Couples for Christ Foundations for Christian Living

INTRODUCTIONAll scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work2 Tim 3:16-17

Being corrected is something we experience from childhood to old age. We are corrected by family, friends, Clergy, coaches, bosses, teachers, etc Sometimes we accept these corrections but at other times we dont want to hear them. Have you ever wondered why you didnt want to hear or accept a correction from someone even though it would benefit you for the better?

CORRECTION: the act of offering an improvement to replace a mistake

punishment intended to reform, improve or rehabilitate

Worldly Sense of CorrectionChristian Sense of CorrectionAs a Christian, we correct to try to help each other and were fueled by Love and Christ.One try to undermine someone else which is fueled by pride, anger, and/or hate.The experience in most cultures, however, is RESISTANCE of people to correction

at the bottom of it is FEAR

Some reasons why we are afraid of correction.Experience of being laughed at because of our mistakes(sometimes get embarrassed in front of other peopleSocietys expectation:

We are evaluated in terms of what we know and have achieved. It is painful to have our failures or shortcomings pointed outCorrection is associated with rejectionSecular societys expectation of self reliance and independence leads to hesitation in accepting somebodys opinion or judgement over us especially in case of weaknesses and failures being pointed out

Some reasons why we are afraid of giving corrections.

The fear factorThe solution:One key to overcoming the fear of correcting those in sin or error is to recognize what God says in the Holy Bible, that if you know Christ, you are the Lords bond-servant. As such, He will hold you accountable for being faithful to Him. You need to fear God more than you fear people and recognize that obedience to His command to love others requires correcting them if you see them heading for the cliff.Misunderstanding ofMatthew 7:1, Do not judge so that you will not be judgedThe solution:Jesus meant that we should not condemn others for minor things in their lives while we ignore major sins in our own lives. First take the log out of your eye and then you can help your brother with the speck in his eye.We are aware of sin in our own livesThe solution:We are afraid that if we try to correct someone else, he (or she) will point the finger back at us, and we know that were guilty as charged. So we do not bring up the other persons sin in hopes that he will not bring up our sin! But, Scripture commands us to deal with any known sin in our lives. Thats why Pauls instruction here on the ministry of correction follows his exhortation on being a cleansed vessel. We do not have to be perfect to practice this ministry (or it would never get done), but we do have to judge our own sins..Laziness and procrastinationThe solution:It isalwaysmore of a hassle to correct than to let it go.Always!It takes effort to arrange a time to get together. It is stressful to talk about such matters. You risk a backlash from the other person. But, we are commanded to pursue love, and that always requires effort and riskInadvertentlybought into the tolerant, relative morality of our culture.The solution:We mistakenly think that love means accepting the person, sin and all, with no moral judgments about his behavior. But, Gods Word gives us absolute standards for right and wrong behavior. If we see someone violating biblical standards, he is heading for the cliff. Let us remember that Love requires attempting to correct.We do not know whether or not we should do itThe solution:Some problems get resolved as we pray without saying anything. And, not all matters warrant correction. Were all imperfect and in process. God Himself is patient with us, not confronting us all at once for every area where we fall short. So, we wonder whether a particular matter calls for correction, or whether we should just bear with the person. It requires waiting on the Lord and applying biblical wisdom to know when its right to correct or when to remain silent.What do we do?

We hide our faults. We cover upWe argue when corrected

How should we regard correction?

The Context of Correction:CHRISTIAN PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPIn CFC we have a committed relationship.

Correction is not a sign of lifelessness and legalism in a Christian group..

Rather it appears whenever Christians see one another as brothers and sisters.SCRIPTURE SAYS WE ARE FOOLISH TO REJECT CORRECTIONProv 12:1, 15

At the heart of scriptural appreciation of correction is a hatred of sin, and a realization of human fallibility (Ps 141:5.)We often don't see all the things in our lives which need to change. (Ps 19:1213)With God's help, we must overcome our dislike for correction.Don't expect to be always corrected nicelyResponse to correction for something we have done wrong requires repentance, asking forgiveness and change.But correction for something done poorly requires only a resolve to do it better next time.

What are the concrete What are the practical aspects of correction?How to correct?Correction should be simple and straightforwardWhen giving correction, expect your brother to repent (or resolve to do better).Give correction in a way that will help a person to change.When a person fails to accept correction, the two parties concerned should ask a mature Christian to mediate. In Case of DisagreementsIn case there is still no apparent remedy or resolution, one of the parties may have to practice forbearance. But if it involves something seriously wrong, the rule in Matthew 18:1517 should be applied.

CORRECTION WORKS DIFFERENTLY IN A VARIETY OF PASTORAL SITUATIONSWhere we don't have a pastoral responsibility for a person (i.e., not a member of our household; or in case of a Unit Head, not a member of his unit), we still have a responsibility of love and care for our brethren in CFC.Correction here is offered in a spirit of helpfulness.In serious cases, talk to his household head or Unit HeadWhere we have pastoral responsibility for someoneCorrection becomes one of many pastoral tools to help a person grow in relationship with the Lord and other people..The pastoral nature of a relationship may allow the leader to probe more deeply into the lives of people in his charge.This is true of training relationships, such as parents with children, or a pastoral leader with a man who has placed himself under personal headship in order to be formed in character and service (this is not normally the case in CFC).If the person we are correcting is in authority over usWe should give our correction respectfully, leaving the final judgment about any change up to the other person.STRATEGY for LEARNING CORRECTIONLook to our own behaviour and attitudesOvercome fears about giving correctionLearn to handle angerBe willing to learnConclusionCorrection is a very important pastoral tool.

For the spiritual life and direction of every Christian..For the life of our community, for the sake of our mission in CFC.Correction is something done out of love for the other person. We need to take it seriously as one very important aspect of loving our neighbour.Brothers and sisters, As the Lords servants, in love we must wisely correct those in sin and serious doctrinal error We are the Lords bond-servantand there is a need to be obedient in this ministry because someday we will answer to Him for whether or not we loved the people that He brought into our life. We cannot truly love someone and let him head toward a spiritual cliff without warning him. Do correct himDo it! Gently correct those you know that are in sin or error. Do it wisely. Do it in love. Do it in accordance with Gods Word. Do it prayerfully, being aware of spiritual warfare. But do it! Do it because you love God more than anything and you love your brother or sister as you love yourself. Thats what it takes for us Christians to truly love God. To be loyal and faithful servant for GOD!

Thank you and GOD Evening!21Bible Verse2 Tim 3:16-17 "Ang tibuok nga Kasulatan gisulat pinaagi sa gahom sa Dios, ug mapuslanon kini sa pagtudlo sa kamatuoran, sa pagbadlong, sa pagtul-id sa sayop, ug sa pagtudlo sa matarong nga pagkinabuhi, 17 aron nga ang tawo nga nag-alagad sa Dios maandam sa pagbuhat sa tanang maayong buhat