Shallow believers judge us as unloving for encouraging people to seek holiness and righteousness. They also use excuses that we might discourage a new believer if we tell them the truth. I say, what good have we done if we endorse sin by saying nothing. God gave us the job of teaching truth all the time to everyone. Also we are led by the Holy Spirit, unless we have silenced the Holy Spirit by walking in fear of human rejection. God will not speak to those who place people above the principles of Christ.
If someone is discouraged and chased away by truth then they were never born again. Truth ought to draw believer toward Christ.
God never said to remain silent and allow the Holy Spirit to reach new believers. He told us to speak, teach and preach His Word to one another.
2 Timothy 4:2-3 "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.…"
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Do Not Honor Out of Obligation
Anything done out of obligation or to gain something for ourselves will get boring, its not coming from a true attitude of gratitude.
Anything done out of rote will lose its effectiveness. An attitude of gratefulness is not a practice, its an entire mindset, a part of ones soul that comes without having to think about it.
Only God can work this in us through Christ. We don't have to work it up, its a part of our very being.
When we are working real hard to be something then it is not real, its a futile attempt to become on the outside what is not on the inside.
In order for something to be real it must be deep in the soul. When we are grateful without having to think about it all the time, is when we know it is a part of our very nature.
We can only do this if Christ lives in us. All gratitude that comes from Christ Who lives in us is a part of our being, not a superficial expression.
The gratitude of the world without Christ is based on personal desire, it is selfish. In other words; "If I am getting what I want then I am happy and grateful."
Those who are truly grateful do not have to be getting what they want to be so, they are always grateful for everything even when they are not getting what they want.
Hebrews 12:28
"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,"
Psalm 100:3-4
"Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!"
Isaiah 63:7
"I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love."
As born again believers our gratefulness of Spirit comes from how much we have received from Christ and how much He loves us.
Philippians
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
James 1: 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
Anything done out of rote will lose its effectiveness. An attitude of gratefulness is not a practice, its an entire mindset, a part of ones soul that comes without having to think about it.
Only God can work this in us through Christ. We don't have to work it up, its a part of our very being.
When we are working real hard to be something then it is not real, its a futile attempt to become on the outside what is not on the inside.
In order for something to be real it must be deep in the soul. When we are grateful without having to think about it all the time, is when we know it is a part of our very nature.
We can only do this if Christ lives in us. All gratitude that comes from Christ Who lives in us is a part of our being, not a superficial expression.
The gratitude of the world without Christ is based on personal desire, it is selfish. In other words; "If I am getting what I want then I am happy and grateful."
Those who are truly grateful do not have to be getting what they want to be so, they are always grateful for everything even when they are not getting what they want.
Hebrews 12:28
"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,"
Psalm 100:3-4
"Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!"
Isaiah 63:7
"I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love."
As born again believers our gratefulness of Spirit comes from how much we have received from Christ and how much He loves us.
Philippians
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
James 1: 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Let the Holy Spirit Disciple You
One of the dangers of "discipleship" in our day is that most teachers have been led astray by false doctrine. Many people will teach the false doctrine that they learned from others.
The best teacher of all is the Holy Spirit. When we are praying and reading the Word of God we will not be led astray when it is the Holy Spirit teaching us.
John 16:13-14 "13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you."
There is no better teacher than the Holy Spirit. God never said that we should make sure we have human teachers, in fact He warned us to test all things that anyone says to be sure it was Biblical.
Luke 17:11-12 " 11 Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men."
When I was a new believer a woman who wanted to disciple me brought a book for us to read together. That book was not the Bible and taught foolishness that was not Biblical.
In that book the author was attempting to build up pride by phrases like, "you are very special." I didn't need nor want to hear that message of self focus. I wanted Jesus Christ and Him alone. When I suggested that we not read that book and only use the Bible, this woman stopped our meetings abruptly. Apparently she was not interested in the Bible, only in humanistic concepts not based in the scriptures. This woman purported to be a Christian concerned about my new found faith.
