Example #2:  You do something I think is wrong

What do we do when we disagree?  You drink more alcohol than I think you should.  You handle relationships with the opposite sex in an unhealthy way.  You gossip about someone behind their back.  You have a way of always hurting others with your words.  What are we going to do?  Are we going to avoid hanging out with those people?  Are we going to act like it didn’t happen?  Are we going to make excuses?  Are we going to tell someone else to talk to them?  When we do this we are telling ourselves God didn’t want this, and we are powerless to see anything change. But what if we were more than friends?  What if the gospel shaped our relationships with one another and instead we:

• Admit Our Sin:  The sin and character flaws I see in others also exist in me because we are all sinners.  They may not be the same, but we are all a work in progress.

• Forgiveness:  I can talk to this person about this disagreement because there is forgiveness to be experienced and embraced in our relationship with God.

• Trust: I can trust that God has allowed me to experience this disagreement to strengthen our relationship with one another and our relationship with Jesus.

• Humility:  There are areas in my life that I need to grow and I invite others to speak into my life as well.

None of us have it all figured out.  None of us have become the standard for perfection.  Therefore, we are for each other.  Can we just agree to that right now as a church family?  We are for each other.  What difference would it make in our relationships in our church and local community if we all agreed to be for each other?