Video Transcript: Pursuing Restoration But Experiencing Offense

Sometimes when we pursue restoration of relationship, we experience more conflict.

God's three-step path to restoration, which includes confrontation, loving confrontation acknowledgement -confession of sin and wrongdoing and forgiveness, is not a formula that guarantees reconciliation in every conflict.   At each step of the reconciliation path, the earthly kingdom, our natural desires, and the adversary will work to keep the wildfire burning and hinder restoration.   The adversary baits the trap of offense at each step on the path.   

When someone confronts us with our wrongs or our sin, we might be tempted to take offense at the confrontation and how they make the confrontation.  We might make excuses for our sin, or deny that we've done wrong, or even attack the person confronting us.   The person confronting us can be tempted to take offense if we disagree or refuse to acknowledge our sin.   It is the Holy Spirit's role to bring about conviction of sin and wrongdoing, not ours.   But how we communicate with others in the wildfire is important.  

In Galatians 6:1 we read, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”  

When we confess our wrongs to someone who confronts us, we might be tempted to take offense if that person criticizes or discounts our confession.   And when we forgive someone, we might be tempted to extend shallow forgiveness, or fake forgiveness, or forgiveness that is motivated by something other than our love for the Lord and how we've received forgiveness from him.   The person we are willing to forgive might be offended if we tell that person that we forgive them before they've even acknowledged or confessed any wrongdoing to us.

So what do we do if we encounter offense, while pursuing reconciliation?     We remain at the Peacefire.  We give thanks.   And we wait patiently on the Lord for the next opportunity to reconcile.  And we remember that the Lord is always at work.

Our responsibility is to be at peace with all people, but only as much as it lies within us.  We can't control their responses.  “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you live at peace with everyone,” Romans 12:18.

If you encounter difficulty in pursuing restoration of relationships in your conflict stories, don't give up.  Continue to seek the Lord.  Ask him to lead you in the pursuit of restoring relationships and transforming justice.  When restoration doesn't occur, there's usually something else the Lord is doing; something else the Lord is pursuing around that trap of offense, something else for you to pursue as his ambassador in the midst of that conflict.  Maybe it's something He wants to change in you that you don't see yet.  Or maybe it's something He's doing in the lives of other people in the conflict, and He just needs you to stay in that fire until he calls you out and brings about restoration.  We find these things out by seeking him at the Peacefire.

Let's review the key points from this lecture:

• God's three-step path to restoration is not a formula that guarantees reconciliation in every conflict.

• The adversary beats the trap of offense at every step of the path to hinder restoration.

• It's the Holy Spirit's role to bring conviction of sin and wrongdoing, not ours.

• When restoration doesn't occur, remain at the Peacefire and wait for your next opportunity to restore relationship.

• And even when it looks like the restoration has failed, remember, the Lord is always at work.

Thank you for watching this lecture.  God bless you.  We'll see you next time.