Text: "A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle" (Prov 18:19 ).
This observation by King Solomon is well illustrated by a recent court case fought between the Lam Soon brothers in Singapore . Why can't the brothers, in their seventies, come to terms? Usually it is quarrel over property where much money is involved.
How about spiritual brothers? When they fall out, it is also hard to patch them up. This happens even in the highest echelons of faith, between Paul and Barnabas. In preparation for the Second Missionary Journey, an argument developed when Barnabas wanted Mark to come along. Paul would not agree because Mark left them in the midst of the First Missionary Journey. "And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other" (Acts 15:39 ).
A similar altercation came between Andrew Gih and John Sung in the midst of their co-labouring in the Bethel Evangelistic Band. The contention was also so sharp that they went each to his own way.
Did we hear of any reconciliation thereafter? No, when brothers fall out, the only way is let time heal under the working of the Holy Spirit, by the Word of God. Let the brotherly fall-outs fall in again by stages, as they read the admonition of the Word. "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Eph 4:30-32).
Now, everyone of us is guilty of anger against some member of the Church because of bad blood. And the other person, being hurt by you, is no less. May you be admonished by Paul's words, yea, even Christ's. When Peter thought he as Chief Apostle had set the example of forgiving seven times, our Lord replied, "Seventy times seven." We must always forgive, unconditionally, because our God has so forgiven us. The only condition is unless we forgive others God will not forgive us. "And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us."
A natural brother when he quarrels with his brother cannot be reconciled. But a spiritual brother can and must make up with his brother under the conviction of the Word by the persevering working of the Holy Spirit. At the John Sung Revival of 1935 in Singapore , feuding Elders in the Church confessed their faults one to another. The burden of anger they carried for years suddenly dropped. It can happen with you today. Amen.
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Timothy Tow Siang Hui (28 December 1920 – 20 April 2009) was a Singaporean pastor who founded the Bible-Presbyterian Church. He was also founding principal of the Far Eastern Bible College.
Tow was educated at the Anglo-Chinese School. He was influenced first by John Sung, and later by Carl McIntire. He studied at Faith Theological Seminary and was ordained in Geneva in 1950 at a special meeting of the Philadelphia Presbytery of the Bible Presbyterian Church. Tow returned to Singapore and became pastor of the Life Church English Service at Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church. In 1955, he led a group out of the Chinese Presbyterian Synod to form the Bible-Presbyterian Church. Tow's congregation became known as Life Bible-Presbyterian Church (Life BPC). He later returned to Faith Theological Seminary and completed a Master of Sacred Theology degree.