Wednesday 31st August - Matthew 18

Today’s chapter is Matthew 18, you can read it here

Tom writes:

Mercy is a fine word don’t you think?  It’s one of those words that isn’t used too much so it still has some potency.  Mercy is the common theme in this chapter.  Following Jesus, and living in the church is always about looking out for others, trying to find ways to keep them close to you and in touch with God.  It really pains me that so many Christians shy away from the grubby reality of our faith - rubbing up alongside people, being inspired and offended, supported and wounded by them.  We seem so quick to take a step back and not really throw ourselves into friendship with the church.  We often say the problem is with the church being too institutionalised or too full of difficult characters, or too “out of touch”.

Is the real truth that we are just not good at forgiving others’ sin? If we are serious about following Jesus we have to get stuck into the local church, doing life together with the other “little ones”, challenging them and then forgiving them, showing them mercy and asking them to show us mercy too. Over and over again. All this effort is not just to play happy families; it is the forging of a people in the pattern of the Prince. Awkwardness in the Assembly is God’s Anvil for our Awakening. A church that has forged mercy has immense power to bound and loose forces in the world.  A church full of mercy is a dynamic fount of blessing for the wandering sheep in the nations.  Because a church full of mercy is a church that has asked for mercy from the Lord and has received that mercy and abundant things beside.

Question for reflection

How are you showing mercy in your interactions with others in Jesus’ church?