Teach and Correct One Another
Posted: November 7, 2021 Filed under: Bible, Correction, Jesus, Peace, Sermons, Teaching, The Word of God Leave a comment“A leader with a deep love for God, George L. Fox heroically served his country in both World Wars I and II. The ultimate sacrifice he made for his fellow soldiers earned him a place of recognition among ‘The Four Chaplains’—whose faces are immortalized in stained glass in the Pentagon, on a U.S. postage stamp, and on countless memorials.
Entering the Army at age 17, Fox served as a medical orderly on the western front during World War I. Highly decorated, by the time he returned home to Pennsylvania to finish high school, he had already been awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and the French Croix de Guerre.
At age 23, Fox married his wife, Isadora, and the following year they moved to Chicago, where he attended Moody Bible Institute. He later received degrees from Illinois Wesleyan University and Boston University School of Theology and was ordained as a Methodist minister.
At the onset of World War II, Fox—then age 42—left his pastorate in Vermont to volunteer as an army chaplain. He attended army chaplain school at Harvard alongside Alexander D. Goode (a Jewish Rabbi), Clark V. Poling (Dutch Reformed), and John P. Washington (a Catholic Priest). It sounds like the start of one of those jokes where a Priest and Rabbi and two ministers went into a bar, but this time they went into a warship and it was no joke. In January of 1943 at New York City and then went to St. John’s, Newfoundland, the four men were reunited onboard the SS Dorchester, a ship carrying more than 900 soldiers being deployed to Europe.
Shortly after midnight on February 2, 1943, the Dorchester was struck by a torpedo fired by a German submarine. Several of the lifeboats had been damaged, and the four chaplains began to calm and organize the men who were packing the decks. They distributed life jackets from a locker, and when the supply of life jackets ran out, each of the chaplains gave theirs to other soldiers. When the last lifeboats were away, the chaplains prayed with those unable to escape the sinking ship.
As one survivor recalled, ‘As I swam away from the ship, I looked back. The flares had lighted everything. The bow came up high, and she slid under. The last thing I saw, the four chaplains were up there, arms linked, singing hymns in different languages (Hebrew, Latin and English) and then praying together for the safety of the men.’
The actions of Fox and his fellow chaplains inspired memorials, musical compositions, artwork, and films—and continue to stand today as an example of Christ’s words, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).”[1]
On this day when we remember those in our country who paid the ultimate sacrifice by laying down their life for their friends, family and neighbours, let’s remember the peace of Christ which won the war for our souls. And on a day when we remember our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted and laying down their lives at a rate of 13/day[2] for the cause of Christ. Let’s remember Jesus and His Word dwells with us! If you have your Bibles, please turn to Colossians 3:15-16. For some, these verses will be a reminder. For others, these verses will be a discovery. We are going to focus on how Christ’s peace and His word enable us to belong, teach and correct one another. War fights against belonging, teaching and admonishment. Persecution pummels community, coaching and correction. Ask any child in a war-torn or persecuted place about how school is going and they will tell you that they don’t go to school, they don’t have many friends and they don’t really know what to do. There are no rules! Just survive! In fact, many have no one to protect or correct them so they are left to fend for themselves. However, peace changes everything. Peace enables community, education and modification. Let’s read from Colossians 3:15-16 how Christ’s peace and word enables us to belong, teach and correct one another. Read Colossians 3:15-16!
To summarize these two verses succinctly: Christ’s peace and word enable us to belong, teach and correct one another. Let’s unpack this starting with Christ’s peace. The promise of peace by Jesus were some of His last recorded words. Please check out Jesus’ words when He appeared to His disciples after rising from the dead in John 20:19-21, “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.’” Jesus even said the phrase again “Peace be with you” when He showed up a second time for the sake of doubting Thomas (John 20:26). This is important because Jesus’ peace is available to those who have experienced great trauma like witnessing the horrific death of a loved one. His peace is available for those who are fearful and in hiding. Jesus’ peace is available for those who have lost close companions who betrayed them. Jesus’ peace is also for those feeling the heaviness of the government. Jesus’ peace is the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:6). It can guard our hearts and minds!
But in Colossians 3:15 we find Jesus’ peace is to rule our hearts, not just guard them. Jesus goes on the offence, not just the defence. You see, the word “‘Rule’ literally means ‘sit as an umpire.’”[3] This is why I wore my umpire outfit for you to remember this today. Now they didn’t have baseball umpires in the first century when Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians. But they did have umpires at the ancient games from which we get the modern day Olympic games. The umpire’s job was “To preside at the games and distribute the prizes.”[4] And this helps explain that Christ’s peace is to be an umpire in our lives and hearts. As Bible commentator J.B. Lightfoot explains, “Whenever there is a conflict of motives or impulses or reasons, the peace of Christ must step in and decide which is to prevail.”[5] Jesus has given us His peace to rule our hearts. You and I have “The King’s peace”[6]!
