“…I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.”  (Galatians 2)

 

The above text deals with Peter’s dissimulation and Paul’s face to face rebuke. Peter was at liberty to enjoy his time with the gentiles. He ate what the gentiles ate and he experienced the Christ-ian freedom that the gentiles lived in and with. However, when the jewish believers showed up Peter stopped his liberty and fell back into the jewish Christ-ian way of believing. This caused Paul to erupt and rebuke Peter for this.  Paul saw that this could be taken as a rebuff or as an offense against the gentile’s liberty.  After all is said and done, things worked out.  This is not the point of our article.

Our point in this article is the faithful wounds a friend and brother can inflict upon another brother.  This writer has the tendency to get political when there is a school shooting or a terrorist attack.  This writer can give ground to the old carnal man and say things that should not be said by a shepherd of Christ’s flock. I fall into a second (2nd) amendment advocate instead of seeking to make sense of the senseless.

This happened recently with the latest school shooting….the latest school shooting….think about those words for a minute.  When I was in school gum chewing and tardiness, and swearing were chargeable offenses.  Today it is capital murder.  I wrote a few posts on FB on the gun debate.  I acted as a proponent for guns.  This is not where my gifts should be used. Except for speaking to SIN and sins involved in these crimes.

A good friend and faithful brother messaged me to counsel me to focus more on Christ and the hope of the Gospel instead of being led astray on political issues.  I forgot that the God-chosen soldier cannot get entangled in world system issues if he is to be a faithful soldier to the Captain of his Salvation. This faithful brother is a pastor of a larger church and he has many responsibilities in terms of the church and the Christ-ian academy that is a ministry of the church.  This friend is also a father of a number of children. Yet, this friend found the time to pray for me and send me a faithful wound.

Reader, this is singular to the Christ-ian church.  It is the reponsibility and priviledge of every Christ-ian to be their “brother’s keeper.”  We are to provoke one another to good works.  We are to prefer one another over others. We are also duty bound to rebuke a brother when it is needed. Love covereth a multitude of sins. Love also reigns in a brother when needed.

Reader, This writer has the warrior’s spirit and the prophet’s fire in our bones and like the prophets of old, we are very passionate in our beliefs and teachings and this passion can translate rather harshly in our writings.  I am thankful for the faithful wounds of friends. We are reminded of David’s words, “In faithfulness God afflicted me.” God hurts us that He may heal us and so do good and godly and Christ-like brethren.

Godspeed.