Make Peace or Become the Next Victims

Meanwhile, two other men in the congregation had entered into a feud over a different matter, spewing bitterness and wrath over everything they came in contact with.  I felt that the Lord wanted them to help minister to the devil-afflicted brother, so I went to them.  "Our brother needs you and I'm going to minister to him," I said, "but I can't permit you to come to his house because your attitude towards one another opens the door for the enemy to attack you.  You must make peace between yourselves or you may become the next victims."

Knowing the urgency of the situation, they agreed to do something about their problem.  One came to me and said, "I want to change, but I won't go to him because he'll say that I surrendered.  But he could say the same thing about coming to me.  Would it be fair if we met somewhere at a neutral spot and you could come and help us?  I'm willing to sak him for forgiveness and also to forgive.

The other man accepted this proposal, and I arranged for them to get together at a big, lovely old house with a garden on one side and a beautiful orchard of fruit trees.  It was a warm, sunny day and we stood together under a large apricot tree.  Immediately the two began to stammer things like, "Brother, forgive me; I've been wrong."  I urged them not to argue about who was wrong.  "Just forgive," I said, "and don't go into too many details."

Source: David du Plessis  -  From "A Man Called Mr. Pentecost", as told to Bob Slosser, Ch. 10, pp 83-84