Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Interpretation Makes all the Difference
It is interesting how people will interpret what we say according to what they thought they heard.
One believer was offended when another believer said this:
"Marriage before sex is not a sin."
Why was the first believer offended? Because when someone does not listen closely to what is said, they will interpret the words in terms of how they think and not what was said.
The one who was offended thought the first believer was saying; "sex before marriage is not a sin." But that was not what was said; Read the sentence again and see that it is right!
Here it is again: "Marriage before sex is not a sin."
We have all been programmed to interpret things when the same words are in a sentence, to see what we are familiar with. Even though all the words are there in both sentences, they are out of order, but the mind interprets what is said according to what it is familiar with, not what was actually said.
This is why it is important to hold our tongues, think with our minds, and ask questions to clarify things. So many misunderstandings come because people refuse to have a conversation. They think just letting the misunderstanding go unchallenged will keep people happy, but ultimately it creates anger and gossip that could be avoided if there is dialogue to shed light on what is expressed.
I am a big fan of rational, reasonable, loving, and kind questions and challenges. I am not a fan of rude, terse responses to make people feel foolish; this does nothing but elevate the rude person in their own mind. It has nothing to do with connecting with someone to learn their heart or understand them.
There is nothing more satisfying for two loving people to speak what's on their heart and listen to their friend to gain wisdom about them.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
The one who loves seeks to know their friend, to understand them, and to edify them in the Word. There is no competition present when there is love.
One believer was offended when another believer said this:
"Marriage before sex is not a sin."
Why was the first believer offended? Because when someone does not listen closely to what is said, they will interpret the words in terms of how they think and not what was said.
The one who was offended thought the first believer was saying; "sex before marriage is not a sin." But that was not what was said; Read the sentence again and see that it is right!
Here it is again: "Marriage before sex is not a sin."
We have all been programmed to interpret things when the same words are in a sentence, to see what we are familiar with. Even though all the words are there in both sentences, they are out of order, but the mind interprets what is said according to what it is familiar with, not what was actually said.
This is why it is important to hold our tongues, think with our minds, and ask questions to clarify things. So many misunderstandings come because people refuse to have a conversation. They think just letting the misunderstanding go unchallenged will keep people happy, but ultimately it creates anger and gossip that could be avoided if there is dialogue to shed light on what is expressed.
I am a big fan of rational, reasonable, loving, and kind questions and challenges. I am not a fan of rude, terse responses to make people feel foolish; this does nothing but elevate the rude person in their own mind. It has nothing to do with connecting with someone to learn their heart or understand them.
There is nothing more satisfying for two loving people to speak what's on their heart and listen to their friend to gain wisdom about them.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
The one who loves seeks to know their friend, to understand them, and to edify them in the Word. There is no competition present when there is love.
Loving Tradition more than God
The leaders of the modern church atherings can only exist because people in general are more worried about how the group sees them than what God thinks. It is easier to do what people expect than to evaluate and stand alone.
They love their traditions of men that comfort them, and they love the people who prop them up. They would rather be told what to believe than to do the work of prayer and study. The hierarchy system is popular for a reason: it allows people to become lazy and complacent.
It has always been true that the majority of people follow traditions because it makes their life easier if they "go along to get along."
We who have seen the carnage of the modern church thinking are rejected by someone and sometimes many people for daring to evaluate what people say and do to discern truth from error concerning scripture.
I have been disliked and even hated more for correcting believers with scripture than I have from unbelievers who know they don't know the scripture.
Since there are so many Matthew 7:21-23 people in the pews these days, we will notice more unbiblical stances than those which adhere to the Word of God.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
They love their traditions of men that comfort them, and they love the people who prop them up. They would rather be told what to believe than to do the work of prayer and study. The hierarchy system is popular for a reason: it allows people to become lazy and complacent.
It has always been true that the majority of people follow traditions because it makes their life easier if they "go along to get along."
We who have seen the carnage of the modern church thinking are rejected by someone and sometimes many people for daring to evaluate what people say and do to discern truth from error concerning scripture.
I have been disliked and even hated more for correcting believers with scripture than I have from unbelievers who know they don't know the scripture.
Since there are so many Matthew 7:21-23 people in the pews these days, we will notice more unbiblical stances than those which adhere to the Word of God.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
The Brainwashing of the Last Days Before Christ Comes for the Church
Our culture has been so trained (brainwashed) to believe in a hierarchical system in the church that many think we are heretics when we expose the system as unbiblical.
Once a person has been trained from childhood to believe something, it is difficult to show them the truth that might change their way of thinking and the things they do.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…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.…"
Part of the reason for this lack of curiosity about truth is the tendency for human beings to do what is easy and familiar. Then there is also the problem of fear of man, that perhaps their families and the community will dislike anyone who thinks differently from how everyone else thinks.
There is also the problem of fear of man, which may lead to disapproval from their families and the community if they think differently from everyone else.
Most people and even most Christians follow what they wish to believe, even if they are proven wrong. They cannot hear from the Holy Spirit because they have either denied Him or ignored Him.
