The Intent is to Get People Saved

Offering Message: Matt. 5:23 and 24. God will speak to you in your time of offering and worship. If you bring your gift and remember that someone has something against you, leave your gift, reconcile yourself to your brother, and then offer the gift. Bare your heart before the Lord. God speaks when we get our hearts right. Pray for God to search your heart. Pastor Dale shared about a recent experience of humbling himself to make things right with a pastor friend. Remember: Love never fails. Don’t be wrong with your brother. Sermon message: Pastor Dale tells of the time he was in charge of the youth in his denominational church. Rumors and accusations by people in the church who were against the baptism of the Holy Spirit caused him to be removed. Listen as he tells how he handled the situation and how he ministered Matthew 18 to the adults. In Matt. 18:1-20 Jesus is talking to adults and referring to the newly-converted as the “little ones”. Omar Carberra, who was a powerful leader in the Argentine revival, said that it takes humility to reach the world for God. You have to humble yourself; God doesn’t humble you. The body of Christ must be strong for ministering restoration. We need restorative power in the church. Resisting the Holy Spirit and causing offenses made Jesus Christ very angry. We cannot become offended by the people who are being saved. We need the grace of God, which along with forgiveness is free. The devil’s intent is to get us off God’s intent. Offenses and strife kill. Pride is deceiving, because you don’t know you have it. The world is interested in reputation, whereas the Christian should be concerned about character. When a brother trespasses against you, you go to him alone. Don’t go to anyone else. Don’t resist the grace of God. If the person will not hear you, then go with 1 or 2 more people. The purpose of going to him is to restore him to the Lord and the church. If he continues to refuse hearing them, then go to the church leadership. If he doesn’t hear them, he must be an unbeliever, and then you minister salvation to him. The world should not be dealing with church issues. Privacy is necessary for restoration. Verses 18 to20 tell us to loose the person and to bind the devil. Pastor Dale tells of a time a pastor stole Dale’s church from him. God told him and Teri, “He can’t steal what you give him.” They gave him the church, loosed the pastor and bound the devil. In verses 19 and 20 the 2 or 3 are the people who went through the process of restoration. The purpose is to protect the person. Prov. 17:9 Repentance is not a cover-up; he who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends. In 1 Peter 4:7 and 8 we are told to have fervent love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Prov. 11:13 says that a talebearer reveals secrets. A talebearer is not a gossip. He who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.