Page 103 - First Steps 2023

And then there are the challenges…

• Church members are sometimes slow to forgive others in spite of
having been forgiven by God (Matthew 6:14-15).

• Church members may have unhealthy, unvoiced, or false expecta-
tions about what will or won’t happen in a local church. Any of those
can sabotage relationships within the church community.
• Church members with unmet expectations can become bitter, de-
stroying their own peace of mind and ruining relationships. That bit-
terness can make it difficult to think well of others and often leads to

gossip and hostility. It’s also the primary reason that disciples aren’t
able to experience fully the power, strength, witness, and fruitfulness
of a close community.

If bitterness has taken root in any of your relationships, don’t ignore

it. Confess it for what it is: sin. The mark of maturity for a Jesus-follower
is the ability to receive mercy and grace—and to also pass those along
to others. It’s not enough to simply accept those from Jesus; he expects
that we’ll do for others what he’s done for us.
If you’re feeling a nudge to acknowledge bitterness toward some-
one—a person who’s disappointed or hurt you—tell your discipler about it.
Then, together, pray this prayer:

God, just as I’ve been forgiven, I will forgive others. I commit to
praying for my enemies, thinking the best of my friends, and going
to any person I perceive has offended me to hear the other side of
the story. And above all else, I will speak blessings on all. Protect me
from bitterness and set me free from anger so I can be loved and
love others.

5. Peacemaking in a local church.
Given that relationships won’t be perfect in any local church, it’s best
to accept you’ll need to be a peacemaker.
And “peacemaker” isn’t an invention of the United Nations; it was
God’s idea:

102