For those of you who have been agonizing over unsaved family members, even those family members who claim to be believers, but seem to have more interest in competing with one another than upholding one another, I want to encourage you, how others act, is not a reflection on us, but of their focus. Those who are focused on Christ will be more concerned about our walk with Christ than whether or not we follow their particular man made rules.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
In these last days of apostasy people, even believers, tend to be more concerned about their personal comfort and pleasures than they are about their relationships with Christ or one another.
We cannot always tell who is who, who is born again and who is not, because of the spirit of competition that dwells in so many hearts.
The Spirit in us connects to the Spirit in another believer, just like the time John the baptizer lept in his mother's womb at the presence of Christ in His mother's womb.
Matthew 18:3 “3“ Truly I tell you, He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.…”
I think that those who walk in deep pride, who have lived a superficial competitive Christianity are walking in the flesh while silencing the Holy Spirit because of their stubborn hearts. We do not sense a connection to them because they are in pride, God has quenched the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 "19 Do not extinguish the Spirit."
Believers who walks closely with Christ desire to encourage one another in His principles not through superficial praise about worldly accomplishments, although it is not bad to acknowledge accomplishments, it just should not be all we do. The weightier matter of holiness and correct thinking should be more important and occur more frequently than praise for talents or accomplishments. The modern idea of encouragement takes the form of praise that builds pride rather the directing us toward development of holiness in the inner man.
Romans 7:22 “…21 So this is the principle I have discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s Law. 23 But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me.…”
Praise for accomplishments in our modern Christianity has replaced encouragement in holiness. Since we do war with the flesh we need continual redirection from one another. Those who refuse to be redirected, corrected or enjoy the input of others, cannot learn. Remaining spiritual babies they fight and kick against any suggestion that they are in need of an attitude adjustment or the rethinking of a mindset.
Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
When we sense the inclination to fight back frequently, even if we don't do it, it is time to remove ourselves from those who are determined in provocation, to return to equilibrium. It is the goal of the devil to use these stubborn hearts to drag us away from Christ and His principles. They work to undermine what God is doing in us.
I have failed many times in this, arguing back with someone who has no interest in truth, but only in winning. My struggle has been to keep talking hoping they will actually hear me. When we discover that we are dealing with someone who does not want to hear but works merely to be elevated by winning, by intimidation or manipulation, then we must stop battling with them and move on.
Many things are not worth battling over, the rub comes when we believe someone is born again, but they don't know the basic tenets of the faith, we think we can make them understand, but they refuse to hear us.
Jeremiah 7:27 "…26" Yet they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck; they did more evil than their fathers. 27 "You shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you; and you shall call to them, but they will not answer you. 28" You shall say to them, 'This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the LORD their God or accept correction; truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.…"
2 Timothy 4:3 “…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…”
Even though our desire is for the superficial believers to find their joy and pleasure in Christ, we sorrow when this connection is broken and must remove ourselves to continue our walk down that narrow road with Him.
There will be many who go to church, claim to be "Christian" who will never use the term "born again" to describe their new life in Christ. They do not think of themselves as having been in sin and needing to be saved from it, because they have a high sense of importance, that perhaps they weren't so bad and didn't need forgiveness. No one can become saved by joining a church, we are born again because we were broken over our sinfulness and wanted to be cleansed by Christ.
This is common, many people joined a "Christian club" to become a member of those who like to think highly of themselves, but they have never been broken over their sin. They came to the Lord believing they deserved it, rather than admitting their own sinful hearts, they consider themselves a member of the elite who deserve to be Christian. Somewhat like joining a sorority or fraternity in college, impressions are far more important than reality and a heart change. Others have an elevated view of themselves because they went to Bible school.
These people have a tendency to make special rules and judgments about others that are not Biblical. They enjoy their elevated status in their own eyes, always having to boast about the rules that they follow while condemning those who don’t' follow those same rules. Superiority was the motive to come to the churches, not a sense that they were less than nothing before God and needed to be cleansed.
I meet so many people that are stuck in the realm of impressing others with their fleshly holiness, it is shocking that their understanding of Christianity is not desiring holiness but rather "appearing" special in the eyes of those whom they have created as idols, those they elevate above others. The deserving ones are those that dress the right way, drive the right vehicles and go on the right vacations and most of all never challenge them about their own attitudes or wrong thinking. Their associations with others must be based on self-exaltation more than anything else. Anyone who does not fawn over the arrogant club joiners are targeted for covert tactics and gossip.
Those who come to the Christian gathering with this mentality cause many problems, their focus is not becoming more holy, but rather their focus is appearing special and better while demeaning anyone who does not meet with their particular brand of worldly Christianity.
Those who truly love Christ are not concerned about appearances, they mean very little if anything to the born again sold out believer. We all have our struggles, we hate any sin that we do, but in the depth of our heart we desire to continually be cleansed. Admitting our faults and failings are not something we avoid, we lean into them as we seek to learn greater lessons, knowing Christ better.
The born again sold out believer is concerned about growing in holiness. These people confess sins of the heart often, pray for continual guidance, grieved when they fail and quickly admit it.
1 Peter 1:14-16 "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
1 John 3:6-10 "No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared, was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother."
Those who fight against a rebuke are “kicking against the goad.” “An ox goad was a stick with a pointed piece of iron on its tip used to prod the oxen when plowing.” (gotquestions.org?) In other words the ox was rebelling against it’s master when he was being directed in which direction to walk.
It is sin to walk in pride, it is sin to be competitive with other believers or with anyone. It is sin to fight and argue when another believer has challenged us in our sin.
2 Corinthians 7:1 "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God."
1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
The world is in the condition it is because it has rejected Christ, even in the church gatherings, there is a fleshly spirit that does not look to the Spirit of the Law, but to the Law itself. So many unnecessary judgments are being made, that are unjust because of worldly pride.
Many superficial Christians are believing lies and gossip because of this spirit of pride. Few will listen to reason. Most believe what they want to rather than what is truth. They will not even enter into reasonable discussion to discover truth, but rather enjoy their fleshly machinations.
2 Timothy 2:21 "Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work."
It is my prayer that many who are superficial Christians will repent from their arrogance and pride and those who think they are saved but are not will see their own wicked hearts to become born again, trusting in Christ for righteousness rather than themselves.
Romans 10:2-4 “…2 For I testify about them that they are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge. 3 Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the Law, in order to bring righteousness to everyone who believes.…”
1 Thessalonians 5:23 "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 John 5:4 "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."
We all need to be seeking to grow. The only way to continue to move forward is to admit things as they occur, allow the Lord to hear us crying out to Him about our failings and ask Him to change what is wrong.
