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August 23, 2007

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Hi - I am new to your blog. And finding it well worth the visits!

Your words: "Until I see grace in others I am in no position to help them grow by pointing out their sin." are very life-giving to me.

It certainly seems that until we've invested enough thought and prayer into THEIR place, and divested ourselves enough of our own sometimes plank-driven agendas, we are frequently only in a position to wound - to alienate. I'll speak for myself here - until I've made that investment (prayer) into a person, I usually only see the behavior. Once I've sought the Lord on their behalf, I frequently see the wounded heart or the crippled soul that presents little else to choose from in terms of what manifests as the outward behavior. That then places me in a position from which I can encourage meaningfully and if necessary, offer a godly rebuke.

I look forward to following your posts.

Great post.

"That does not mean there is no place for rebuke -- it means the first step is to be alert for grace in each other and fan it into flame."

Yet, I still wonder about the place of rebuke.

Paul seemed to utilize this form of correction in the churches he founded, so how do we deal with this part of "fellowship"?

I know in my own experience, I tend to be encouraging and try not to point out people's flaws. But, I believe if we are ignoring or glossing over their sins, we do not love them as we should and we do a disservice to them and to the whole body.

So, my question remains, What IS the place of rebuke? and How do we utilize it? (What is the correct way to rebuke?)

I have my own ideas but would like to know what your thoughts are.

Thanks and blessings to you for this thought provoking post.

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