1COR5V11AMPC

But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of [Christian] brother if he is known to be guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater [whose soul is devoted to any object that usurps the place of God], or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusing, reviling, slandering], or is a drunkard or a swindler or a robber. [No] you must not so much as eat with such a person.

Relax— forgiveness does not mean you have to reconcile with an abuser or someone who is unsafe. 

David never reconciled with Saul but he kept a clean spirit—

Forgive like God for your own sake— SEE ISAIAH43V25

Good Pastoring

Pastors And Teacher— Elders And Instructors —Training The Body

To encourage, comfort, enlighten, and correct.

If there was only four quarters to divide what the fivefold officer does in the body of Christ, especially the Pastor it would be to encourage, comfort, enlighten and to correct.

Every biblical set of responsibilities as laid out in the pastoral epistles can be under these four grand categories.

Notice only one quarter is correction, however, many ministers major in correcting others— what they did, what they didn’t do— what they should do and many of it is just cultural subjective flavoring that doesn’t even violate the absolutes in Jesus.

Religious people love to hyper-criticize others— even using the Word of God as a tool to slice open others who do not fit their opinions and way of doing.

Over the past 3 decades I have visited churches that have struggled with growth — some of those Pastors have lamented directly to me of why they are not growing.

As I hear them speak to their flock— I only heard the correction and very little of the three other major elements of good pastoring— encourage, comfort, enlighten. They focus abundantly on  correcting and many have just simply got wore out from it and left.

The prideful can act very entitled to their rights and with them pulling rank is often done.

Pulling rank is usually done when the leader has not won over the junior.

Now, I am NOT saying a elder has to walk on eggshells and let the junior usurp the God ordained Pastor— no, no, no!!!

However, any leader— when he or she convinces the junior that they love them a correction is not catastrophic— when it’s done with calm authority, meekness and even emotional availability.

Many times correction can be spoken without directly saying it.  The point is made between the lines while exhorting toward good faith filled works.

So two parts exhortation and one part correction— make for a happy healthy church.