During Christ's earthly ministry, Palestine was occupied by the Roman military and subject to Roman law. The Jews, although they despised the Romans, were bound by their civil laws. The law said that a Roman soldier could force a civilian to carry his backpack for him. Once compelled, the civilian must carry the heavy load for one mile. However, after one mile he could set the load down on the side of the road and walk away. He had gone his mile. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: "And whosoever shall compel you to go one mile, go with him two." (Matthew 5:41). There is no blessing in the first mile. It's the second mile that brings the reward. There are a great many "one milers" in the world today. They do only what they feel compelled to do and often complain as they do it. They don't come in early and they always quit on time. Spiritual one-milers do what they feel commanded to do, but nothing extra. Successful people are nearly always second-milers, those who go beyond what is expected--and give more than they have to. Name any of the great sports figures and you will find they are all second-milers. They practice more than they have to, work harder than others and they don't quit playing until the final whistle blows! Successful business executives are nearly always-second milers. The person who says, "Hey, it's five o'clock. The work's not done, but the clock says it's quitting time," will seldom be successful. Chalk up people like Henry Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and Thomas Edison as second milers! Second-milers are also those who are successful spiritually. Imagine the testimony of the young man who puts the soldier's heavy pack on his back and walks the first mile with a scrowl. Everyone does that. But, when he passes the one mile marker without noticing, and cheerfully continues on for the second mile, that young man has now made an impression. He has now earned the respect of that soldier and possibly earned an opportunity to witness in a way that all the first milers never had. Believe me, second milers stand out in the crowd! The first mile is required. The second mile is voluntary. The first mile is drudgery. The second mile is joy. During the first mile, you are under bondage. During the second mile, you are in control. During the first mile, you are the victim. During the second mile, you are the victor. One of the great second-milers was a missionary who spent his life in Africa. He not only served his term there but he remained for the rest of his life. On his tombstone, those he had won to Christ, placed this epitaph: "When he came, there were no believers. When he died, there were no infidels."
If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. (Matthew 18:15, NIV). We call it "the Matthew 18 principle." Unfortunately, too many people have never heard of it; at least, they fail to practice it. And that is the source of much conflict, confusion, and grief. At Faith Christian Academy, we try to follow Biblical principles. That's why we call ourselves a Christian school. And this is a Biblical principle. If someone offends you, don't tell your pastor, other parents, an innocent bystander or people on Facebook! Go tell the one who offended you. Alone. That's the Biblical first step. It's not a recommendation, suggestion, or even a school policy; it is a Biblical principle. (And it goes against human nature--as many Biblical commands do). The list of excuses to ignore Matthew 18:15 is almost endless. Some excuses even sound "spiritual." ("I wanted my friends on Facebook to pray with me about this"). Notwithstanding, I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was perfectly clear in what He taught. Here is what we are likely to gain by careful obedience to the Matthew 18 principle: 1. We will protect our fellow Christian's reputation among other believers because we refuse to give a bad report to others before we have spoken to the offender privately, got all the facts, and heard his/her side of the story. 2. We will resist the temptation to "rally the troops" who may feel the same as we feel about the particular "offense," but who should not be involved at all. In other words, obeying Matthew 18 prevents spreading personal discontent or discord to others, which is a serious breach of Biblical conduct. (See Proverbs 6:19). 3. We may protect the family, the church, the work place, or the Christian school from much unnecessary harm. I am convinced that once a person "goes public" with his or her offense, rather than obeying Matthew 18, that it is comparable to a cancer that spreads from one isolated location to many other vital organs and becomes malicious. This can be true even when there is real merit or truth to the offense or complaint. There is a right way and wrong way to handle problems or offenses. Matthew 18 gives us the right way. I suppose, theroretically, there must be a time or circumstance when a person must go "over someone's head" and report an offense to the person's superiors, or to authorities. Certainly, when the safety of a child is involved, or a law has been broken.1 However, in over thirty years of school ministry, it is not those kind of circumstances for which I have seen the Matthew 18 principle violated. In a vast majority of cases, somebody criticized a person behind their back because of minor matters that could have easily been cured by going to the offender privately and saying, "We need to talk...," or "Perhaps there has been a misunderstanding...." Our administration wants to be available to help anyone solve a problem. I don't mind listening to complaints; believe me, I have experience in that department. But don't be surprised if you walk into my office and say, "I need to talk to you about Mrs. So-and-So," and my reply is, "Have you already been to see her about this matter?" Christian people, we will avoid a lot of unnecessary conflict, grief and collateral damage by following the Matthew 18 principle. Words, like feathers shaken into the wind, cannot be recalled. Is this your pledge to other people with whom you may disagree? I will refuse to hear a negative report about my brother or sister in Christ behind their back.1 I will not spread my discontent or disagreement to others in the church, school, work place, etc. By doing this, I will treat my brother or sister as I myself would wish to be treated. (Matthew 7:12; Colossians 2:14 and 15).
