Resolving Offences In Jesus' Name

Scripture Text: Matthew 18:15-20, 'On resolving offences within witnessing paschal faith communities'

In today's reading, the historical Jesus teaches his followers, how to resolve offences against one another, within witnessing paschal faith communities, in his name (Matthew 18:5, 20). The name of every person or thing in the Bible has a literal, as well as an inner spiritual meaning and daily practical application. New names were often given to leaders when their hearts, minds and character were changed by the Godhead. A good example is Saul's name changed to Paul (Acts 13:9).  In Jesus' name not only means speaking in the name 'Jesus'. It really mean's that believers, in steadfast faith, humility and obedience follow God Metanoia Model for kingdom living, which the historical Jesus revealed, proclaimed and manifested here on earth (Mark 1:14-15, Luke 17:20-21, John 5:19, 30).

In resolving offences among his followers, Jesus recommends initial, honest dialogue between the offender and the offended, in the life and mind of the spirit. Jesus' followers should resolve offences and achieve reconciliation as soon as possible. In Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-based kingdom living, offences are spiritually discerned, as unique opportunities to further cast out the mind of the flesh, by forgiving, reconciliation and spiritually companioning one another. 


In the mysterious ways of the Holy Spirit, offences are opportunities to more deeply embrace and establish the mind of the spirit, and foster greater unity within each witnessing paschal faith community (Romans 8:1-11). They are occasions for Christ-centered, spiritually awake believers to listening, gain clarity, be generous, engage in dialogue, and forgive one another. When believers offend one another, they are provided unique opportunities to demonstrate compassion and civility to one another. They are admonished by the historical Jesus, to reveal the grace, love and truth of God's plan of forgiveness and reconciliation and kingdom living, here and now (Matthew 6:9-10, 18:15). 

In Matthew 16:16, Jesus reveals his concern about the real presence, attitudes and actions of stubborn and unrepentant believers, within witnessing paschal faith communities. He discusses how spiritually awake believers should approach and deal with the hard heartedness, spiritual blindness, spiritual deafness and spiritual sleep of believers within witnessing paschal faith communities. If the offender refuses to repent to the offended in private one on one dialogue, Jesus recommends that two or three other believers be invited into the dialogue as listening spiritual companions, for both the offended and the offender. In God's Metanoia Model, others are included to establish truth, clarify differences, facilitate understanding and seek reconciliation. 

If the stubborn believer persists in the mind of the flesh, by refusing to resolve the offence, that believer is consciously and deliberately refusing to follow God's Metanoia Model. Jesus then recommends that the offence be told to the whole witnessing paschal faith community. If the offending believer refuses to hear the advice of the witnessing paschal faith community, Jesus clearly establishes the fact that in the mind of the flesh, that believer has chosen to be at enmity with the mind of the spirit. The bible clearly states that mind of the flesh must be cast down, separated from, and cast out of Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-based, witnessing, paschal, faith communities (Romans 8:5-8). 

Resolving offences in Jesus' name must involve daily practical application of God's Metanoia Model (Mark 1:14-15). Offences are unique occasions to pass over from slavery to sin, into the freedom of God's love, in the presence and power of the indwelling Godhead, through the universal indwelling Christ of Faith. In faith, humility and the mind of the spirit, Christ-centered, spiritually awake believers obey and follow the historical Jesus in living this Paschal Mystery. Offences are spiritually discerned and used as opportunities for spiritual formation and spiritual growth (Matthew 18:19-20).   

In Matthew 18:19, the historical Jesus affirms the power and authority Christ-centered, spiritually awake believers have in his name, on earth and in heaven. He declares, "Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what ever you loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven". In the Gospel of Christ and in God's Metanoia Model for kingdom living, Jesus always located the kingdom of heaven, in the spiritual dimension of our lives. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of Christ are within us, among us and in our midst (Mark 1:14-15, Luke 17:20-21).  

Within Christ-centered, spiritually awake, witnessing, paschal faith communities, offences among believers are occasion to purse Christ-centered unity, in the mind of the spirit. By embracing and making daily practical application of God's Metanoia Model in Jesus' name, believers will further establish kingdom living, here on earth. By resolving offences against one another in Jesus' name, kingdom living here on earth, will be further established through Christ centered, Holy Spirit-based spiritual mindedness in all traditions, religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups, throughout our planet.

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God’s Metanoia Model for living the Paschal Mystery

Reference Scripture: Matthew 16:20-28, ‘Jesus declares the Paschal Mystery’.

