Confront...Don't Gossip

Matthew 18:15 "If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.

This is probably one of the most disregarded teachings of Jesus among believers. When someone has sinned, our first inclination is to go public. We talk about them instead of to them. What good does gossiping about the sins of another person really do?

As we have all experienced....talking about a person's sin instead of talking to them usually brings only hurt and alienation. We rationalize not going to the person for many reasons: we don't go and address a sin issue with the person because we say they won't listen anyway or we stop short of addressing a sin issue because we don't feel as if we have the right since we have made our own share of mistakes. Sometimes we don't go because the sin they have committed is against us and we would rather sulk about it and complain to everyone else.

Some people harbor resentment for months and years....choosing to grow bitter and selfishly make another's struggle more about their hurt instead of the redemptive work God might do if we would go in obedience to a brother or sister in love and confront them! How many issues get resolved if we just trust Jesus at His Word?

This application ought to be obvious....just not easy! Think of someone you have recently gossiped about. Did you go to them one on one first and point out their fault or did you just tell someone else? Pick up the phone or meet that person today.....just between the two of you. First, apologize for not coming to them sooner and choosing the easy way out through ignoring the issue or gossiping about it to others. Now that you have confronted your own sin, confront their sin in a loving and respectful way. This is the right way to honor God, to help one another grow to be more like Christ, and live in true Christian community together!

Heavenly Father, when someone begins to stray, help me to go to them and speak the truth in love. Help me to talk to them instead of talking about them. We need the help and godly counsel of others as we travel this journey. To do anything different is simply to create drama that is destructive. Amen. Thanks to Pastor Jerry Sweat

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