sin – Page 2 – 300 words a day

growing resistance

Most church services that people attended over the weekend did not include a public rebuke. I’m sure there were many private rebukes, in which one person accused another (not in the conversation) of dressing inappropriately, of taking the wrong seat in the sanctuary, of not watching children while they ran on the platform after the […]

by Jon Swanson

looking back – July 27-31

Monday – Helping each other grow For the next few days we will look at what Jesus says in Matthew 18:15-20 about sin and relationship and conversation and restoration. It’s a hard topic. It hurts to talk to other people about sin, both theirs and ours. However, our calling as followers is to follow better, […]

by Jon Swanson

to the next level

It looks like Jesus is calling for reinforcements. Not for himself. For you. He is talking about what to do when you see someone sinning, someone doing something that God has indicated not to do. (That’s highlighted as a reminder that I don’t get to decide what counts as a sin.) After talking with a […]

by Jon Swanson

maybe it will work

“If he listens to you.” Jesus is talking about how to talk to someone about sin, someone in your spiritual family, someone who already has agreed to the house rules and is now bending or breaking them. As we have seen, Jesus says to talk to them. “If he listens to you.” We assume that […]

by Jon Swanson

But, did Jesus?

We’re looking at Jesus talking about how to address sin. We’re looking at a passage that is used as a guideline for what is called “church discipline.” We’re looking at the beginning of the process, where Jesus says, “If your brother sins, tell him.” As I thought about the process, I thought, “But, did Jesus […]