THE MINISTRY OF RESTORATION

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:19-24 NKJBrethren, 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. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load. Galatians 6:1-5 NKJIf we yield to the lusts and desires of our flesh as a way of life, the works of the flesh will be evident in our lives. If we allow the Spirit of God to work in our lives and wash us clean, the fruit of the Spirit will be made manifest in and through us. The more we allow God to do His work in us, the more truly spiritual we become. People think that spirituality is something you say or do, but it is who you are. People can try to act spiritual or try to talk spiritual and yet still be manifesting the works of the flesh, because they are still yielding to their flesh and by that they prove that they are actually still very unspiritual. You can be quite “normal” and yet be filled with the power and anointing of God – as opposed to being a super-spiritual “spooky” Christian with no power and no wisdom.Being truly spiritual has nothing to do with a certain way of talking or acting, but it has to do with being totally yielded to the Spirit of God in every area of your life. When the Lord is allowed to have His way in your life, there is a sweetness, a holiness and a purity of attitude and speech that will be manifested in and through you that cannot be manufactured. The fruit of the Spirit is manifested through you even in the midst of extreme stress or pressure. When a believer falls into sin, spiritual believers are required to help by ministering to them and helping to restore them back into fellowship with God and their spiritual family. A spiritual believer will not judge or criticize their fellow fallen Christian, but instead they will walk in love and kindly and gently help them to repent and find God’s forgiveness and be restored into fellowship with God. In this way we help to bear their burdens. Unfortunately, many believers who commit sins that badly destroy their fellowship with the Lord have a hard time finding help from the Church, because there are no spiritual believers to be found.When you help to minister to a fallen believer, you get to know all their weaknesses and failures. If you have not dealt with your pride and if you think more highly of yourself than what you should, then you will begin to compare yourself with them or to judge them. If you do this, you will not be able to help them at all. If you are going to be of any help to your brother or sister, you must remain totally neutral. Do not judge or have any personal opinion, just speak the Word. God is the only One who has the right to judge. Do not condone the sin, but show mercy to the sinner as you know Jesus shows His mercy to them. Help them in the same way that you would like to be helped were you found in the same situation. Don’t discuss the situation with any one else either. Cover your fellow believer. Do not expose their personal situation to other people if they are looking to be restored. Some people disguise gossip about someone else by asking for prayer on their behalf and telling all the juicy details. Don’t do this.Be sure to consider yourself and your own heart and your own attitude as you help another person. If you must bring a rebuke or a correction, do it in love, to help not to condemn. You may have a reason to judge another person, but you don’t have the right. Many people have judged another person for their sin and then ended up in the same sin or a similar sin within two years themselves. We are all responsible for only our own actions, not those of another person. Do not seek after spirituality itself. Seek after God and His presence and you will be filled with all the fullness of God and be a vessel that God can effectively use to minister to the hurting.