Our rugged, American individualism may have made us the world's only superpower, but at the price of a weakened Church. The unified church community is the way Christ chooses to make himself known to the world. The unity of the church is the foundation of its authority. When the icy silence of sinful secrets chills our love for one another, the church can no longer minister with authority or integrity. There are always going to be minor squabbles within the life of the church.
All families have arguments from time to time.
What the gospel is addressing this morning is what to do in the case of someone who is engaged in a notorious and public sin. There is a three-step process involved here. First, the offended party goes to the offender directly. Notice that the onus is on the one who was offended, not the other way around. What that does is cut off the chance for that offense to linger, fester, and transform itself into rage and hate.