Dealing with Church Hurt (2)

Introduction

Who has not dealt with hurt or disappointment? I don't think many people can say it is something they have not had to deal with on some level or another. However, there are different levels to dealing with it and how we should respond. It is important that we know how to deal with it and what ways God says to deal with such hurt or disappointment. The Bible gives us a number of ways to deal with hurt and those who have hurt us. So lets jump into it and get started.

How to Address Hurt

There are a few passages that deal directly with how we are to address hurt. Two that we will focus on is Matthew 18:15–17 “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.” as well as Luke 17:1–4 “Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”

So Matthew is a great passage especially for dealing with people in the church. However the best one for us to look at here is Luke 17. This passage gives us a promise and a way to handle it. The promise comes in Luke 17:1 “Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!” There will always be times we are disappointed or hurt by people. However at the same time there is a warning to the person that causes the offense! So while we must always be ready to deal with the offense we must also be sure we do not cause it to others.