Titus 1:10-11
"For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision, / who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not."
Acts 20:29-30
"I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. / Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them."
May we remain entirely focused on Christ while ignoring the noise of those who do not seek Him.
Once a person has been trained from childhood to believe something, it is difficult to show them the truth that might change their way of thinking and the things they do.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…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.…"
Part of the reason for this lack of curiosity about truth is the tendency for human beings to do what is easy and familiar. Then there is also the problem of fear of man, that perhaps their families and the community will dislike anyone who thinks differently from how everyone else thinks.
There is also the problem of fear of man, which may lead to disapproval from their families and the community if they think differently from everyone else.
Most people and even most Christians follow what they wish to believe, even if they are proven wrong. They cannot hear from the Holy Spirit because they have either denied Him or ignored Him.
Titus 1:10-11
"For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision, / who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not."
Acts 20:29-30
"I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. / Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them."
May we remain entirely focused on Christ while ignoring the noise of those who do not seek Him.
Monday, August 4, 2025
Information Changed According to Ones' Own Mindset
Be careful to go to the source when hearing information about others. Often, people relay what they heard according to their own mindset and personal interpretation rather than what was actually said or done.
I have witnessed this many times over the years, the misinterpretation of information because of the way the person hearing it interpreted it.
This is why gossip is so dangerous and second-hand information should always be taken with a grain of salt. Sometimes people are relaying what they saw or heard, not meaning to do it, unaware that they have misinterpreted the message.
We see this all the time in the confusion between people who are making judgments based on what a third or fourth party told them.
Proverbs 18:8:
"The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inmost parts of the body."
Proverbs 20:19:
"He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips."
Proverbs 26:20:
"For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases."
Sometimes a person may think they are innocent when they repeat what others said and did, but the guile in their hearts is hidden to others and even from themselves.
Mankind has a propensity to justify the evil that they do by changing the meanings to suit their own way of thinking. This is why the news media must be taken lightly; there is a vested interest in embellishing to manipulate people to listen.
As believers, it is prudent to be diligent in vetting information from the source rather than just believing second- and third-hand information.
Many relationships are ruined by misinformation and, worse, disinformation that divides friends and family. When we notice that someone frequently judges others based on second- and third-hand details that have not been properly vetted, it is prudent to dismiss such judgments and refrain from repeating them.
Even worse than repeating information we have heard is to judge a person based on that questionable gossip. When we treat someone rudely and disrespectfully based on gossip, we have entered the realm of malicious hatred.
Proverbs 17:8-10 "…8 A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds. 9 Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends. 10 A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.…"
Fools do not listen to a rebuke; they hate correction, but a wise man will be convicted by correction and be thankful for it. Those who gossip will always have an excuse; they will lie to protect themselves, but the wise man will not listen in the first place to that which he did not see for himself.
When we love with the love of Christ, we do not wait and watch for opportunities to judge others for things that may not even be true or are not even sin.
Romans 12:10
"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another."
Galatians 6:1
"Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."
There would be a lot less strife in the world and even among Christians if everyone would mind their own business, refusing to judge things merely on hearsay.
I have witnessed this many times over the years, the misinterpretation of information because of the way the person hearing it interpreted it.
This is why gossip is so dangerous and second-hand information should always be taken with a grain of salt. Sometimes people are relaying what they saw or heard, not meaning to do it, unaware that they have misinterpreted the message.
We see this all the time in the confusion between people who are making judgments based on what a third or fourth party told them.
Proverbs 18:8:
"The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inmost parts of the body."
Proverbs 20:19:
"He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips."
Proverbs 26:20:
"For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases."
Sometimes a person may think they are innocent when they repeat what others said and did, but the guile in their hearts is hidden to others and even from themselves.
Mankind has a propensity to justify the evil that they do by changing the meanings to suit their own way of thinking. This is why the news media must be taken lightly; there is a vested interest in embellishing to manipulate people to listen.
As believers, it is prudent to be diligent in vetting information from the source rather than just believing second- and third-hand information.
Many relationships are ruined by misinformation and, worse, disinformation that divides friends and family. When we notice that someone frequently judges others based on second- and third-hand details that have not been properly vetted, it is prudent to dismiss such judgments and refrain from repeating them.
Even worse than repeating information we have heard is to judge a person based on that questionable gossip. When we treat someone rudely and disrespectfully based on gossip, we have entered the realm of malicious hatred.
Proverbs 17:8-10 "…8 A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds. 9 Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends. 10 A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.…"
Fools do not listen to a rebuke; they hate correction, but a wise man will be convicted by correction and be thankful for it. Those who gossip will always have an excuse; they will lie to protect themselves, but the wise man will not listen in the first place to that which he did not see for himself.
When we love with the love of Christ, we do not wait and watch for opportunities to judge others for things that may not even be true or are not even sin.
Romans 12:10
"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another."
Galatians 6:1
"Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."
There would be a lot less strife in the world and even among Christians if everyone would mind their own business, refusing to judge things merely on hearsay.
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