Riverside Community Church

Admonish and Teach One Another

A police officer stops a minivan full of elderly ladies being driven by an old gentleman because they’re only going 25 mph, stopping the mid-day traffic.
The policeman admonishes the driver for driving so slow. Why are you going so slow.
“Well that’s the speed limit, isn’t it! There was a sign saying 25 and everything!” the driver defends himself.
The policeman sighs, “No, sir, that’s the number of the highway you’re on. It has nothing to do with the speed limit.” The policeman admonishes the elderly man to read and follow the proper sign.
“Oh, so that’s what it means…” says the driver, looking shocked.
The officer looks at the rest of the van and notices the grannies are looking somewhat frozen and stiff and looked terrified.
“What’s up with the ladies?” he asks the driver.
“Um…” the driver scratches his head, “you see, we just got off highway 150…”

Colossians 3:16 (NIV)

16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Admonish One Another

Here it is again,  ONE ANOTHER. You may be tired of these one another messages, but I can’t stress more strongly how vital they are to you and to this church. If Riverside Church and its people commit to do the One Another’s, like a pig has to commit to make bacon, only then will we discover God’s wonderful authentic community.         You and I, we, Riverside Church, we will be loved, encouraged, served, be kind to each other and forgiving . That’s what you dearly want and can have if we all do the one another’s together.

 

Colossians 3:16 (NIV)

16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Admonish One Another

 

Definition –multiple meanings and twists

: to warn or reprimand someone firmly.

          "she admonished me for appearing at breakfast unshaven

: to advise or urge (someone) earnestly.

          "she admonished him to drink 8 glasses of water each day

: to warn (someone) of something to be avoided.

          "he admonished the people against the evil gambling

: To put in mind, to recommend    this is the Greek understanding

: To testify, say again and again, this is the Hebrew understanding


Cambridge definition: admonish:
1. to tell someone that they have done something wrong:

2. to advise someone to do something:

3. to warn someone not to do something,

For the last 7 weeks I’ve been speaking on the ‘One Another’s’ like:

:love one another  -advising you to do something –admonishing

:encourage one another -advising you to do something –admonishing

:don’t grumble against one another -advising you not to do something–admonishing

:serve one another -advising you to do something –admonishing

You also see this admonishing going on in the Bible, like Paul’s writings. He’ll write them and tell them they’re doing something wrong, or encourage them to do something good or warn them not to do something wrong

Phil. 1:27

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

         Admonish to do something good –conduct yourselves worthy

Phil. 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

         Admonish to not do something wrong –don’t be anxious

         And admonishing to do something good –pray

 

 

Romans 2:5-6

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done

Admonishing for doing something wrong

–don’t be stubborn & unrepentant  - judgement

Colossians 3:16 (NIV)

16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another

Here’s the difficult part, the part that we really don’t do, or don’t do well that is we are to admonish one another .

I can stand up here and admonish us in a sermon but I’m not the only one to do this in the church, we’re all to be doing this, admonish one another

Again this is not an option, we’re all to do this for each other, it’s God’s design

Do you see the problem with this? TO ADMONISH EACH OTHER

Does this give me license to tell you everything you’re doing wrong (in my opinion)

Does this give me license to tell you everything you should be doing (in my opinion)

Does this give me license to warn you about everything you should be doing????

NO, no.

It is much more serious than that, it isn’t me commenting on an others life,

It isn’t opinionating, it isn’t commenting and critiquing, that’s the way of the world.

IT IS THAT HELPFUL URGING TO ONE ANOTHER TO FOLLOW GOD TOTALLY

Let me give you 2 real life examples of admonishing:

1)   I had married Rick and Caroline and after a year had passed Rick came up to me after the service and said “I can’t keep going on with Caroline, I’m leaving and going back north.” This is when the admonishing started. I said to Rick these words: “no you’re not. You made a commitment brother and I heard it, and to leave Caroline would be breaking that commitment you made before God. I’ll do anything I can to help you.”

I was admonishing, urging not to do something.

2) In a conversation I had with a mother I heard her express her worries over her child’s health. I quoted a Bible which says:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

I said to her: “let’s pray to God together over this and let us turn it over to God who loves you and your child.” We prayed.

         I was admonishing –urging someone to not do something (be anxious) and to do something (pray).

 

 

Colossians 3:16 (NIV)

16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another

As you admonish one another, do so in love, humbly, and with an encouraging spirit

 

I ADMONISH YOU TO ADMONISH ONE ANOTHER