Shepherding: Restitution

Three weeks ago, I sent the following message to a sister as I felt it was timely to fellowship with her on that line. The experience that she went through at that time was related to the sin in human nature. It was not a random nor coincidental matter, but timely and sovereignly of the Lord, that the ministry speaking in that week matched her situation. 

In Leviticus 5:11 fine flour, signifying the humanity of Jesus, is used for a sin offering, signifying that we commit sins because we are short of the humanity of Jesus. This indicates that we commit sins not only because we have sin in our nature and not only because we are not absolute for God but also because we do not have the humanity of Jesus; in His humanity Jesus has no sin in Him and is absolute for God. The tenth part of an ephah of fine flour offered for a sin offering signifies that only a small portion of the humanity of Jesus is needed to kill the negative things within us and to supply our need.

It was because of the sinful nature within us that we commit sin knowingly or unknowingly. Therefore, we need to make restitution with the concerned person if that sin committed involved another person. However, I mentioned that restitution should be done only if she enjoyed the Lord's supply of grace to do so. It must not be an imposed religious duty, but must be out of her own will and conviction in the light of the holy word. 

Making restitution and adding to it one-fifth more signifies that the one who offers the trespass offering should be righteous in material things according to the divine scale, standard, and measurement (vv. 15-16; cf. Luke 19:8).

“David begot Solomon of her who had been the wife of Uriah” (Matt. 1:6). Psalm 51 was composed after David’s great sin in murdering Uriah and robbing him of his wife and then being rebuked by Nathan:

“Against You and You alone have I sinned, And I have done what is evil in Your sight”(v. 4).“Hide Your face from my sins, / And blot out all my iniquities” (v. 9).“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (v. 17).“Do good in Your good pleasure unto Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem” (v. 18).

The issue of the “marriage” of David’s transgressing and repentance with God’s forgiveness was Solomon (“peaceful”), the one who built the temple of God (2 Sam. 7:12-14a; 2 Chron. 3:1). The church is always built up by this kind of person—a Solomon—one who is the issue of man’s transgression and repentance plus God’s forgiveness.

When we experience the marriage of our transgression and repentance with God’s forgiveness, we become very useful in the building up of the church.

A week later I fellowshipped with her that if she could go through such dealing from the Lord in a way of restitution, she would be very useful to the Lord and Satan’s subtle plan would be thwart. But she must pray and that I offered to help her, if need be. Her reply was that she would pray and would like to fellowship with me personally when I would be back to India as all these transpired while I was in a family visit to Taiwan. Besides, I also sent the following message. 

Praise the Lord sister!
Besides pray-reading the following Bible verses, please also study the book of Philemon with the footnotes from the Recovery Version. 

Colossians 3:12-15Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, inward parts of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, long-suffering; Bearing one another and forgiving one another, if anyone should have a complaint against anyone; even as the Lord forgave you, so also should you forgive. And over all these things put on love, which is the uniting bond of perfectness.  And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body; and be thankful.

Subject of Philemon:An Illustration of the Believers' Equal Status in the New Man

Jesus is Lord! Christ is Victor!

After another week when I came back to India she came for a time of fellowship as a follow up on what I fellowshipped with her; to pray that she would experience the Lord’s grace to be able to forgive any offense she had against another sister. Since the matter involved another sister, it was proper to set things right in line with what the Lord has told us.

Matthew 5:23-24Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, Leave your gift there before the altar, and first go and be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

After an hour long fellowship and prayer, we both went to meet the other sister who offended her and of whom she spoke her feeling against, to reconcile and apologise. The Lord led us all to read the same Bible verses and pray together. After that meeting the matter was settled. It was a good experience of shepherding the saints in the church life.

This experience proved that the Lord is working deeply in the lives of the saints in the church. He would not allow any hindrances in His move within the saint and through the saints. He did His spiritual diagnosis to solve any blockade within the being of the saints. That His life may flow richly through the saints for His testimony. I felt graced and blessed to be able to shepherd the saints in the way of restitution. It reminds me of the following verse:

1 Peter 5:2-3Shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not under compulsion but willingly, according to God;not by seeking gain through base means but eagerly; nor as lording it over your allotments but by becoming patterns of the flock. 

Lord, shepherd Your flock!