THE BODY OF CHRIST...

The true Body of Christ believes that He died for all men and women and that He rose from the dead? And, that there are no works to perform other than believe in the one He has sent - God. In John 6 ~ Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”

Given that, there is no reason to be distracted and anxious about yourself or loved ones? Do they not also belong to Him as you do? Would He refuse to work in their lives just as He works in yours?

Jesus has not put you in charge of saving yourself/them.  He has already done that on the cross. Nor has He charged you to change them. Your task is to love, to forgive, to pray for them and to turn them over to Him. Come closer to Him and He will give you Rest. 

Jesus was/is always speaking to everyone in the Body of Christ, born again children of God! He is not speaking to those who have been given some accolades or credited authority by men and nor is He speaking to specific/select prophets or saints and or the apostles only. 

Jesus was/is speaking to all who have been called to unity in the Body of Christ. Not all are called to/for the same position as anyone can read in Ephesians 4:11-13. 

Some were/are called to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers...all called to help equip the saints... that's you and me to build up the body of Christ. Knowing this, we better understand the true Body of Christ and we understand our place in it.  

That is why, if and when we see a fellow brother/sister in Christ who are dishonoring God/ hurting themselves and others, we approach them in private, and we approach them in love in order that they come to realize that their actions do not honor God. 

Then we step back, handing them over to God. We continue to love, forgive, and pray so that His Peace brings Rest to all in the Body of Christ. This is how we are 'our' brother/sister's keeper. We keep them in love, mercy and grace and within the Body of Christ. 

Why approach them in private? As born again children of God, we acknowledge that we/they are still in a fallen dark evil world who struggle in it. As Paul said, we do not what we ought but what we don't want to do for evil is always right there...

By confronting our brother/sister in Christ in private, in love and forgiveness, we keep them in the Body of Christ. We don't want to cause them to stumble and fall out of that 'fold', out of the Body of Christ. 

By confronting them in private, we let them know that we are not there to ostracize 'kick them out' and to ridicule nor are we to judge as if their salvation is solely in our hands. Anyone in this fallen world, even born again believers, can and will struggle with sin.

In this non-confrontational approach, we remind fellow our brother and sisters in the Body of Christ that it is not really them that do such things (Romans 7), we remind them of who they really are, children of God. And, in this way... we gain victory in the battle over the powers of this dark world... 

Ephesians 6: 12 ~ Our Battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.