Matthew 18: 15- 20 v 20 “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
The title of this passage is correcting another believer and what follows is a plan for handling a disagreement within a community of faith. The first step is to go privately and talk to the person. If they own up to the offence, then “you have won them back.” If you are unsuccessful then take a couple of friends and if the person still refuses to listen take them to the church, then treat them as a tax collector. This model will be used in heaven as on earth. The concluding sentence is “where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
The bible is full of passages like this that can be read repeatedly to see greater insights. If you add the last line to the first line, then God is with you even in the private discussion. In heaven as on earth is part of the Lord’s prayer. We are responsible for our actions on this earth, and they will follow us to heaven. Treat them as a corrupt tax collector! Well Jesus met with tax collectors, so I see this as a circular message, time to start again from the top, meet privately. Jesus is with you and will let you know when to stop so it is not a never-ending message but one where you can expect to see divine intervention. So, keep going until you see it.
Prayer: Heavenly Father thank you for sending your Son to help us resolve conflicts amongst believers. Give us the energy to keep going to win back those believers you care about and continue in peace. Amen
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