul tells how we are to
function as the body of Christ on earth.
Paul ended up staying 3 years on his 3rd missionary trip to
Ephesus acting as their leader, preaching and teaching the word of God to the
believers there. Based on this information we can assume that he had a very
special intimate relationship with this church.
Unity and
a cooperative spirit was then and still is now incredibly important to the
growth and maturation of the body of Christ.
We are to remove from our midst all backbiting, gossip, criticism,
jealousy, anger and bitterness for these traits are barriers to a churches
unity. Those who refuse to be instructed
in such matters and continue to introduce these evil behavioral traits into the
body of their congregation are not truly Christians at all, but rather wolves
in sheep’s clothing, allowing themselves to be used by Satan to disrupt and
divide the church. Such people can
certainly be forgiven and are to be prayed for, but if they resist change even
after a spotlight is shone on their disruptive behavior, they must then be
expelled from the church. Evil cannot
reside with God, nor should divisiveness be allowed to flourish within the
walls of the sanctuary. We must pluck
the weeds that the garden may flourish.
Forgiving
is mandated in scripture, however, change must occur to know the recipient of
the forgiveness is sincere. Know the word and live it. Turn your back on sinful
practices and know what purpose God has for you in His kingdom. Until next time, walk with the King and be a
blessing!
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