Red Letter Bible Study--Matthew 18:15-20 (Jesus teaches how to treat a believer who sins)

 Matthew 18:15-20

As Jesus taught them in the prior verses, not everyone will have the best interests of their brothers and sisters in mind.  Jesus teaches resolutions for hard feelings among His followers, with the idea that they will use these lessons as a template for the church Jesus is establishing.  It's a three-step approach:  Confront the one who has offended you alone, with the hope for restoration.  If this doesn't work, take one or two brothers as witnesses to try an intervention of sorts.  If there's still a refusal to work it out, then tell it to the church as a final straw.  If the offender refuses to be reconciled, then he or she shall be treated as if he/she were not a brother/sister.  The decisions and actions of these first disciples are weighty, because they have been entrusted with the job of building the church of Christ Jesus.  Just as when two are disagreeing it can cause dissension, so when two or three are gathered in unity under the name of Jesus, He is there.  

Following the thoughts of traps, stumbling blocks, scandals, Jesus teaches how to practically fix relationship problems within the church.  In the first step toward reconciliation, the word for "have won" has the meaning of not only winning over, but avoiding loss.  The relationship is worth it!  If the first step doesn't work, more people are brought in to try to fix it.  This is to validate the facts and to give a different point of view that the original parties may not have considered.  If that doesn't work, take the situation before the church.  The disciples here had a very unique responsibility.  They were setting the pace for the church forever.  The same power that Jesus gave Peter in Matthew 16 is now given to the rest of His disciples.  The decisions made on earth will hold sway in heaven.  That's how important these verses are! Jesus expands the lens on the importance of reconciliation within the church.  Jesus promises that where two or three are gathered in His Name, there will He be with them.  

Verse 20 changes me.  We may think that people come and go in our churches in America.  Church-hopping is fairly common.  But each person matters.  We need to put into practice the lessons of leaving the 99 to find the one.  We need to take the hard, uncomfortable, embarrassing, confrontational steps toward our brothers and sisters who've wronged us with the only motivation being RECONCILIATION.  Of course, that won't always happen, but we must try.  If we can follow the pattern that Jesus Himself laid out for us, the prize is unity. When we win over the sister that has wronged us (Or maybe we are the one who needs won over), we also avoid losing a prayer partner, an accountability partner, a sister in Christ who we can sit with in unity, and be joined by King Jesus.