#GOFAMINTDailyDevotion Sun. 18/2/2018
Quarter’s Theme: INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN THE CHURCH
UNIT 3 – Sustaining Interpersonal Relationship (Lessons 8-12)
CONSECRATION AND DEDICATION MONTHS
Suggested Hymns: G.H.B. 306, 308
Devotional Reading: COL. 3:12-17
Topic For Adults
CARE ENOUGH TO CONFRONT
Topic For Youths
ADMONITION – WHO NEEDS IT?
Topic For Adults
TAKE TO GODLY ADMONITION
Scripture Lesson
GAL. 6:1-5; TIT. 3:9-11; JN. 21:1-18
18/2/2018 LESSON 12
ADMONISH IN LOVE
MEMORY VERSE
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of gentleness; considering yourself lest you also be tempted (Gal. 6:1) NKJV
DAILY DEVOTIONAL READING
Sun. 18/2/2018
Admonition To Love From A Pure Heart
1 Tim. 1:3-7
One of the laws of nature is that a physical system tends to get more disorganized if left on its own. It is also true of human relationship, unless an external influence is exerted on it to keep it in order. Even in a church, members will tend to bring up disputes and arguments, display selfish tendencies, etc. Paul left Timothy in Ephesus as the positive influence on the church in Ephesus to keep the inter-personal relationship in good shape. The foundation for rewarding inter-personal relationship is love from a pure heart, from good conscience and from sincere faith. In a church where these foundations are intact and members strive to follow the principles, the relationship will be strong, the church will be united and able to achieve the mandate God has given it. What can you do to strengthen love from a pure heart in your church?
Point of Emphasis: Let brotherly love be without deception. Love with a pure heart.
Prayer Point: Holy Spirit, send your fire to consume hypocrisy in our love for one another.
BACKGROUND
Christians are ambassadors of Christ on Earth. We represent the name of Jesus to others. There is tendency for people to infringe on our freedom and for other Christians to be offended by virtue of what happens to them. This week’s lesson is encouraging us to admonish them in love so that they will not fall out of grace.
NOTES ON THE TEXT
PART 1: ADMONISH WITH THE SPIRIT OF MEEKNESS (GAL. 6:1-5)
When a brother falls into sin, other members of the congregation are quick to judge and condemn the fallen brother. The attitude of other brethren is that of self-confidence and superciliousness. Actions by other brethren sound like “why will he not fall, he is not as serious as we are, he cannot pray like we do”. While not condoning sin, brethren who are standing, should admonish the fallen brother with meekness, being aware that they stand just by the grace of God. Without the support of the Holy Spirit, no Christian is able to survive the onslaught of the devil. That does not mean that sin should not be condemned, but rather that the person correcting should do it with the spirit of meekness. If sin is not condemned when it happens in a congregation, we give room for sin to grow like a cancerous tissue; it will soon destroy the whole system.
PART 2: ADMONISH WITH PATIENCE (TIT. 3:9-11)
It can be very exasperating to admonish a person who would not easily take to correction. One tends to give up on such a brother after correcting him once or twice. But God does not give up on any one easily. God sends messenger after messenger to a person who is on the wrong path with the hope that at a point the person will see the truth. Not many Christians gave their lives to Christ at the first hearing of the gospel; neither do many take correction after just hearing an admonition the first time. We should therefore not give up on anyone so easily. Each of us has a yield point. Before we get to the yield point, we tend to go back to the state we were before being corrected. Beyond the yield point, the Holy Spirit works a permanent change in our lives.
Admonition should be done with patience. However when a person demonstrates that he deliberately follows and peddles falsehood, he should be treated as an unbeliever – “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7:6).
PART 3: JESUS ADMONISHED PETER (JN. 21:1-18)
Peter was commissioned to lead the fledging church after Jesus was crucified, but he abandoned his commission to go fishing. Jesus could have criticized him sharply for being so unreliable and short sighted. But instead, He gave Peter direction on how to catch fish and prepared breakfast for him. After Peter had eaten, Jesus gently admonished him to be committed to the job he had been called to do. His admonition was both gentle and incisive.
In admonishing people, we can express thoughts in a way that can make the person being admonished to either reject or accept our admonition. If the way we admonish belittles or brings shame on the person we are admonishing or portrays us as being perfect or superior to the person, it is very likely that our admonition will be rejected and our efforts will likely produce negative results. But if our admonition shows we empathise with, love and care for the person, we are likely to succeed in getting the person to take correction.
The fact that there is no human being that is perfect does not imply we cannot admonish and correct faults. Admonition should be done with love and humility, with the view that we are all encouraging each other to be ready for the rapture.
CONCLUSION
God has not yet finished with any one of us. We need admonition from others so that we can keep striving to make heaven. Admonition should however be given and taken with the spirit of love and humility. Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones (Prov. 16:24).
QUESTIONS
- What should be the attitude of brethren towards a member who sins?
- Why is God not giving up easily on someone who errs from the faith?
- How should admonition be done in the congregation of God’s people?
- How did Jesus confront Peter when he went back to his fishing business?
- How can admonition be rejected or accepted by a person being admonished?