In Mark 1:14-15, the historical Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming, “The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news”. He then clearly defined the role of his disciples in God’s universal saving process and kingdom living when he said to them, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men”(Mark 1:17).

In the Gospel of Christ, the Greek word for repentance is ‘metanoia’. Repentance is changing one’s mind. In Romans 8:1-11, the apostle Paul clearly describes God’s metanoia model for mankind’s salvation and kingdom living here on earth. As fishers of men, by faith, repentance, obedience and self-denial, believers are delivered from slavery to sin, and the mind of the flesh. By faith, humility, obedience and following the historical Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery, they enter into the freedom of God’s love, through living their lives in the mind of the spirit. By faith and obedience they become effective fishers of men.    

After Peter declared that the historical Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus promised that he would give him the keys of the kingdom and kingdom living, here on earth (Matthew 16:16-19). Jesus then assured Peter as a fisher of men, that whatever he binds on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever he looses on earth, will be loosed in heaven. Throughout his ministry, Jesus always located the kingdom of heaven within every person, among us and in our midst (Luke 17:20-21).

Jesus then warned his disciples, as fishers of men, to tell no man that he was the Christ (Matthew 16:20). The disciples knew that Jesus was the Messiah. As carnal minded fishers of men however, Jesus recognized that his disciples did not comprehend who he really was as Messiah. Because they continued to live in the mind of the flesh, they did not know that as fishers of men, they should follow him as the Way, the Truth and the Life, in kingdom living here on earth (Matthew 5:9-10, John 14:5-8). 

As fishers of men, they did not recognize, nor could they teach that the historical Jesus was the fully orbed incarnation and manifestation of the Godhead in human flesh (John 14:9, Colossians 2:9). They did not discern, seek and serve the universal indwelling Christ of Faith, in the historical Jesus’ spiritual body and the spiritual body of all mankind (John 14:10-14). They did not understand and thus were not equipped to teach the believer’s true spiritual relationship with the Godhead, the historical Jesus, and one another, through faith in the universal indwelling Christ of Faith, God’s image and likeness, in the spiritual body of all persons (Genesis 1:26-31).

The apostles, as carnal minded fishers of men, lacked spiritual understanding, discernment and insight into the truth about Jesus as Messiah. The depth of their spiritual relationship with the historical Jesus was distorted and blocked by their spiritual deafness, spiritual blindness and spiritual sleep. They lived their lives and experienced the historical Jesus as Messiah, in the mind of the flesh.

At this crucial time, the end of his ministry, the historical Jesus sought to again reveal the kingdom of God and kingdom living to his disciples in the parable of his actual life experiences. He did this by outlining and explaining the Paschal Mystery about himself, and describing their role as fishers of men, in following him in kingdom living, here on earth. From that time on Jesus began to tell his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law. He must be killed. On the third day he would be raised to life (Matthew 16:21-22).

Peter then took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him. “Never Lord!” He said. “This shall never happen to you”. Jesus then turned to Peter and said. “Out of my sight Satan. You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23).

Jesus then outlined God’s metanoia model for salvation and it’s daily practical application in the lives of fishers of men. He said to his disciples, “If anyone one would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Many Christ-centered, spiritually awake believers, as fishers of men, believe that Jesus’ reference to cross bearing in this text, involves the daily practical application of God’s universal metanoia model for salvation and kingdom living, here on earth (Mark 1:14-15).  

By faith, humility and obedience, Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-based fishers of men are empowered and guided by the indwelling and incarnate Godhead. In faith, repentance and obedience, they are delivered from slavery to sin, and the mind of the flesh. By living their lives in the mind of the spirit, they are born from above. By faith they pass over into the new and glorified life with the indwelling and incarnate Godhead, in the mind of the spirit. They follow the historical Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery.

For the carnal minded believer, giving up the self centeredness, worldliness, materialism and spiritual blindness of the mind of the flesh is too great a sacrifice. Many spiritually deaf and spiritually asleep religious people in all the world traditions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups remain slaves to sin, because they choose to live their lives in and according to the mind of the flesh. They have rejected Jesus’ invitation to follow him in passing over from slavery to sin, into the freedom, new and glorified life, with the indwelling and incarnate Godhead, by living their lives in the mind of the Spirit.

Do you believe the historical Jesus’ declaration that you are loosing your life, by living you life in and according to the mind of the flesh? Are you willing with God’s help, to obey Jesus command to cast out the mind of the flesh? Will you become a fisher of men, by embracing God’s metanoia model for salvation and follow Jesus Christ in living the Paschal Mystery? Will you with God’s help, live you life in the mind of the spirit (Matthew 16:25-28)?