Relational Comeback | Scotty Gibbons - Audio

Acts 9:26-27 - When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer!  27  Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus. NLT Acts 12:25 - 25  When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from [a]  Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. (NIV) Acts 13:13 - Paul and his companions then left Paphos by ship for Pamphylia, landing at the port town of Perga. There John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. (NLT) Acts 15:36-40 - 36  After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.”  37  Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark.  38  But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work.  39  Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus.  40  Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care. NLT 2 Timothy 4:11 - Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. (NIV) 1 John 4:20-21 - 20  If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, [c]  that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?  21  And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. NLT Matthew 5:23-24 - 23  “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,  24  leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. NIV Keys to a Relational Comeback: 1. Understand that all relationships will have conflict. James 4:1 - What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? (NLT) 2. Own what you can own. Romans 12:17-18 - 17  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  18  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. NIV 3. Speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4:15-16 - 15  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.  16  He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. NLT A. Right Place B. Right Time C. Right Tone 4. Be more committed to reconciliation than to resolution. Ephesians 4:2-3 - Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.  3  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. NLT 2 Corinthians 5:16-20 - 16  So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!  17  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18  And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.  19  For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.  20  So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”  21  For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, [e]  so that we could be made right with God through Christ. NLT