Rhett Walker – “Brother” (Devotional)

Frustrated. I remember like it was yesterday, spending my mornings driving around, just so I could be left alone to my thoughts. See, I was working at a church as the Worship Leader and it was killing me. Not the job I had, I loved where I was serving and the church, but the Pastor was the challenge. The problem was that he had quit preaching the Gospel. Sunday mornings had turned into fun little feel-good services. People were coming in wanting something with substance, yet the Pastor was full of motivational speeches and pep talks. This was not going to work.

As a friend, and brother I challenged him on this. What is the point of ΓÇ£churchΓÇ¥ if the Gospel is not present, and if the story of Christ is not being told?

He told me I was just wrong and he was not going to change his method. So I walked away, literally. I quit a great paying job, not knowing how I would pay bills or buy groceries the next week. But my thoughts were simply that if I stay at this church, I would just be supporting and empowering a direction that I completely disagreed with and would be compromising my convictions and abandoning the Gospel I felt needed to be told. I had to draw a line.

Not long after I walked away from this, I was writing music more than I ever had, and sat down to write a song about what I had just witnessed with that church and Pastor, and the fears of what to do financially to support my family. The song was coming out finger-pointy and judgmental. Somewhere in the middle of writing this tune, I started to remember that no one is blameless. None of us. 

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

Matthew 18:15

Confrontation is never easy. It is one of the toughest things to do actually. However, when we do, we must remember that we are all beggars and thieves in need of the very same grace.