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Being brave in love

 

We all know those people who don’t appear to have boundaries, even in the church. Should we do anything about this? Do we say nothing about the Christian sister who inserts herself into every situation? The Christian brother who flirts inappropriately with a single female who doesn’t welcome his attention? Or do we gossip about them to our friends instead?

If these people are unbelievers, we may still have a part to play in supporting and loving them to recognise boundaries, especially if they are negatively affecting ourselves or someone else.

However, in a church situation, it is entirely biblical to approach a brother or sister in Christ and point out the issue with grace (Matthew 18:15-17). I would encourage you that if this person is the opposite gender it may be better for someone of the same gender to do this. Sometimes these people may have backgrounds that have resulted in this behaviour and are unaware of what they are doing. We must always be kind and calm if we intend to bring the issue up. It is far better to do this than gossip with other believers, as this brings us into sin and nothing is solved.

It feels unpleasant but may be necessary and we should not avoid this situation if it is causing this person to sin against God or others.

Be brave, be gracious and God bless you.

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