A Study on the Biblical Church, Part 3: What is Accountability

Accountability:
Responsibility for own acts

-Galatians 6:1-5
    -If it is needed, help others who are struggling
        -do so with maturity, grace, patience, kindness, and gentleness
            -make sure with in this you do not fall into the pit they are also in
                -remember always that you are no better then them, but rather their equal
                    -you have struggles and testing as well, it is no greater or less then theirs
                        -focus on how He is using you, not comparing yourself to others in Him
                            -Different lives, different paths, but initially the same journey!
-1 Thessalonians 5:11
    -"so encourage one another"
        -Paul also speaks of encouragement in Philippians
            -Encouragement is key in the faith
                -we can get dragged under the waves of discouragement
                    -however, if we focus on lifting each other up, unlike the world which says to push others down, we will create a people that no one                     can push down!
-Proverbs 27:17
    -We are the only ones who are going to look out for each other
        -He uses His spirit to work through us
            -like Sharpening a knife, accountability is done delicately, skillfully and done with a huge amount of respect
-Romans 14:12
    -We, in the end will all have to stand before God
        -the previous verses show that He has placed others to help us, that He uses to guide us
            -if we have ignored Him speaking through His spirit, using others, then we will stand with a heavy head
Refection:
Accountability, it is something that we can all see is lacking in the Modern Church. Through these verses you can see that it is something, however, unlike the world says, of caring, trusting, and building up, not judgement, and hypocrisy. This should be done very carefully and respectfully, as Proverbs 27:17 gives us the image of sharpening, one can not help but think of sharpening a knife, which is done this way, in respect and carefully. Accountability focuses on encouragement, it is primarily an action saying, "I know you are better then this, I want you to achieve." It is not an action of bringing one down, but about building up.