Discipleship #6 – Dealing With Others Bro. Welder CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
In this discipleship lesson, you are going to learn, as a Christian, how to handle:
- Relationships with Christians;
- Relationships with non-Christians;
- Responsibilities toward other Christians; and
- Offenses against you
Relationships with Christians
As Christians, we are sons and daughters of our Father, the Lord God [2 Cor 6:18]. Therefore, others Christians are our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ [Heb 2:11] and together we are his family [Eph 3:15]. As we spend more time with our spiritual family, we draw closer to each other and further from others [Acts 2:44-47]. You can understand, then, how our natural families may resent this [Matt 10:36].
Relationships with non-Christians
Though you draw closer to your spiritual family over time, you cannot cut off all relationships with your natural family and your unsaved friends, otherwise you will never be able to lead them to the Lord [1 Cor 7:16; Acts 16:31; 1 Cor 5:9-10]. In those relationships, you must be careful to maintain a godly testimony [1 Thes 5:22; 1 Pet 3:16] and be a faithful witness [1 Tim 4:12, 16].
Responsibilities toward other Christians
- Love each other – Jn 13:35; Gal 5:13-15
- Fellowship with each other – Acts 2:42
- Pray for each other – 1 Thes 1:2; 2 Tim 1:3
- Minister to each other – Gal 6:2, 10; Rom 12:13; Heb 13:3
- Encourage and edify each other – Rom 15:2; 1 Thes 5:11
- Serve each other with humility – Phil 2:3-4
- Be truthful with each other – 2 Cor 4:2; Eph 4:25
- Speak with grace to each other – Eph 4:29;Col 4:6
- Be kind and tenderhearted toward each other – Eph 4:32
- Be forgiving of each other – Eph 4:32
Offenses against you
At some point you are going to be offended by a brother or sister in Christ. Here’s how to handle the offense.
- Do not retaliate – Rom 12:17-21
- Do not hold a grudge – Lev 19:18; Jas 5:9
- Do not get bitter – Heb 12:14-15
- Do not tell others about it – Prov 17:9; Prov 26:20-28
- Go to the offender privately and try to reconcile – Matt 18:15
- If he repents, forgive him – Lk 17:3-4; if not, then take the wrong – 1 Cor 6:7-8
- If the matter is serious and unresolved attempt reconciliation with a mediator – Matt 18:16
- If the matter remains unresolved then take it to your pastor – Matt 18:17