Admonish him as a brother

14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. 2 Thess 3:14-15 (KJV) Admonish him as a brother. What exactly does this mean? Why did Paul tell us to admonish him as a brother? We are told in the scriptures to admonish our brothers. What does admonish mean? Admonish ADMON'ISH, v.t. [L. admoneo, ad and moneo, to teach, warn, admonish.] 1. To warn or notify of a fault; to reprove with mildness. 2. To counsel against wrong practices; to caution or advise. 3. To instruct or direct. 4. In ecclesiastical affairs, to reprove a member of the church for a fault, either publicly or privately; the first step of church discipline. It is followed by of, or against; as, to admonish of a fault committed, or against committing a fault. This is the definition Webster’s Dictionary gives for admonish. Notice it says to reprove with mildness. I think this is what Paul meant when he said to admonish him as a brother. When we see one of our loved ones do something wrong we are more gentle than if we see a heathen do something. We need to show love even to the heathen. We also need to show love to our brother, because we are not always loving to our brother when he falls because he should know better, RIGHT? We all know better and we still fall. Let’s look at some more scriptures on admonish. 14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Romans 15:14 (KJV) Paul says here that the brethren here being full of goodness and filled with all knowledge are able to admonish one another. I checked Strong’s for the words being used here for able and admonish. These words are used throughout the bible and they have the same meaning in all areas. Able: of uncertaijn affinity; to be able or possible :- be able, can (do, + -not), could, may, might, be possible, be of power. Strong’s Concordance Admonish: from the same as (nouthesia); to put in mind, i.e. (by implication) to caution or reprove gently :- admonish, warn. Strong’s Concordance The word able means that the brothers have the ability and power to admonish other brothers. They have this power and ability only if they are full of goodness, that is love, and have all knowledge, that is to know the Word of God. The word admonish means again to reprove gently or warn or caution. Ok so why don’t we warn each other and caution each other or gently reprove each other more. I think we are afraid of losing a brother or offending a brother or of being rejected. These are all tools of guess who? That’s right Satan. We are not supposed to be afraid of truth or being right especially if we are doing everything in love according to the Lord. The truth is that if we don’t care enough to get involved in our brother’s life then maybe we don’t care what happens to our brother at all. We can say we do but if we let our brother fall into a ditch that we could have helped him avoid then how much do we really care. Oh, but you don’t understand brother so and so doesn’t take criticism very well. Well, that is not your problem, your problem is when you do nothing and allow a person of God to be lead away by their own lusts or by a deception of the devil. This is our responsibility. I truly believe it is every Christians responsibility to help the brethren from falling into enemy hands even if it hurts someone’s feelings. So how do we do it? 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 2 Tim 4:2 (KJV) We should do it with longsuffering and doctrine. We should have patience with whoever it is. We should not get the attitude of why can’t they just see it? We should also be prepared with doctrine, whether it be directly from God’s word or an agreed upon standard of the church. I put the standard in there because I understand why certain groups have written standards that go beyond what is written in scripture. One example is the scriptures do not tell us what colors are modest but we know that a fire engine red dress is not modes so we could right a standard that wearing a fire engine red dress is not practicing biblical modesty. These standards are guidelines that protect the church from the sort of people who use excuses for their own selfish desires. This is one of the main reasons we have so many divisions in the church. People will say, I didn’t know I couldn’t do that. Where does the bible say I can’t do that? Or one of my favorite sayings I here Christians say is, I have not always been able to do this so while I can I am going to. OR I deserve this. The truth is we all deserve Hell and if we are not willing to give everything to God I am afraid we just might get what we deserve. Another example would be if I heard a brother using a cuss word. These words are not written in scripture, but as Christian brothers we agree at some time that using certain words are not appropriate. I believe that standards like these are part of the doctrine Paul is talking about. Of course it would be foolish to show someone how they are breaking a standard when they never agreed upon it in the first place. Remember we should be patient, full of love and prepared with doctrine. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. Acts 20:29-31 (KJV) Imagine loving someone so much that when you admonished them it was done with tears. I think these people knew that Paul loved them. When he warned them he had tears in his eyes. You also can’t do this in front of a crowd. You must do it in private, this is also the first step in church discipline. 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Col 1:28 (KJV) We have to warn each other because sometimes it is hard for the person stumbling to even know they are stumbling. Remember we are lead away by our own lusts. We will find pleasure in our own lusts and we will defend our pleasures, but we are to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. We are all made differently and we all have different weaknesses and we also all have different strengths to help each other. Ok we have studied a little on admonishing our brother. Again I feel this is a responsibility given to all Christian brothers. So on to the next thing. Are you able to be admonished? Will you heed a warning from a brother or will you find security in your own self righteousness? Will you open your heart and accept a spiritual scourging or will you throw up your dukes and throw everything you have back and justify why you do what you do? Will you immediately show your brother how they are wrong in another area so they really have not right to talk to you about your faults? 11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. 12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. 14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. 15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. 1 Thess 5:11-15 (KJV) “I’d rather have men around me that care more about me, than they do about my feelings.” I am not sure who wrote that but there is some wisdom in it. Imagine always being open to criticism. We can say we are but let someone tell you how you or your family is wrong and see what you do first. If you defend yourself then your heart is not in the right place because someone who is right and knows they are right can sit there in peace and take anything that is said about them. This is the character of our Lord and Savior. You simply can't have closeness without trust, and trust is rooted in knowing that we are both under a higher moral standard to which we both willingly submit. Without closeness and trust You will have only intimidation, or manipulation, or alienation. Consciously filter admonition through God's grace instead of interpreting it as personal rejection. 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Heb 12:5-8 (KJV) Here is where the person who lives under God's grace has a real advantage. If you know God will never reject you, you can receive correction without being devastated. If you know that God's discipline is an expression of his love, you need not fear it and you can profit from it. 6 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. 7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. 2 Cor 2:6-7 (KJV) Now after we admonish another Christian or we have been admonished we should give forgiveness or seek forgiveness which ever end we were on. We should comfort our brother if we admonished him and I don’t mean we should say, Oh I used to be as bad as you but now I’m not. We should do everything in love. The same love Jesus had for us. Unconditional Love. I guarantee I will fall short and I will do something wrong. I want someone to that loves me to show me where I have erred so that I can repent and move on. I do not want to ever think that I am better than anyone because I will never be better than anyone on this earth. If you think you are better than someone then you are deceived and you need prayer just like the rest of us. Let’s learn to love each other the way Jesus loved. Lets’ learn to be as close as the disciples were. Let’s have an understanding that we are all under a higher standard and let’s submit willingly to the Lord that has created that standard in our heart. I hope this sinks into our hearts and is written there forever so we will never become a hard hearted, stiff necked people who are not as bas as the others. We need to be corrected and we need to correct. This is a God given biblical responsibility to every Christian. Let’s show how much we love each other. Amen.