As a baseball umpire, when a coach starts to criticize my calls, I’m taught to say, “If you have a questions coach, please talk to me.” However, the next time I hear the coach chirping, I may say, “That’s enough coach!” The third time he yaps, I either give a bench restriction where he can’t leave the bench (sort like a parent would give a time out) or I eject him. Christ’s peace often speaks gently at first and then warns us repeatedly when don’t listen to Him.
And this may clarify something often misunderstood about Jesus’ peace. Jesus’ personal and royal peace goes beyond just coming to a conclusion that you have personal peace of mind about a situation. We Christians like to say, “I have peace about it” when we are no longer conflicted about a situation. But as the late pastor Warren Wiersbe taught, “The peace of heart alone does not always equal the peace of God. The prophet Jonah thought he was at peace, when actually his sins created a storm.”[7] Jonah slept like a baby in a ship’s haul when he was on the run from God. Peace seekers often try to find peace in all the wrong places. But it is important to remember that even Jesus Himself didn’t have peace in the Garden of Gethsemane when He was in conflict about having to suffer so much to do God’s will. When you are sweating drops of blood like Jesus did, you are probably not considered in a state of peace. And yet, if anybody deserved a Nobel Peace Prize it was Jesus!
Personal peace, which we often base our decisions on, is actually too individualistic. The peace of Jesus is not just for one person but all of Jesus’ followers. This is why the Apostle Paul, writing from prison in 61 A.D.[8], commands in Colossians 3:15, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.” Jesus’ peace isn’t just a private peace, but a public one – a peace that affects all of His followers. Jesus’ peace moves from your heart to the church. Christ’s peace and word enable us to belong to one another as a church. This is why we should pray for peace in our churches, especially in this divisive time. And we know such a prayer comes from Jesus’ prayer because it was one of the last recorded prayers Jesus prayed before leaving earth. Jesus prayed to God the Father in John 17:22, “… that they may be one even as we are one.” Jesus’ peace should cause you to belong to His Church. You may have been burned by the church in the past, but remember Jesus did the greater work of peace by taking care of both your sin problem and identity problem. If He can reconcile you to God, He can reconcile you to His Church. Do you belong to His Church? You can today. If you are interested in becoming a member, the first question we will ask is, “Have you trusted in Christ alone as your Lord and Saviour?” And the second question is, “Have you been baptized?” We would love for you to join our church.
Christ’s peace and Word not only enable us to belong, but to take it one step further. Christ’s peace and Word enable us to teach one another. Colossians 3:16 commands, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” The word of Christ means everything that Jesus said not only in the red letters of those red letter edition Bibles that demarcate what came from the lips of Jesus but the entire Word of God because He is the Word of God come in the flesh (John 1:1). Scripture should saturate our minds rather than what is on our newsfeed or social media feed. Scripture should “feel at home”[9] in your life and not feel like a guest. In fact, Scripture should be “extravagantly rich”[10] in your life so that it overflows into generosity at how to live your life. You should be able to seek Scripture to find what to do in any situation, even COVID (which is why I encourage you to come to our “What Does the Bible Say about COVID issues?” night on November 21 at 6 PM).
And when Christ’s Word is extravagantly rich in your life, you must pass it on. You won’t be able to hoard God’s Word. You will teach one another. Let me be clear how this works in our church and lives. I am preaching to myself and you right now. Preaching is the proclamation of God’s Word so people will hear it and apply it in their lives. Sometimes we preachers do a little teaching to explain things like I did with the information that Christ’s peace rules our hearts is like an umpire. However, I am not just a sage on the stage departing my wisdom. I am declaring Christ’s Word and Good News for your hearts and transformation so that you may have eternal life. There seems to be a call now a days to be a “guide on the side rather than a sage on the stage.”[11] Being a guide on the side is more about discovery than declaration as a sage on the stage. Colossians 3:16 is a clarion call that once the Word of Christ has been proclaimed to you and dwells in you or we could say, as been our theme for the year – abide in Christ – then you can teach one another. You can help explain and apply it in your relationships in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. It is in your families and small groups where you can figure out how to teach, apply, correct and hold accountable what is being preached. I can’t go over every situation in the lives of hundreds of people and that is where you can help each other. In fact, if this is not done then we will be spiritually stunted.