This is the nonsense so many people disciple others with today! They want to mix psychology with some Christian concepts making their disciple just like them, that is superficial and worldly minded.
Matthew 23:15-16 "… 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. 16 Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’"
There will be those who think we must have human leaders and human teachers. We do have them, but they cannot be seen as authorities. Every teacher or preacher must be evaluated based on the Bible and according to the Holy Spirit.
The best teacher of all is the Holy Spirit. When we are praying and reading the Word of God we will not be led astray when it is the Holy Spirit teaching us.
John 16:13-14 "13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you."
There is no better teacher than the Holy Spirit. God never said that we should make sure we have human teachers, in fact He warned us to test all things that anyone says to be sure it was Biblical.
Luke 17:11-12 " 11 Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men."
When I was a new believer a woman who wanted to disciple me brought a book for us to read together. That book was not the Bible and taught foolishness that was not Biblical.
In that book the author was attempting to build up pride by phrases like, "you are very special." I didn't need nor want to hear that message of self focus. I wanted Jesus Christ and Him alone. When I suggested that we not read that book and only use the Bible, this woman stopped our meetings abruptly. Apparently she was not interested in the Bible, only in humanistic concepts not based in the scriptures. This woman purported to be a Christian concerned about my new found faith.
This is the nonsense so many people disciple others with today! They want to mix psychology with some Christian concepts making their disciple just like them, that is superficial and worldly minded.
Matthew 23:15-16 "… 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. 16 Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’"
There will be those who think we must have human leaders and human teachers. We do have them, but they cannot be seen as authorities. Every teacher or preacher must be evaluated based on the Bible and according to the Holy Spirit.
God Keeps Account of our Lives
We are still accountable for the sins we commit to be cleansed of them on earth. Born again believers are not free to sin at will. God commands us to confess our sins to be cleansed.
1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Also we are disciplined as sons and daughters to be brought back to obedience.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
And there will be those who just barely make it into heaven because they have no fruit, only salvation through faith. They will make it but there will not be many if any rewards for them.
1 Corinthians 3:14-16 "…14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?…"
God says this: Romans 6:1-2 "1 What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?…"
1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Also we are disciplined as sons and daughters to be brought back to obedience.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
And there will be those who just barely make it into heaven because they have no fruit, only salvation through faith. They will make it but there will not be many if any rewards for them.
1 Corinthians 3:14-16 "…14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?…"
God says this: Romans 6:1-2 "1 What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?…"
Confession First and Then Forgiveness
We have no right to forgive those whom God has not forgiven. He only forgives when there is confession of sin, only then can forgiveness be given. To forgive someone who is not sorry, even convincing themselves they did nothing wrong, are preventing their own forgiveness. God said "if they come to confess" then forgive.
When someone has not expressed brokenness over their sin, even justifying it, they are not forgiven.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "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.
" Notice verse 5, "avoid men as these." We can love people from afar by our prayers but no where in the Word do we see that we have to remain in relationship with evil and mean people.
We are to leave mean people to God while we move on to healthy relationships.
We become free from the narcissist the day we realize that we are not obligated to keep them close to us. Nor are we obligated to put up with their jealousies and nonsense.
Jesus Christ rebuked the pharisees, calling them white washed tombs and then He moved on. He did not remain in their lives hoping to influence them and He never forgave them.
Luke 11:42-54
42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places. 44 Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”
45 One of the lawyers *said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.”
46 But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.
48 So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute,
50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.’
52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”
53 When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects,
54 plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say."
The Pharisees hated Christ because of His rebuke. Because of their hatred they sought to find something to hold against Him. Nothing they found was true, it was all lies and yet their hatred drove them to find something, anything at all. They managed to accuse Him of bad things when the things He did were good. They said He healed by the power of the devil when they were acting in the power of the devil.
