Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)
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Scratching the Surface
of
Reconciliation
(A
Brief and Incomplete Guide to Restoring Relationships)
Some people like fights more than friendships.
A woman came to me and asked about the agenda
for a meeting.
I said, “It looks like we’ve got at least one
tough topic coming up.”
“Oh, goodie,” she said, “I just love a good
fight!”
It was one of the most un-non-Christian things
that I’ve ever heard in a church.
Sadly, there are people who like to fight, hit,
hurt, beat, batter, bruise, bite, and butcher; betraying the darkness in their
souls.
There are people who like to distance, divorce,
and destroy.
Pride, control needs, lusts, idolatries,
hatreds, and other deeply dark pathologies
masquerading as arrogant and condescending self-righteousness often
cause segregations, separations, and schisms.
It’s natural.
Fortunately, Jesus has provided a path to
restoring relationships in Matthew 18:15-17:
1.
Try to work it out face to face.
2.
If that doesn’t work, bring along a few
fair and objective
folks who will tell
the truth to both of you while insuring
neither of you is
tempted to lie about the conversation
to others at a later
date.
3.
If that doesn’t work, try a committee,
board, or bunch of
good folks to sort it
all out.
4.
If that doesn’t work, isolate and avoid
them.
Unfortunately, while our Lord commands us to
love and seek reconciliation with even the unlovable people in our lives, some
folks are determined to remain irrational, irregular, irascible, and
irreconcilable.
God has another plan for them: “Keep up your
guard against anyone who is causing conflicts and enticing others with
teachings contrary to what you have already learned. If there are people like that in your
churches, stay away from them. These
kinds of people are not truly serving our Lord Jesus…They have devoted their
lives to satisfying their own appetites.
With smooth talking and a well-rehearsed blessing, they lead a lot of
unsuspecting people down the wrong path” (Romans 16:17-18).
In other words, some people playing out deeply
dark pathologies with no desire for reconciliation must be identified, ignored,
and isolated lest they infect the rest of the body of believers with their
disease.
There’s no place for a rotten apple in a barrel
of freshly picked ones.
While our Lord set the example for always
inviting, welcoming, including, and loving, He also said there are evil ones
who slip into churches like wolves in sheep’s clothing with no desire to be
reconciled to Him which is exposed by their irrational, irregular, irascible, and
irreconcilable behavior with the rest of His family; causing Him to conclude,
“If someone is inhospitable to you or refuses to listen to your testimony,
leave that house or town and shake the dust from your feet” (Matthew 10:14).
Allowing the irrational, irregular, irascible,
and irreconcilable to infect a church with darkness brings a stern warning from
our Lord: “If anyone is a cause of stumbling to one of these little ones who
have faith in Me, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung round his
neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6).
Jesus declares the sternest of warnings for
people who are irretrievably irreconcilable: “If you forgive…, your heavenly
Father will forgive you…But if you do not forgive…, neither will your Father
forgive you” (Matthew 6:14-15).
Restored relationships reflect a restored
relationship: “As you do it for them, you do if for Me” (see Matthew 25:31ff.).
When we are reconciled to Him, we are
reconcilable with others.
A passion for reconciliation shows intimacy
with Jesus.
It’s belief confirmed by behavior.
Remembering we must be reconcilable with
everyone to prove reconciliation with our Lord, we will remain reconcilable
with even the irrational, irregular, irascible, and irreconcilable; knowing,
sometimes with some people, it’s better to talk to God about them than to talk
to them about God.
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Blessings and Love!
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Shatter the sound of silence!
Wake up! Look up! Stand up! Speak
up! Act up for Jesus!
Salt! Shine! Leavenate!
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