Reoccurring Thought

I have been bombarded with a single thought lately that continues to pop up when least expected. 

That thought is that,
               we are all in different places in our walk                      
     with Christ. 


For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to hold other Christians to what the Bible says. I have always wanted to show them when they are doing something that is wrong according to scripture. The truth is, I am just as terrible a sinner as any person, and have no right to be pointing fingers. 


I do know, however, that the Word instructs us to encourage our brothers and sisters in their walk with Christ so that they may grow. 


"As iron sharpens iron,
    so a friend sharpens a friend." -Proverbs 27:17

 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector." -Matthew 18:15-17


"My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins." -James 5:19-20


These verses have in common that we are to be holding each other accountable to our lives as Christians. Some may take it as Christians being judgmental toward one another, but if done in the correct way, it should not come across that way. And there are some who need to understand that not all instruction and encouragement is meant to be judgmental. Having someone to help us see the things we can't always see that we are doing, is beneficial to helping us grow as Christians and strengthen our relationship with Christ. 


Now, is where is gets slightly muddled. While yes, we are to hold each other accountable, we also have to understand that people will not always be in the same place in their walk with Christ as we are. Some may be ahead of you, and some may be behind you, and others will be right where you are. 


"In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable." -Romans 14:5


I think the way to solve what may appears to be mixed signals would be, to go to that fellow Christ follower in private. (There is no need to embarrass them, or yourself. And there is no reason to air their dirty laundry.) And share your heart with them. Share with them openly and honestly, humbly and in gentleness. (And it might be good if you have that sort of authority in that person's life. If you don't, you will most likely be perceived as being judgmental.) 


Secondly, leave it at that. Don't hound the person. They may not yet have the same convictions you do, simply because they may not be in the same place in their walk with God. That does NOT mean they are not as good of a Christian. God's Word tells us we are ALL sinners. We are ALL unworthy of God. But Christ came to save us ALL. We are all equally filthy, but we are all equally blessed with the gift of God's grace. So we should be very careful to not think that we have it all figured out, and that other Christians need to step up their game. Because the truth is, we are all sinful in God's eyes. Sin = death. So we should all take heed of the example that Jesus Christ gave us with his life, and always be forgiving, always be loving. 

By no means am I claiming that this is THE way to approach this sort of thing. In fact, I am here to say, this may be a completely WRONG way to handle this. This is just what I feel God has laid on my heart at the moment, and maybe later on, my "advice" (although I would hardly call it that) will change. By then, I may see what I cannot see now. And I know that I fail OFTEN. But I do know that we seem to have a problem not wanting to step on other's toes, even though we are given instruction to "bring their feet to the fire" so-to-speak. And we also have the problem of thinking everyone needs to be doing things the way a specific person sees fit. 


I think if we simply read the Word of God. Make a daily decision to love God and love others, then the rest will fall into place.