Nick & Marjorie Allan work with Millennials in England and teach, “Too many spiritual highs, such as vibrant worship scenes or passionate emotive sermons, can actually destabilize people if not accompanied by an environment in which they are helped to grow in spiritual maturity through one-on-one (or small group) discipleship. A person who engages strongly in a spiritually upward dimension to life, such as in prayer and worship, without the necessary equilibrium of learning how to relate well to others and finding God in the messiness of genuine community will soon manifest emotional imbalance in life.”[12] We saw how COVID lockdowns hurt both our celebrating and our community together. Come to celebrate together, but also be a part of a cell or small group. Scripture should be at home in us but we don’t just study Scripture at home. Online sermons, podcasts and TV preachers may be helpful, but that is like eating along all the time. Who wants to do that anymore? The Word is spiritual food and is to be shared. And “do not be intimidated if Generations Y (born 1981-1996) and Z (born 1996-2014) ask you a heap of questions. ‘Why?’ from this generation may be asked from a different heart than we may first imagine. It felt like rebellion for the Boomer generation (born approximately 1946-64) to question ‘Why?’ to those in authority, or a lack of commitment or loyalty. To Generation X, ‘Why?’ often came out of a cynical heart. ‘Why?’ to a Millennial is often a general quest for information rather than a judgment upon those in authority.”[13] I’m just learning this now. This is why we encourage multi-generational small groups as we get to bless each other with our different perspectives. So here at Temple, we preach the Word of God on Sunday. It isn’t a Bible Study. Then you prayerfully let it sink into your hearts and life and then you go to your families and small groups and teach it to one another. Our small groups are not pooled ignorance because we have the word of Christ and the Holy Spirit’s peace ruling in them. So join a small group if you haven’t already. Talk to Pastor Jason who led worship today.
Now teaching will lead to one more area in our relationships – correction. This is how Christ’s peace and Word enable us to belong, teach and correct one another. Very few of us like to be corrected. But I love what the late church leader Roy Lawson used to say (see if you can relate), “My most painful experiences have been when I’ve had a problem and no one loved me enough to tell me about it.” Correction must be motivated by love and truth. We can get better at this. The late great basketball coach John Wooden taught, “A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.” I would just change it to, “A Christian should be someone who can give correction without causing resentment.” And the reason why I say this is because Christ’s peace should rule our hearts and Christ’s Word should dwell in us richly. It’s a gift from Christ, not something we earn. We are fellow sinners. Jesus, who knows best, can you give you the right words in the right way at the right time. Pray about that. You may have somebody in mind that the Holy Spirit is asking you to correct. Bring them back to Christ’s Word. Don’t talk behind their back. Oscar Wilde, who was no follower of Christ, said something very true, “A true friend stabs you in the front.” Go directly to the source. Make sure that you confronting sin and not just something that is a preference because they do something different than you. And do it with compassion and yet maybe firmness sprinkling it with grace. The Apostle Paul goes on to say in Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” Maybe this is what Johann Wolfgang van Goethe was getting at when he said, “Correction does much, but encouragement does more.” Correct one another. As Nick and Marjorie Allan teach, “We have to come to realize that a greater sense and transparency as to our own weakness allows for a greater tolerance of weakness in others and equally an ability to really celebrate the differences and gifts of others around us.”[14] In other words, when you humbly accept that you are weak and broken you should extend grace to others, while loving them enough to correct them gently.
Sometimes correcting one another is done by pointing out a psalm, or a hymn or a spiritual song. I would challenge you to read more of the psalms. You can’t miss them. They are in the middle of the Bible in such a way that they centre us back to Christ’s peace. They seem to be a go-to manual for Biblical counseling and care for one another. However, sometimes we might need to sing to one another, which is another reason why we gather together to worship God and encourage each other.
Which reminds me, a few weeks ago, a certain pastor who will remain nameless, but just led us in worship was preaching on Ephesians 5:19-21 and sang to me, “Jon, you ate 3 pieces of Lori’s apple pie.” Man, that was hard to hear. Unbeknownst to him, I have been eating a lot differently now and exercising more and would only take 2 pieces of apple pie. But if I am obeying the end of Colossians 3:16 I would sing this back to him, “O be careful protégé, what you say, O be careful protégé, what you say, for the Father up above is looking in love, O be careful protégé, what you say.”
Now in all seriousness, Christ’s peace and Word enables us to belong, teach and correct one another. We must remind ourselves of this truth and command. George Fox lived this out. he died for his country, but more importantly, he died for his faith as Christ’s peace and Word ruled and dwelt in his life.
As we move to the table of remembrance and remember that Jesus died so that we may have peace and that He may dwell with us forever, let’s do that other command in Colossians 3:15 & 3:16 that I skipped over – be thankful! I want you to take a moment and thank Christ for at least 3 things He did for you and then I will lead us in our Communion service.
[1] Adapted from email from Moody Alumni Association, October 26, 2021.
[2] Source: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/stories/13-christians-killed-every-day/. Accessed October 12, 2021.
[3] Robert Jamieson, Andrew Robert Fausset and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Glasgow: William Collins, 1871),
[4] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – Volume 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1989), 139.
[5] J.B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), 223.
[6] T.K. Abbott, The International Critical Commentary – A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1968), 289.
[7] Wiersbe, 139.
[8] I am basing the date for Paul’s writing to the church of Colossae on Paul Benware, Survey of the New Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1990), 214.
[9] Wiersbe, 139.
[10] Cleon L. Rogers Jr. & Cleon L. Rogers III, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998), 468.
[11] Daniel Im, No Silver Bullets (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2017), 98.
[12] Nick Allan & Marjorie Allan, The XYZ of Discipleship (Staffordshire: Malcolm Down Publishing, 2020), 92-93.
[13] Allan & Allan, 76-77.
[14] Allan & Allan, 113.
Commissional 