Correction in Community
Dear Beloved,
There is more to a community than the soft and sweet side that we crave like, inspiration and support. There is also the brutal correction that none of us want but desperately need to hear.
One important thing to know is that your community cares about you. So when the time for correction comes (you're silly if you think it won't') we can't be offended. The second that you let offense settle in your heart, you pave the way for envy, jealousy, rumors, and much more. Proverbs 12:1 says, "To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction."
Take what is being said, and do a serious heart check. Ask yourself if you actually align with what was spoken to you. If the answer is yes, then talk to God and get help to fix it. Proverbs 15:31-32 says, "If you listen to constructive criticism, then you will be at home among the wise. If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding."
The world seems to view correction as something demeaning and hateful, but it's actually quite the opposite. This whole series has been about being in a good community that will help you grow in your faith. Believe it or not, but correction is necessary to the growth process. It's easy to be offended at the moment. Who do they think they are? They are so much worse than I am!
The Bible even addresses this saying, "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11)
Now, when it comes to the act of correcting someone, there is a certain way to go about it. For starters, you shouldn't be correcting if you are struggling with the same thing. Take Matthew 7:1-5, "How can you say to your brother. ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
Correction should be carried out with gentleness (Galatians 6:1), patience, and teaching (2 Timothy 4:2). We should treat each other as though the God of all creation loves that person so much He sent His only son to die a brutal death so they can have eternal life.
The church carries a twisted view of correction. Many are offended by it, and many more are scared to give it. But correction and teaching go hand in hand. They are mentioned together in the same sentence throughout the Bible.
A good Biblical community will correct you. Not out of hatred or envy. But out of love, respect, and care for your well-being. You don't want a community that will let your sin sit and spread until it poisons all your fruit. You want a community that will cut it out at the root.
