I've said it before, and I'll say it again: how believers treat one another is appalling. What is more, how worldly so many of us can become when jumping on the hate train is also terrible. Division is one of the worst things believers can do. "Well, Brian, you don't know what 'they' did!" I'm glad Jesus didn't feel that way. You know, because "they" had spit on Him, pulled His beard out, had brought Him to trial on false charges, had Him flogged beyond recognition, released a murderer in His place, had Him nailed Him to a tree, and mocked Him while He was suffering. And He had the audacity to say "forgive them, Father, they know not what they do." The nerve! Sarcasm aside, if we're called by Christ, it doesn't matter what anyone else does: YOU live like Christ. YOU don't speak bad about your neighbor (unless it's to go TO your neighbor to help correct the course), you don't attack your brothers, you don't try and ruin their lives or reputation in court or on the social media court of public opinion. Love, even when you don't feel they deserve it, because none of us deserves Christ's love, and yet He still died for us.
Matthew 6:5-15
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 1 Corinthians 6:1-11
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
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