Matthew 8:8-14 Despise Not One of These Little Ones

Highlights:

* Jesus used the parable in Mat. 18:8-9 to let us know that sometimes, his ministers must make the hard decision to cut off a member of the body, that is, put someone out of the Assembly who is endangering the well-being of the whole congregation.

* Whenever Jesus mentioned Gehenna, he was referring to the Lake of Fire, not to hell.

* THERE IS NO VIRTUE IN BEING INCLUSIVE IF WHAT YOU ARE INCLUDING IS EVIL.

* AND THERE IS NO VIRTUE IN NOT JUDGING RIGHT FROM WRONG.

* No body part can cause you to sin.

* In Jesus' parable in Mat. 18:8-9, he wasn't talking about parts of a human body. He was talking about members of his body, the body of Christ. Jesus was saying that an ungodly believer, left unchecked, can cause a whole congregation to go bad.

* When Jesus said it is better to cut off a diseased member before it infects the whole body, he was talking about a believer who is committed to some form of ungodliness -- an attitude, or lifestyle, or doctrine -- so that he is endangering the spiritual well-being of God's "little ones", those who are especially open to influence.

Such a person is despising the young ones in God's family by being a bad example for them.

* The example we are for God's "little ones" matters a great deal to God.

* When a member of the assembly here ridiculed sister Sandy in front of some of God's "little ones", including children, it was an unthinkable crime against Christ, and a danger to the body.

* Differences in opinion, we can tolerate. But in the face of such a great work of God as is described by Sandy's testimony in this video, there should not even be any opinions.

Scriptures referenced in this video:
(Scriptures are from the PJV version, found online at https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_translation.html

1Corinthians 5:1-6, 13
1Corinthians 6:15
Ecclesiastes 9:18
Matthew 18:6