2009-02-27
Good Morning Treasured Ones,
You’ll remember that we are looking at methods to make good judgments based on MT 7: 1-2 from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. As you know, we have been examining ways to make righteous judgments for the last couple of weeks. 1) Go before God’s throne of grace and examine our hearts. 2) Ask if we are being righteous or self-righteous. 3) Ask if we are walking in love or with some other agenda. 4) Ask if we are seeking the motives of people’s hearts or only seeing their outward appearance. And today, we will look at: 5) Ask if we are judging from our own traditions and interpretations of the law.
All of us come from being raised with certain traditions, attitudes, and cultural biases. For example, in Italy it’s considered very bad manners to scratch or dig at one’s ear. In this country, it’s lacking any negative message. In Japan, it’s considered a bad thing to stare into a person’s face. Here, establishing eye contact is a conveys genuineness and belief in what we are saying when speaking to another. Most of us would think nothing of eating a cheese burger. An Orthodox Jew would never combine meat with a milk product like cheese. While I’m using outward examples, the idea of cultural differences can be seen. The same thing is true of less tangible things. If we are witnessing to someone from another culture, it’s very important to understand where they are in their thinking first. This is the problem that my friends, Steve Cohen and Alan Butterworth of Apple of His Eye Mission Society, a group of missionaries dedicated to taking the Gospel message of salvation and peace to traditional Jews, must face. They would have to understand that these Jews celebrate the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, not on Sunday. Often they pass out brochures on college campuses and in parks at special events where there will be a gathering of people. They often face tremendous opposition and affronts. 1 PET 4: 14-17 gives some illumination on a witness’ responsibility. “But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, how happy you are! Do not be afraid of anyone, and do not worry. But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor Him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear; so that when you are insulted, those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will become ashamed of what they say. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if this should be God’s will, than for doing evil.”
Let me look at this from another point of view. My own son, who was at the time new at being a traditional Jew, was going to Saturday morning temple services in CA. As he neared the entrance to his temple, a group of Christian missionaries were holding a demonstration, complete with chanting and placards, right there. This group was loud and ornery. All during the service, their disruptive shouts could be heard. Anger between the two groups erupted, and the police had to be called in to quell what could have been a riot. This is hardly obeying the direction seen in 1 PET 4: 14-17. To this very day, my son wishes to obey a Judaic cultural teaching called “separation” that arose from Judaism’s long history with other groups trying to assimilate them, i.e. infiltrate, change, and even destroy Jewish traditions, beliefs, and practices, replacing them with their own. Separation is keeping apart from non-Jews, not socializing or intermixing with them. We have a cultural and spiritual directive in RO 14: 13, “So then, let us stop judging one another. Instead, you should decide never to do anything that would make our brother stumble or fall into sin.” Some people have made judgments that give Christianity a bad name under the guise of witnessing. We all know this and must take careful steps to avoid it. One such “witness” began by saying, “You don’t want to go to hell, do you?” to a non-believer. Laying a guilt-trip of this sort is hardly effective witnessing. This “witness” was beginning with the assumption he knew all were going to hell who didn’t agree with him. Only God Himself knows at this time who will go to hell and who won’t. At times the cost of being a true disciple of Christ can be very great. Take, for example, people like all the original disciples, except Judas Iscariot [who died by his own hand after his heinous betrayal of Christ]. Every one of them, except John, was put to death by Christ’s enemies. John’s life ended after a long imprisonment on the aisle of Patmos, the only disciple to have reached old age.
Taking the time to learn about the culture of non-believer helps a believer to become an effective witness for Christ. It’s the problem that Paul faced when there was discord between formerly pagan and formerly traditionally Jewish Christians. You’ll remember that the pagans felt they could eat anything and should celebrate Sabbath on any one day out of the seven. On the other hand, the formerly traditionally Jewish Christians were uncomfortable with departing from their Kosher regime and long-practiced Friday to Sat. Sabbath. A very God-inspired Paul solved the problem by telling the people to do whatever made them feel comfortable, as long as they understood and lived by Christ’s teaching [RO 14: 4-8]. We are better disciples if we leave the judgments up to God, are sensitive to where a person is spiritually and emotionally, and are willing to pay whatever cost there is to us to witness with honesty and accuracy to the Gospel message of salvation and peace.
PRAYER: O Lord, we acknowledge the superiority of Your perspective, the power of Your wisdom over ours, and the great blessings You bestow upon those who are Your true disciples. Thank You and we praise You for Who You are and what You do for us. Today, we approach Your throne knowing that we are sinners in need of Your guidance and direction in the matter of making decisions, judgments, and witnessing to non-believers. From first-hand experience with having irrational fear of people speaking with German accents, I have learned how sinful and wrongful cultural biases can be. Not every person with a German accent is a Nazi. Shamefully, I was an adult when I finally understood this. My example of pre-conceived judgments can be found in many people in one way or another. It is only by Your will and Your power that this evil was broken in me. The same is true for many others with pre-conceived notions. There is great truth in 2 COR 10: 3-5, “It is true that we live in the world, but we do not fight from worldly motives. The weapons we use in our fight are not the world’s weapons but God’s powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments; we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.” How grateful we are that we can seek Your direction and opinions any time we need them-which is often. We have learned that the devil is cunning and knows the areas where we are weak [JN 8: 44; 1 PET 5: 8]. We appeal to You for Your intervention and direction. PS 25: 4-5, “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me; for You are the God of my salvation; on You do I wait all the day.” How grateful we are that You answered us in JER 29: 11-13 and let us know You are there for us. We offer You thanks and praise forever for giving us the knowledge in PS 145: 18 that You are always near and letting us know You care in 1 PET 5: 7. We pray in the mighty and holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
There are still more steps to follow in making godly judgments, and another of these will be next week’s subject. Our Lord Jesus endured awful insults, scourging, being spat upon and dying a slow physical death on the cross, to obey the Father’s directive that He should be our Redeemer [JN 6: 39-40]. He went through all of this to allow mankind to be forgiven for their sins forever and have the chance to enjoy eternal life in heaven [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25; HE 8: 12]. Christ spent three days in hell and then, was resurrected by the Father to a place of honor at His right side in heaven. That Christ is “the First among many brothers” [RO 8: 29] leaves all who believe in Him with the hope of the of resurrection. We are further encouraged by the message of 1 THESS 4: 13-17, that there will be a rapture of the believers, first those who died and then, those alive at the time for a “meeting in the air,” coupled with the promise of protection from the dangers of those seven years, known as the Tribulation [REV 7: 3]. Christ’s death on the cross was the greatest sacrifice the Father has ever made, and it accomplishes something that no human can do for himself. Each of us is so loved by the Father that He is willing to spend the rest of our earthly lives “constantly renewing us in His image, so that we can have a greater knowledge of Him” [COL 3: 10]. That kind of love can’t be measured!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn