Series: Black Holes and God(part I)

Who does this guy think he is??

THE QUESTION:
How do we respond when we come into contact with another Christian who rubs us the wrong way? Perhaps they dress differently? Perhaps they like different music? Perhaps they are a hyper-calvinist, or hyper-arminian?

Now, how SHOULD we respond?

THE SITUATION:
Recently I’ve been reading some fairly heated arguments for and against Mark Driscoll. I don’t know Mark. I’ve never read his books, or heard him preach. Apparently he is a fairly radical preacher, using words and phrases that stun a lot of Christians. So I see a lot of brothers in Christ criticizing him for his style, disregarding the fact that he is reaching a lot of lost people. Is he preaching the gospel of Christ? That Christ came and died to save a lost world? To be our sacrifice for sin? Is he preaching the sovereignty of God, and salvation by faith in God alone? I hope he is. I don’t know enough about him to make a decision. But I see plenty of other believers in the same boat fixated on the words Mark chooses to use from the pulpit, instead of the work the Holy Spirit is doing through him. Is God pleased with his style? I don’t know. Not up to me. Are people coming to know Christ as their LORD and SAVIOR? It sure seems like it.

So this got me thinking, is it right to rebuke a fellow worker in the kingdom? If it is right, how should it be done?
Surely not on an individual’s blog where we can safely throw stones without taking any risks ourselves.

THE APPLICATION:

Monday morning, I opened my Bible and flipped to Luke 9. Now, I have not been reading Luke, but I sat down and started to read. And I was amazed with what I read there in Luke 9:46-50:

Luke 9:46 An argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest.
Luke 9:47 But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side,
Luke 9:48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives
Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.”
Luke 9:49 John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to
prevent him because he does not follow along with us.”
Luke 9:50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder {him;} for he who is not against you is for you.”

Read verses 49-50 again. WOW I thought. What does that mean? For 3 days I’ve been thinking about this. He who is not against me, is for me.

(in the following section, I am not saying God spoke audibly to me, but the statements in all caps are what “popped” into my head as I was writing this)

Ok God, I understand that. But what am I supposed to do with it?

MANY SHEEP – MANY SHEPHERDS – ONE MASTER Shepherd

Ouch, ok. But what about correcting our brothers?

ARE THEY IN YOUR FELLOWSHIP OR DO YOU GO SEARCHING FOR THEM?

Uuuuuhhhh….Well, Uh, I guess I go looking for them to challenge their beliefs.

ARE THEY LOST? OR DO THEY HAVE A FLOCK WITH THEIR OWN SHEPHERD?

I don’t know LORD, I guess they have a shepherd. But LORD, what about false teachers?

DO THEY TEACH LOVE, THE CRUCIFIXION, DEATH AND RESURRECTION? THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST? REPENTANCE AND CONFESSION OF SIN? REMISSION AND FORGIVENESS OF SIN? SALVATION THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST ALONE? THESE ARE NOT FALSE TEACHERS.

FEED MY SHEEP.

So, get over my pride, quit looking for a debate and start loving those around me. Get off my butt and reach out to those that are hurting and lost. Show them Christ, show them love, show them mercy and healing. Quit wasting energy arguing with other flocks. Got it. Boy, that’s going to be easier said than done.

PRAYER:

God, please forgive me of my pride and arrogance. I know You constantly show us that we think too small. You work in mysterious ways and use the weak things of the world to confound the mighty. Please help me to see what You would have me see, to go where You would have me go, to speak what You would have me speak, to hear what You would have me hear, and to help those You would have me help. AMEN.

The Voice of Sin

Note: This post is specifically addressed to Christian brothers and sisters in love

As humans we have to deal with 3 main types of sin:

1.) Inherited Sin from Adam (Romans 5:12)
2.) Inert Sin (lust, greed, envy, hate, wrath, pride etc)
(Inert means they reside in us but require an action by us to give them “voice”)
3.) Kinetic Sin (stealing, murder, fighting, arguing, adultery)
(Giving “voice to sin” – Adultery is lust in action. Stealing is greed in action)

Prime example of the “voice of sin”:

Matt 5:27: “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’;
Matt 5:28: but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

The action: “Look with Lust” – It takes an action on the part of the Christian to give “voice” to sin

WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD:

As Christians we have to be careful to avoid giving place to the “voice of sin” in our lives. We have to understand how God views sin. He cannot and will not abide it in His children. Repeating the same sin (even if we “feel bad about it”) is rebellion against God. Rebellion. God will not tolerate it for very long. First there will be minor explosions in your life. Troubles where before there was peace and joy. If you still insist on giving a place in your life to the “voice of sin”, eventually there will be a nuclear blast in your life. A failed marriage, public shame and scorn, prison, injured people, on and on.

I’m as guilty as anyone reading this. I underestimated God’s view of “kinetic sin”. There were things in my life I was holding on to. Areas of my heart I was refusing to surrender. Then God revealed His absolute abhorrence of all sin. Somehow I had made excuses and rationalized the “voices of sin” in my life as inconsequential at best, or perfectly natural at worst.

I now know what it means to go through the “refiner’s fire”. I now understand what it means to surrender everything. I still sin as I am still human. I have inert sin, and often it becomes kinetic. But I refuse to give kinetic sin a permanent place in any area of my life now. For example, today, there was someone at work whom I don’t get along with very well. They did something unprofessional and I found myself overreacting. But it was unintentional. But I’m aware of it. We all sin. But we don’t have to choose to continue to sin.

The only advice I can give you to help you overcome the strongest/repetitive “voices of sin” in your life is to study God’s word and try to understand (just try) God’s view of sin. How sin is revolting and abhorrent to a HOLY God.

But you know something? The crazy flipside of this is that when you start to muzzle the repetitive voices of sin in your life, God will start working in ways you cannot imagine. His Spirit will be able to move in your life and through your life to accomplish His work. Search the scriptures and make God’s word alive in your heart.

Most of all, lean on your brothers and sisters! You are NOT ALONE! If something in your life seems to big, kick your pride to the curb and talk to another Christian you trust. No man (or woman) is an island someone mentioned to me recently and its very true.

Some scriptures that will give you something to think about:

Col 3:4: When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Col 3:5: Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

1 Cor 3:16: Do you not know that you are a temple of God and {that} the Spirit of God dwells in you?
1 Cor 3:17: If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are

Isa 63:08: For He said, “Surely, they are My people, Sons who will not deal falsely.” So He became their Savior.
Isa 63:09: In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.
Isa 63:10: But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.

Hbr 10:26: For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Hbr 10:27: but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.

1 John 1:8: If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

Update on Jonathan

He called me and he did indeed make it home.  And he sounded very happy.  I pray that he gets involved with a church close by and that the church will help take care of him and his family because they need some help.

 I contacted a Baptist church that is very close to him and his family and hope they will continue the ministry to this family.

I hope that those of you reading this will keep him and his family in your prayers.

Thanks for reading!