I have a brother who got saved. He was a homosexual and the Lord brought him out of that or that is what he told me. Now he is living in sin. He now has a boyfriend. He still calls himself a Christian. I don't know how to approach this will love some Godly advice.
Thank you brothers and sisters.
Lev 19:17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.
But if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear you, take one or two more with you, so that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he neglects to hear the church, let him be to you as a heathen and a tax-collector.
(Mat 18:15-17 MKJV)
Follow these steps and you shall be in God's will on the matter.
In Christ,
Ron
The brother did not sin against me. So does that still apply?
The brother did not sin against me. So does that still apply?
Yes, I believe it still applies. Remember the context of these verses, Jesus has been talking about taking heed not to offend others. In these verses I have quoted the Lord Jesus shows us how to confront sin boldly, yet with discretion so as not to offend. This would apply whether the sin is directly against you or not. The point is how to deal fearlessly with sin in others and at the same time not offend; God says this is how to do it.
In Christ,
Ron
I will pray for wisdom for you. A rebuke must be done in love without a judgmental spirit. I have been lovingly rebuked and my heart was exposed and all I could do is weep. I wouldn't worry about the result of this but rather that you do what the Holy Spirit asks you to do.
There are a number of wonderful proverbs on this topic. Here's a few of them to encourage you:
Proverbs 9:8 Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
Proverbs 15:31 He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.
Proverbs 27:5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love.
Proverbs 28:23 He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue.
I've been in a similar situation and made some big mistakes, so I'll speak out of my own experience.
1. Do you love your brother, is there any wrong motives -search your heart.
2. Are you the best person to rebuke or correct him, is there a leader in the church or a respected elder, relative or friend that would have better footing.
3. Have you prayed for him, has God confirmed this in your heart, as long as it's in your mind and not on your lips in prayer this is a definite red light.
4. Can you restore him gently? Sometimes its easy to shoot off the cannons and take cover and wait for the smoke to clear, but Galatians makes it clear that we should only correct someone if we can do it in a gentle way -of course sometime surgery is painful, but if your motives are pure, you love your brother, you are the best person to confront him and you are filled with the spirit then you'll be on the right track.
5. The last thought is this: do you have all of the information. In my situation I only had a piece of the picture, from my own perspective, it's easy to see sin and say 'that's sin' but it's entirely different to see our brother's situation and need... have you talked to his friends, his family, his peers... have you talked to him in a non confrontational and concerned manner? Instead of coming out gun's blazing it might be enough to say 'I'm concerned about you right now, would you like to talk?'
That's it for me... I almost had to leave the church I am in because of what I did when I rebuked someone I didn't meet any of these criteria, and the relationships are still not restored... be clear that you have the proper footing before proceeding.
The brother did not sin against me. So does that still apply?
I'd say that yes, it does still apply.
Praise the LORD!! Yea are great helps. Thank you brother or sisters May God Bless you tremendously.
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