When Christ was dying on the cross He asked the Father to extend forgiveness to those who did not know what they were doing. God extended forgiveness to the world at that time, but there was a condition. That condition was that they confess their sinfulness and believe on Christ as the sacrifice and payment for their sin.
If someone has been extended forgiveness but rejects it through justification of their sin or refusal to admit they have sinned, then they do not receive forgiveness. Remaining friends with a wicked person does not change them, but it might change us into being like them. As believers we desire to be able to forgive when the confession come but the offender will not be allowed forgiveness without confession.
1 Corinthians 15:33 " 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Isaiah 26:10 ". 10 Though grace is shown to the wicked man, he does not learn righteousness. In the land of righteousness he acts unjustly and fails to see the majesty of the LORD. "
We must stop forgiving those who refuse to be repentant, it only empowers their bad behavior. We are enablers when we do not require contrition for offenses. We are not better Christians when we let everyone off the hook just so we feel better about ourselves.
Forgiveness is not for ourselves, its for the relationship when the other party confesses, then is when a relationship can be reconciled. When someone does not care if the relationship is reconciled God's way, then they are not friend material.
God wants us to surround ourselves with those who love God and desire to walk in righteousness. Those who refuse to confess, even becoming angry when confronted, are not desiring righteousness, their goal is domination and pretend they are something they are not. Their dilution is that they never do anything that requires confession.
Proverbs 28:13
"Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,
but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy."
When someone has not expressed brokenness over their sin, even justifying it, they are not forgiven.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "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.
" Notice verse 5, "avoid men as these." We can love people from afar by our prayers but no where in the Word do we see that we have to remain in relationship with evil and mean people.
We are to leave mean people to God while we move on to healthy relationships.
We become free from the narcissist the day we realize that we are not obligated to keep them close to us. Nor are we obligated to put up with their jealousies and nonsense.
Jesus Christ rebuked the pharisees, calling them white washed tombs and then He moved on. He did not remain in their lives hoping to influence them and He never forgave them.
Luke 11:42-54
42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places. 44 Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”
45 One of the lawyers *said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.”
46 But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.
48 So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute,
50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.’
52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”
53 When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects,
54 plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say."
The Pharisees hated Christ because of His rebuke. Because of their hatred they sought to find something to hold against Him. Nothing they found was true, it was all lies and yet their hatred drove them to find something, anything at all. They managed to accuse Him of bad things when the things He did were good. They said He healed by the power of the devil when they were acting in the power of the devil.
When Christ was dying on the cross He asked the Father to extend forgiveness to those who did not know what they were doing. God extended forgiveness to the world at that time, but there was a condition. That condition was that they confess their sinfulness and believe on Christ as the sacrifice and payment for their sin.
If someone has been extended forgiveness but rejects it through justification of their sin or refusal to admit they have sinned, then they do not receive forgiveness. Remaining friends with a wicked person does not change them, but it might change us into being like them. As believers we desire to be able to forgive when the confession come but the offender will not be allowed forgiveness without confession.
1 Corinthians 15:33 " 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Isaiah 26:10 ". 10 Though grace is shown to the wicked man, he does not learn righteousness. In the land of righteousness he acts unjustly and fails to see the majesty of the LORD. "
We must stop forgiving those who refuse to be repentant, it only empowers their bad behavior. We are enablers when we do not require contrition for offenses. We are not better Christians when we let everyone off the hook just so we feel better about ourselves.
Forgiveness is not for ourselves, its for the relationship when the other party confesses, then is when a relationship can be reconciled. When someone does not care if the relationship is reconciled God's way, then they are not friend material.
God wants us to surround ourselves with those who love God and desire to walk in righteousness. Those who refuse to confess, even becoming angry when confronted, are not desiring righteousness, their goal is domination and pretend they are something they are not. Their dilution is that they never do anything that requires confession.
Proverbs 28:13
"Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,
but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy."
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