2 Timothy 4:2-5
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Jesus sat with the sinners for a reason. For many reasons actually. First of all, He loved them so much that He wanted to show His mercy to them and teach them what about their lives was sinful. Then, the ones that could see His majesty and had faith, those that believed He forgave.
However it did not just end there. He told them to go and sin no more, to turn from their evil ways, to accept His gift and to change their hearts by allowing Him into them, and rejecting the sin out of them.
Nowadays, when you speak about something being sin, you are hushed and called hateful, or even called a bigot, just because you want to show others what Jesus was showing sinners years ago. Sin ruins lives. But this is the generation spoken of in the verses above. They do not wish to hear sound doctrine. They wish to make up their own doctrine and follow that, because it hurts the flesh too much to carry their cross.
Jesus spoke of the end times, which all Christians I believe agree that we are in, and how things would be unlike they had ever been before, and we have not even come to that point of the end times, yet, and already life is becoming immoral and hard for many.
Matthew 24:21-22
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
But back to judging, which is what so many people claim is going on, if a person is trying to save you from the depths of Hell, they are doing as God has asked, to preach to others, exhort sinners to change before it's too late. They are not judging you. They are sharing pertinent information that is life saving with you, SOUL saving! They actually care about you.
The gift of salvation is free, you cannot earn it, so many will argue that you can lead a sinful life and still be saved. This is so wrong and sad, honestly if you really understand what Jesus did on that cross for us all. He BECAME SIN for us. Every sin you commit, He felt, He paid for,and some are so willing to keep committing them. So willing to keep the lashings going on. Just because He will save us by believing in Him doesn't mean that we can live wicked lives and still be saved. That's not loving Him, or believing in Him, that's using Him.
I praise God that His punishment was paid and done,but to think of all of my sin being a lashing, a whipping, a pounding of the nails, it hurts my heart. It should hurt yours as well. It should make us not want to sin any more!
Oh, how sinful we are! We must exhort each other, we must help each other if we can, pointing the way back to Jesus where our only hope is! That's not judgment, friends, it's love.
If we truly believe what Jesus did for us and if we truly believe in Him,then we believe in the Word because He IS the Living Word.
When Christ returns He WILL judge you. If a Christian shares scriptures with you, they are loving you. NO Christian should be arrogant or condescending,but merely stating that something is sin, is NOT hate.
If you reject the bible, that is your human right, given by God even if you don't believe that, but acting hateful towards Christians that are just doing what God asked them to do doesn't make you better than a person that would be judging you, even if they were.
People are all about getting offended about things in this day and age. Instead of being offended by someone's beliefs,what's wrong with you kindly saying that isn't for you, and respect each other regardless if you agree?
Christ's gift of Salvation is free, but repentance is what you give in return, with His help by allowing Him to live in your heart. Otherwise you're not changed, you're just deluded into believing that you're born again.
The Judgment we are to NOT speak is OUR OWN. However we MUST speak and walk in HIS. Meaning if God is against it - so am I - if God is for it -- guess what....yeah you got it -- SO AM I lol.
ReplyDeleteWe must not be living in fear to say "YES I JDGE YOU based on what God says" and to say Wrong is wrong.
I bet anything you (not you personally but generally) judge things everyday. You judge if you go or not go here based on your judgment. Likewise as I say to my flock --- if I wont allow it in my house why should I allow it in God's house.
BOOM BOOM
Your brother Pastor Jeff Earls
I had a long reply written, and somehow it disappeared! Hahaha Happy Monday!
DeleteI have come to a point in life where I am not afraid to admit where I am wrong if it goesagainst what is biblical.after all if we cannot admit where we have gone astray, we will NEVER ever get to where we are walking with God or grow.
I have been grateful for those that were brave enough to tell me that something was just sinning when I had not known it was just sinning. Because we are all young Christians at some point we need to stand together and are instructed to help each other in Christ and it is an act of love, in my personal opinion. If someone just left me go on my way in a simple manner, I do not feel that is very loving at all. So, to all that have corrected me in a loving and kind manor, thank you and God bless you!
Unfortunately, society today does not like to be told it is doing anything wrong. No matter how loving you do it. I try and use myself as an example always, for example say I have found that God has convicted me of doing such and such, is there anyway I can pray for you? Or for example somebody was doing something that is actually involved with the occult, and when I told them they didn't takeMt seriously at all, & I just said okay that's okay please just promise me you will research it. They promised they would but I don't think it changed their mind one bit.
What had to happen, in my heart, was I had to come to the realization and the fact that God is the 1 that changes people's hearts, not me, I am just the messenger and if my messages is not received, it is not my place to make them believe me, and perhaps it is just a seed that is planted. Perhaps I just need to wait for someone else to water it. We all are connected through the Holy Spirit and each have our jobs for the Lord, amen?
Recently I had learned that it is not the world that we judge and help and try and get to understand that they are sinning, but it is those that profess to be Christians that we set aside and ask if we can help them get out of sin. The world is going to be the world, but if we love our brothers and sisters, we will not let them continue in sin. And I would pray that if I was sinning, a brother or sister would tell me.
to the world, my only responsibility is to lead them to Jesus our Lord and Savior, because he is the one that is going to save them he is the one that is going to change them hallelujah!
Shazam,
To your sister, Bekkah
if they left me go on my way in a sinful manner not simple that is the problem with posting with a phone I already deleted the comment once I'm not going to delete it again haha Shazam!
Delete