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Humble Hero
loving appeals that the offender may be restored. The Holy Spirit
will speak through His servants, pleading with the wanderer to return
to God: “We implore you in Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”
2 Corinthians 5:20
. Anyone who rejects this united plea has broken
the tie that binds him to Christ and so has cut himself off from the
fellowship of the church. From that time on, said Jesus, “Let him be
to you like a heathen and a tax collector.” But the sinner’s former
brothers and sisters in the church should not despise or neglect him,
but treat him with tenderness and compassion.
If we neglect the duty Christ has given us, of trying to restore
those who are in error and sin, we become partakers in the sin. See
Leviticus 19:17
. For evils that we might have stopped, we are just
as responsible as if we were guilty of the acts ourselves.
We are not to make someone else’s wrong a matter of comment
and criticism among ourselves nor repeat it to others. While we try
to correct the errors of a brother or sister, we will shield that person
as far as possible from the criticism of fellow church members, and
how much more from condemnation by the unbelieving world. As
we wish Christ to deal with us, He asks us to deal with one another.
“Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever
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you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:19
. The
results of your work are for eternity!
But we are not to carry this great responsibility alone. Wherever
people obey His word with a sincere heart, there Christ lives. In the
assemblies of the church and wherever even a few disciples meet
in His name, there He will also be. “If two of you agree on earth
concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My
Father in heaven.” By His humanity Jesus shares with His disciples
in their trials and sympathizes with them in their sufferings. At the
same time, by His divinity He is connected with the throne of the
Infinite.
Wonderful assurance! All the power of heaven combines with
human ability in drawing people to Christ.
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