Sunday Class @ 9am; Worship @ 10am & 5pm
Articles
Whose Problem Is It?
Paul appointed elders in the churches of Galatia at end of his first preaching trip there (Acts 14:23). Yet in his letter to those churches, when he got to the subject of erring brethren he wrote, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:1-2). More than the elders needed to be involved.
The church at Corinth was rife with problems: wrong attitudes, immorality, false teaching, etc. Timothy, a young preacher, was on the way, but it was not his responsibility to fix everything. Paul addressed a letter to the entire congregation (1 Cor. 1:2) in which he outlined what each one should be doing.
The church at Thessalonica faced significant opposition from without. Whose job was it to encourage them? Everyone’s: “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing” (1 Th. 5:11).
Every Christian is a member of the body (1 Cor. 12:27). A problem in the body is therefore everyone’s problem. Elders, deacons, teachers, and preachers have their specific tasks; but let no one sit back and leave all the work to them. Get involved and help. As an old saying goes, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”
