"If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23,24).
At first thought it is easy to think that worshipping God is more important than getting along with our Christian brother. But Jesus makes it clear (in Matthew 5:23-24 above) where our first duty lies; reconciliation with a brother comes first!
Gifts offered to the Lord are not acceptable from someone who has unresolved offences with a Christian brother. The worshipper is not worshiping “in spirit and in truth” if he/she has failed to even make an attempt at reconciliation. Such worship is empty and hollow. It's phoney. Jesus said, “Stop it. First be reconciled, then come worship.”
You see, we’re never really right with God if we’re not right with our brother – or at least have made an attempt at reconciliation.
Some people think they can tear up a church by sowing discord among the brethren, criticize church leaders, undermine authority, spread gossip and rumors, and then simply drive down the road to another church and God will overlook all that stuff. Wrong. Jesus pointed out that going through the motions of worship when there is a lack of reconciliation is not acceptable to God. Pretending the problem has gone away does not mean the matter is over. It isn’t. God has not forgotten about it.
Changing churches changes nothing. You've got to make it right.
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