2009-04-03
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, the Holy Spirit led me to discuss recognizing who will listen to the truth. This is a judgment call that we may be called on to make. Once again, I repeat the reference verses from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount from MT 7: 1-2, 6, “Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you, for God will judge you in the same way you judge others, and He will apply to you the same rules you apply to others…Do not give what is holy to dogs-they will only turn and attack you. Do not throw your pearls before swine-they will only trample them underfoot.” There is still more that I’m given to share on this topic.
If it were a case of us testifying to the truth of the Gospel without the receiver of this message having had another belief system in his life or being exposed to other false teaching, our jobs as witnesses would be far easier than they are in reality. During the days of the early church, the apostles had to contend with legalistic traditional Judaism, some the false teaching within their own group [Apollos, in AC 18: 24-26 for example], and with the lies of paganism. False teaching was nothing new at that time, nor is it absent today. In last week’s message, I gave the example of replacement theology, which sadly is still being taught in some seminaries and published as I write. It still bothers me that one of the largest publishers of new age and occult literature directed at young people is plying its trade right in the our same town. God equips us to expect these problems and to work through them. 2 PET 2: 1-2, “False prophets appeared in the past among people, and in the same way many false teachers will appear among you. They will bring in destructive untrue doctrines and will deny the Master Who redeemed them, and so they will bring upon themselves sudden destruction. Even so, many will follow their immoral ways; and because of what they do, others will speak evil of the Way of the truth.” When I think of the cults, Satanism, Scientology, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the host of other groups in which he evil one has established his strongholds, it makes me want to cry! Yet God has fitted us to know the truth and to spread it to those who will listen.
The language of MT 7: 6 is no accident. In Christ’s day, wild dogs roamed the streets, known as curs. They intimidated anyone traveling nearby to assuage their gnawing hunger. They could be seen invading Palestine’s garbage piles to fill their bellies, even to the point of eating their own vomit. It is no surprise that this nasty site is mentioned in PR 26: 11, “A fool doing some stupid thing a second time is like a dog going back to its vomit.” A pig that has been washed with go back to roll in the mire [2 PET 2: 22]. But we must return to the issue of the judgments we must make to determine who will listen to us witness to the truth.
The number one requirement to make this decision is a thorough knowledge of God’s word, including how it applies in a wise, godly manner in people’s lives. That is acquired through daily study of His word and a active prayer life. If we think we have all the answers, we don’t. So, another trait we must have is humility-yes, being humble before the Lord. In fact, one of the great verses on provision in our lives is PS 37: 11. “But all who humble themselves before the Lord shall be given every blessing, and shall have wonderful peace.” Peace! Peace in this world? Yes, the “peace that passes human understanding” [PHIL 4: 7]. We must be willing to face insults and other forms of rejection. Remember, this is for the Lord, Who has promised to protect us in spite of this opposition [1 PET 4: 14]. And then, there are some common sense considerations. For example, if we take the time to learn enough about the other person’s belief system, we will have a better chance, with God’s help in prior prayer, to ask questions that lead the listener into thinking about his own eventual fate, the effect of how he lives his life on himself and others, and even about what the purpose for his life really is. It is a product of our good judgment that we decide not to use inflammatory language when speaking with others. While we don’t like the word, “Allah,” we can imagine a Muslim wouldn’t appreciate the constant use of the word “Jesus,” of Whom they think as a second rank prophet. The same is true with using that name with a traditional Jew, who has been raised to reject Jesus. However, the problem is solved, but referring to Him as “the Lord” in both cases. 1 PET 3: 9, “Do not pay back evil with evil or cursing with cursing; instead, pay back with a blessing, because a blessing is what God promised to give you when He called you.” One other important assertion comes from 1 PET 3: 15-16, “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 so 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.” Remember that if we prepare ourselves through prayer and study, we can ask God for the courage to witness and the discernment to know to whom and when, and He will give it to us [JN 15: 7].
PRAYER: O Lord, each time that we ponder the hardship of making good judgments, we must remember that You must be involved. JN 15: 5, “I am the Vine, and you are the branches. Whoever remains in Me and I in him, will bear much fruit, for you can do nothing without Me.” We submit to Your superior wisdom and power, doing so with full knowledge that Your every goal and advice is righteous. We can pray PS 31: 3-5, “You are my Refuge and Defense; guide me and lead me as You have promised. Keep me safe from the snare that has been set for me; shelter me from danger. I place myself in Your care. You will save me, Lord, you are a faithful God.” There are times when our need to make wise, godly judgments is like walking through a mine field. It is times like these when we must consider Your advice and the impact on others of our judgments and actions. However, we would not raise such a topic with You, unless it was fraught with danger for us. So, Dearest Abba, since we know You care about every detail of our lives and have promised us that if we start to fall down, You will hold us by the hand [PS 37: 23-24], we seek Your direction. PS 25: 4-5, “Teach me Your ways, O Lord, make them known to me. Teach me to live according to Your truth, for You are my God Who saves me. I always trust in You.” Serving God with complete devotion leads to wonderful blessings. We are still sinners who make mistakes, but if we confess our sins and ask for Your help, You give it to us with great generosity. We thank and praise You for the love You show us. And when we ask for something and You don’t answer right away, we can safely assume that Your perfect time for this thing to happen hasn’t come yet. There have been plenty of times when a person to whom we have witnessed doesn’t come to faith until a long time has elapsed. Your perfect time and greater wisdom reigns supreme. We offer You our love, devotion, loyalty, diligence, praise, honor, and thanks. In Christ’s mighty name, we pray. Amen.
Next week, I am led to write about the parable of the tree and it’s fruit, from MT 7: 15-20, also a part of the Sermon on the Mount. We still tackle this knotty problem of how to make wise judgments with the Lord’s help. Abandonment by God of true believer will never happen. We don’t have to and should never worry. PS 94: 14, 18-19, “The Lord will not abandon His people; He will not desert those who belong to Him…I said, ‘I am falling’; but Your constant love, O Lord, held me up. Whenever I am anxious and worried, You comfort me and make me glad.” We should understand how loved by our Lord we really are. When we err, most of the time God is a God of second chances. He knows we work with limited perspective in comparison to His own, so He guides us [if we let Him] through those mine fields and safely to the other side. He helps and protects us in marvelous ways. PS 40: 1-2, “I waited patiently for the Lord’s help; then He listened to me and heard my cry. He pulled me out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand. He set me safely on a Rock and made me secure.” We must remember that this is the same Lord that gave His life on the cross, the once and forever perfect substitute for our sins. After three days in hell, then, the Father raised Him to His side in heaven, so that He could be our High Priest in the manner of Melchezdek [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25; HE 10: 10; HE 4: 15; HE 8: 1-2]. Christ lives in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, there to love and protect everyone who turns to Him. How more blessed can we be?! Praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn