Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Follow Christ Not Men
No Methods or Tricks Just Christ
Galatians 4:16-17 "16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 Those people are zealous for you, but not in a good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them.…"
Often we are excluded from truth by people who wish to keep us under their thumb. These people want to keep us away from godly ones who can enhance our spiritual growth leading us into deeper truth.
There are cliques in families and churches that shun those who are seeking a more full and authentic walk with Christ. They think if they treat us badly for not doing what they do it will cause us to become like them.
When we walk in the light as He is in the light most others will be very uncomfortable with us. They will work to undermine what God is doing in our souls.
These types will attempt to draw us into their superficial Christianity through gossip and intimidation believing they can make us jealous for their group.
Little do the mockers and intimidators realize when Christ lives in us and walks with us we cannot be motivated to fall in lock step with them, we are already in lock step with Christ.
In these last days it seems there is a polarization occurring. The goats are moving further and further away toward hell and the sheep are moving further and further in the opposite direction. There seems to be few in the middle straddling the fence anymore.
There can be no fellowship with unbelievers. We are called to preach truth to them hoping they will listen to become born again, but we are not to become pals or close friends with them.
Those who are offended at our attempts to save them from hell must be left behind, to move on to others who might learn the way of salvation responding in repentance.
Many people lack the faith that God can work in someone without us. Sometimes it takes many people reaching a person. It really is true that familiarity breeds contempt.
The prophets were rejected by those that knew them. The greatest ministries were with strangers and those of towns far from their home towns.
Mark 6:3-5 "…3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him. 4 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is without honor only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household.” 5 So He could not perform any miracles there, except to lay His hands on a few of the sick and heal them."
It isn't that family and familiar community know our sins and failings, because Jesus Christ had none and they rejected Him merely because they had seen Him around all their lives, how could He be God, was their thinking.
And so it is with us, those who saw us grow up cannot bring themselves to believe we are anything but the same as them.
Those who have not been changed into a new creation by Christ do not believe Christ changes people. Even those in the church gatherings today do not recognize miracles when they see them. They may see the changed heart and life of a family member but believe it is a fad that will not last.
Christ is the One Who must work in the hearts of family members. IF they do not receive the truth we speak then we can move on and pray that the Lord will send others to say the same things.
May we place our trust in Christ alone, not in methods or people.
Matthew 10:19
"19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say."
Often we are excluded from truth by people who wish to keep us under their thumb. These people want to keep us away from godly ones who can enhance our spiritual growth leading us into deeper truth.
There are cliques in families and churches that shun those who are seeking a more full and authentic walk with Christ. They think if they treat us badly for not doing what they do it will cause us to become like them.
When we walk in the light as He is in the light most others will be very uncomfortable with us. They will work to undermine what God is doing in our souls.
These types will attempt to draw us into their superficial Christianity through gossip and intimidation believing they can make us jealous for their group.
Little do the mockers and intimidators realize when Christ lives in us and walks with us we cannot be motivated to fall in lock step with them, we are already in lock step with Christ.
In these last days it seems there is a polarization occurring. The goats are moving further and further away toward hell and the sheep are moving further and further in the opposite direction. There seems to be few in the middle straddling the fence anymore.
There can be no fellowship with unbelievers. We are called to preach truth to them hoping they will listen to become born again, but we are not to become pals or close friends with them.
Those who are offended at our attempts to save them from hell must be left behind, to move on to others who might learn the way of salvation responding in repentance.
Many people lack the faith that God can work in someone without us. Sometimes it takes many people reaching a person. It really is true that familiarity breeds contempt.
The prophets were rejected by those that knew them. The greatest ministries were with strangers and those of towns far from their home towns.
Mark 6:3-5 "…3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him. 4 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is without honor only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household.” 5 So He could not perform any miracles there, except to lay His hands on a few of the sick and heal them."
It isn't that family and familiar community know our sins and failings, because Jesus Christ had none and they rejected Him merely because they had seen Him around all their lives, how could He be God, was their thinking.
And so it is with us, those who saw us grow up cannot bring themselves to believe we are anything but the same as them.
Those who have not been changed into a new creation by Christ do not believe Christ changes people. Even those in the church gatherings today do not recognize miracles when they see them. They may see the changed heart and life of a family member but believe it is a fad that will not last.
Christ is the One Who must work in the hearts of family members. IF they do not receive the truth we speak then we can move on and pray that the Lord will send others to say the same things.
May we place our trust in Christ alone, not in methods or people.
Matthew 10:19
"19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say."
Think About It, Obey and You Won't Be Chastised
Follow Christ Not Men
Rejecting Cultural Christianity
Having rejected the cultural Christianity I grew up with to embrace and enjoy a relationship with Jesus Christ, the joy has been mounting ever since the Lord showed me the superficial and impotent nature of cultural Christianity.
What is cultural Christianity you might ask?
A cultural Christianity is one in which rules are followed to fit in with the cultural standard. These rules change as the culture changes and have no depth of meaning past appearances.
When we are deeply invested in seeking Christ we have no interest in following rules to be accepted. We want only to please God so we seek His word for truth. The culture has no pull over us when we are seeking Christ alone.
Cultural Christianity tends to lean heavily on judging people for silly foolish things that God never commanded. These self proclaimed judges make up their own rules misinterpreting the Bible to fit their desired philosophy.
When challenged with the Word of God these self proclaimed judges become angry, they rage or exclude those who do not accept their unbiblical assertions.
God never said we should not judge, however He did say we are to judge righteously according to His word. Those who are hell bent on personal knowledge to impress and control others cannot look into the word and see truth. They will interpret the Scriptures according to their own desires, twisting and mocking truth to gain power and influence.
When challenged to seek Christ and pray for wisdom they become enraged that anyone would dare to question them. These people do not spend time in prayer asking God to show them or they would take any challenge as a blessing to hone their knowledge and seek even more the Holy Spirit.
Cultural Christianity works against God and His principles. These self righteous types always violate more Scripture than they obey, their rules and their ego take center stage on the performance of their lives.
These are the modern day Pharisees, do not take them seriously, do not allow them to control your emotions or your direction. It is Christ we seek not the favor of men.
John 12:42-44 "42 Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me.…
Luke 11:42-44 "…42 Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and rue and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the chief seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walk across without even noticing.”…"
What is cultural Christianity you might ask?
A cultural Christianity is one in which rules are followed to fit in with the cultural standard. These rules change as the culture changes and have no depth of meaning past appearances.
When we are deeply invested in seeking Christ we have no interest in following rules to be accepted. We want only to please God so we seek His word for truth. The culture has no pull over us when we are seeking Christ alone.
Cultural Christianity tends to lean heavily on judging people for silly foolish things that God never commanded. These self proclaimed judges make up their own rules misinterpreting the Bible to fit their desired philosophy.
When challenged with the Word of God these self proclaimed judges become angry, they rage or exclude those who do not accept their unbiblical assertions.
God never said we should not judge, however He did say we are to judge righteously according to His word. Those who are hell bent on personal knowledge to impress and control others cannot look into the word and see truth. They will interpret the Scriptures according to their own desires, twisting and mocking truth to gain power and influence.
When challenged to seek Christ and pray for wisdom they become enraged that anyone would dare to question them. These people do not spend time in prayer asking God to show them or they would take any challenge as a blessing to hone their knowledge and seek even more the Holy Spirit.
Cultural Christianity works against God and His principles. These self righteous types always violate more Scripture than they obey, their rules and their ego take center stage on the performance of their lives.
These are the modern day Pharisees, do not take them seriously, do not allow them to control your emotions or your direction. It is Christ we seek not the favor of men.
John 12:42-44 "42 Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me.…
Luke 11:42-44 "…42 Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and rue and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the chief seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walk across without even noticing.”…"
The Way I Have Chosen
Rejecting the cultural Christianity I grew up with to embrace and enjoy a relationship with Jesus Christ.
We Cannot Fix Others, Only God Can Do That
We cannot fix others, we cannot even fix ourselves. It is Christ Who fixes us, but only if we want Him to do it. It is not our responsibility to fix anyone or to force anyone to see and understand truth.
We must stop trying to fix people. We must begin speaking truth and leaving the response and consequences to the Lord. YES, we are to speak truth boldly, but our motivation is to obey Christ, not to fix someone.
1 Corinthians 3:6-8 "…6 I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.…"
Acts 28:31
"Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance."
We cannot make someone understand the nature of love if they have no desire to learn it from God's word.
The understanding of love in our culture is to give someone continual validation even if they are in sin. According to our culture correction is the new hate speech. God's principles teach that the highest form of love is instruction and correction in His ways.
God does more warning and correcting than anything else in the Word. He does this because mankind is continually rebellious and stubborn. In these last days we will see more of this self indulgent aggrandizement as the people grow in evil attitudes. These evil attitudes morph into evil activities.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
“Difficult Times Will Come”
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Acts 4:13
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus."
Hebrews 13:6
"So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
Proverbs 28:1
"The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion."
The Solution:
Hebrews 4:16
"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
The more we realize what is happening in the world and with family and friends the more we can feel the joy of Christ working in us. When we know we are staying close to the Holy Spirit we also know that the angst shown toward us is not about us at all, but rather it is about Christ Who lives in us. We do not have to believe the lies of the devil that we are at fault for the anger and vitriol of the unsaved who are controlled by the devil.
We can remain loving when others are hateful. We can remain calm and steady when others come after us to harm our witness. We have a choice to walk away and pray for those who are against us. We can love people from afar while continuing to become closer to Christ with each passing day.
Praise the Lord for the wonderful guidance of the Holy Spirit. May we seek Him every day all day!!!!
We must stop trying to fix people. We must begin speaking truth and leaving the response and consequences to the Lord. YES, we are to speak truth boldly, but our motivation is to obey Christ, not to fix someone.
1 Corinthians 3:6-8 "…6 I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.…"
Acts 28:31
"Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance."
We cannot make someone understand the nature of love if they have no desire to learn it from God's word.
The understanding of love in our culture is to give someone continual validation even if they are in sin. According to our culture correction is the new hate speech. God's principles teach that the highest form of love is instruction and correction in His ways.
God does more warning and correcting than anything else in the Word. He does this because mankind is continually rebellious and stubborn. In these last days we will see more of this self indulgent aggrandizement as the people grow in evil attitudes. These evil attitudes morph into evil activities.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
“Difficult Times Will Come”
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Acts 4:13
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus."
Hebrews 13:6
"So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
Proverbs 28:1
"The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion."
The Solution:
Hebrews 4:16
"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
The more we realize what is happening in the world and with family and friends the more we can feel the joy of Christ working in us. When we know we are staying close to the Holy Spirit we also know that the angst shown toward us is not about us at all, but rather it is about Christ Who lives in us. We do not have to believe the lies of the devil that we are at fault for the anger and vitriol of the unsaved who are controlled by the devil.
We can remain loving when others are hateful. We can remain calm and steady when others come after us to harm our witness. We have a choice to walk away and pray for those who are against us. We can love people from afar while continuing to become closer to Christ with each passing day.
Praise the Lord for the wonderful guidance of the Holy Spirit. May we seek Him every day all day!!!!
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