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Say the word “confrontation” and many people cringe. “I try to avoid confrontations with others,” people will quickly say.
The origin of the word comes from a derivative of the word for “forehead.” The original intent of confrontation was simply putting the facts in front of someone’s face so that they could acknowledge them.
The problem for most of us (myself included) is two-fold:
- I don’t like to be confronted with things I may be doing incorrectly or incompletely.
- I don’t like making others defensive when I confront them with the things they may be doing incorrectly or incompletely.
As a result, we usually don’t confront others and they usually don’t confront us. Sadly, this can keep us from maturing in areas where we may be able to soar if we could only make some minor changes.
Christians should be especially open to confrontation from a brother or sister. After all, Solomon told us, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy only multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:6). And Jesus warned us, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26 NKJV).
The best confrontation is self-confrontation in the presence of the Holy Spirit. After we have submitted to that loving spotlight, then we can proceed with our loving confrontation with our brothers and sisters.
Remember this:
The goals of Christian confrontation are restoration and maturity.
We want to see wandering saints return to God’s path, and we want those saints who are immature to blossom into Christ-like maturity that brings glory to God.
I have prepared a flowchart that can help you with a biblical framework for the work of confrontation. Please work through this flowchart slowly and prayerfully. Don’t rush any step, but make sure you can answer an honest “yes” to each question. When you get to the last step, keep in mind these three Ms:
- Maturity—self-confrontation and confrontation of others should always be moving us toward maturity.
- Mutual accountability—agree to stay involved in this process, with each of you remaining accountable to each other.
- Mercy—mercifully restore the one who has strayed so that the entire Christian body of believers can be strengthened.
Here are some resources to help you:
- A downloadable version of my confrontation flowchart → Confrontation flowchart
- The biblical references I mention in this flowchart.
- This video I recorded exclusively for my Patreon supporters that explains this flowchart in more detail.
- Two related blog posts—Is confrontation a dirty word? and Cry before you confront.
►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎
Craig T. Owens 