Hey friends of Solid Rock! Something both great and awful about being a preacher is that we are TOTALLY human. It means we are relatable...but it also means we make mistakes and sometimes say things that might not be 100% correct. That being said, I wanted to acknowledge one thing I said at the end of today's message. I had encouraged those who might have experienced hurt or offense at the hands of another Christian to seek that person out to make it right. However, as someone I trust deeply pointed out, this could have potentially destructive consequences if the person you are reaching out to feels completely blindsided - it may in fact make the situation worse.
In Matthew 5:23 Jesus says “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift."
This is a situation where we know that the other person has been hurt by us or is carrying an offense toward us. In other words to go to them would not catch them off guard. However when someone doesn't know that they've created an offense, to go to them might create bigger problems.
I would caution anyone from going to another person/pastor/co-worker/family member and just dropping a bomb like 'FYI, I was offended by you and forgive you!' It will leave that person feeling a bit shell shocked. Rather it would be best to first just forgive the person in your heart and trust them into God's hands like we talked about. In time the Lord will reveal to that person if they have wronged you and they may come to you to ask for forgiveness. In a nutshell, verbally granting forgiveness that hasn't been asked for is potentially dangerous.
My apologies that I did not clearly communicate this concept this morning. As for the rest of the morning and the message I thought everything went great!
Please let me know if you have any further questions! -- Pastor Ryan