-------------------------------------- 1 We speak here of personal offenses in matters that routinely come up in churches or Christian schools. We will understand an exception in serious matters where the actual safety of a child or other person is involved or where a law may have been violated. Please feel free to bring those concerns directly to the administration. But, please pray about whether it is proper to follow Matthew 18:15 on matters of personal disagreement.
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15).
There exists in God's Word two distinct doctrines, which we must not confuse. They stand in stark contrast to each other. One is the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith. The other is the doctrine of rewards for the service of the saved. 1. Salvation is a free gift of God. "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee the living water. (Jn. 4:10). "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9). "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior. That, being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-8). "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted unto him for righteousness." (Rom. 3:5). 2. A Christian earns rewards by works. "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." (Mt. 10:42). "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righetousness. (2 Tim. 4:7,8). "And he said unto him, Well done thou good and faithful servant; because thou has been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities." (Lk. 19:7). "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath built upon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." (I Cor. 3:11-15). Salvation is a present possession for the believer. (John 3:36; 5:24; 6:47; 2 Timothy 1:9; I John 5:11, etc.). Rewards are in the future. (Mt. 16:27; 25:19; Lk. 14:14; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 22:12, etc.). Dr. C.I. Scofield has noted 3 purposes of God in His promise to reward faithful service by His saints: 3 - to win them from the pursuit of earthly riches and pleasures
- to sustain them in the trials of persecution, and
- to encourage them in the exercise of Christian virtues.
Faith in Christ is the root 2 of eternal life; good works are the fruit, or result of salvation. Salvation always produces good works, but good works never produce salvation. Good works are the results of God's saving grace. For we are his workmanship1, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10) This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they who have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works...." (Titus 3:8)
______________________ 1 "Workmanship" is translated from the Greek word poimea, "the things which have been made." The word was often used of art and literary masterpieces. 2 In this article, the author has used bold type for emphasis on certain words; this is the author's addition. 3 Scofield, C.I., Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth. Grand Rapids, Mi.: Zondervan Books, 1973
...Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou has given me..... While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name; those that thou gavest me I have kept.... I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil [one]. (John 17:11,12,14 - word in brackets implied).
The Lord Jesus Christ speaking....His great high priestly prayer. Seven times in this chapter, the Savior speaks of believers as gifts--given to Him by His Father, the Lord God Almighty. During His earthly ministry, Christ kept them by the authority of the Father (verse 12). Now, He is about to leave the world. So, He places His love gifts, the believers, back in the hand of the Father for safe keeping. We remember what the Good Shepherd said in John Chapter 10: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all, and no [man] is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." (Jn. 10:27-29).
Certainly the Christian life is a journey wrought with many trials, both hills and valleys. But the journey ends at the front porch of God who has always walked with us, and who will welcome us home. "In my Father's house are many mansions1; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also....I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:2,3,6).
1 from the Greek mone, literally "abiding places" or "abodes."
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