"For the entire Law is fulfilled in in this one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."—Gal 5:14

Rebuke!

Added on by Lucas Necessary.

Although I've never felt that I could accept pay to preach, and generally need and desire to learn so much more, I can't help but share the Word when I get a chance. Even though it's a passion, I still sometimes find it difficult. 2 Tim 2:2 says, "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."

The hardest part for me is rebuking people. I don't like it, and I often feel like it comes across as unloving sniper-fire at someone else. However, I realized recently that "rebuke" is coupled with "all longsuffering and teaching." Instead of saying, "you nigh-vagrant almost-drunkard," I should say, "Ah ha! What foul yet common malady causes thy spiritual malaise? Stand fast! It can take a while to cure, but Christ in us will totally help us slay this foul knave of great alcohol imbibement!"

Ok, so maybe a little less "bolde knights of olde," (scribes seriously had too many leftover Es to work with) but the point is that a rebuke in a vacuum can't accomplish as much as a rebuke where you WORK WITH someone to help them achieve their potential!