Dreamhouse | Message Of The Week

In this service we read the whole of Matthew 18:1–20 asking what those famous words about confronting a brother or sister are actually for. Jesus spends seventeen verses on disciplining ourselves before he says one word about confronting anyone else. These aren't church rules. This is what a community looks like when following a King whose glory and suffering are for serving people. Here, Jesus affirms littleness rather than innocence. He gives stern warnings to the seriousness of harming one of these little ones. He is the shepherd who counts a hundred and asks where the one is. By reading all of Matthew 18, we can see the difference between confronting sin between believers and reporting crimes that belong to the authorities. Gospel Reading: Matthew 18:1–20  A NOTE ADDED AFTER RECORDING: Matthew 18 governs sin between believers. It does not govern crimes. Child abuse, assault, and sexual assault are crimes; they are reported to the police, and calling the police is the loving thing to do. This is love in ac