Monthly Archives: August 2024

DO NOT JUDGE

Christian Life, ,

Matthew 7:1-2 NLT
[1] “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. [2] For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”

Ouch! The world is full of self-appointed judges, both inside and outside the church. People are quick to take sides on issues that are their favourite cause.

A recent case in point…twelve young learners of a certain group are accused of racism because of their so called “racist” comments on a WhatsApp group. So, members of another group complain, making the issue the
subject of a massive enquiry, involving suspension of the school principal and provincial government intervention.

The accusations escalated into “violence, bullying, disruptive behavior, and violation of school rules”.

What started the whole debacle? Some young women who read into a conversation that was probably none of their business, and set themselves up as judges.

Unfortunately for them, their very action has, unknowingly, made them “racist” since they set the standard for their own judgment.

The authorities involved have taken sides before the matter was investigated, also creating a standard that will be the measure of their judgment. When the SGB dismissed the charges for lack of evidence, the authorities expressed “disappointment” at their findings. What does that say about impartiality?

The point is, why create such a hoo-ha about petty issues between over-sensitive, over-emotional teenagers who experience life on steroids! Why not teach these young girls to overlook so-called “racism” instead of fanning it into a flame and then trying to put the fire out?

The best way to deal with offenses is to ignore them because our judgments are flawed. We will never know the full story, even if we think we do.

If anyone had a reason to judge his oppressors, Jesus did. He had every right to organise a commission of enquiry into misconduct when He was arrested and accused of treason and blasphemy, racism in the extreme.

What did He do? He submitted to all the indignities of His accusers’ behaviour, choosing to leave His case in the Father’s hands. The result of their judgment was His death.

1 Peter 2:23 NLT
[23] “He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.”

Phlippians 2:8 NLT
[8]”…he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

But…

What did the Father do? He vindicated His Son by raising Him from the dead and elevating Him to the highest office in heaven and on earth.

Philippians 2:9-10 NLT
[9]”Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

This is a safe way for God’s children to deal with offenses without judging. When we commit ourselves to our true and faithful Judge, He will judge fairly by His righteous standards and vindicate those who are innocent.

MORE REFLECTIONS ON THE OLYMPIC “EXPOSURE”

Christian Life, ,

It was heartening to see many thousands of believers expressing their loyalty to Jesus in public worship after the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. What an amazing expression of their love for Him and their willingness to stand up and be counted!

This response has shown the world that Jesus’ followers are everywhere. They will not bow to Baal under any circumstances or hide their light when they need to shine in deepest darkness.

This massed choir didn’t condemn the wrong doers or threaten vengeance as some do when their gods are insulted; they celebrated the Saviour of sinners in a beautiful and public way.

This response turned out to be a shock for the organisers, an unexpected exposure of their wicked agenda. Even unbelievers were outraged at what they had done.

However, there is another side to the Christian response to the opening ceremony in Paris, 2024.

There is a response to a debacle like this that can expose in us an attitude that Jesus condemned.

Luke 18:9-14 NLT
[9] “Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: [10] “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. [11] The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! [12] I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ [13] “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ [14] I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Can this be a commentary on the attitude some of us who inadvertently display towards those who vehemently defend their gender status? Are we saying, in our outrage towards their behaviour, that we are better than they? “I would never do that!” Are we telling them, without words, that they are wicked but we are not, that they are going to hell but we are not? Are we standing over them as self-appointed judges?

Jesus didn’t mince matters about people’s sin. When He was told of the tragic deaths of worshippers murdered at the hands of Pilate, He responded with a blunt statement…

Luke 13:1-5 NLT
[1] About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. [2] “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? [3] Not at all! And YOU WILL PERISH, TOO, UNLESS YOU REPENT OF YOUR SINS AND TURN TO GOD . [4] And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? [5] No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”

All humans stand on level ground before God because…

Romans 3:23 NLT
[23] “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

Apart from God’s grace, everyone, gay or straight, is guilty before God and everyone faces the same judgment for sin.

“I am not gay,” but I tell lies, I am bitter, resentful, unforgiving, vengeful, complaining, discontented, fearful… or whatever is in my heart that displays my own unbelief.

Therefore, we must be careful to guard our hearts against the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. Since we are not gay, we are okay. Since we are outraged by those who openly defend the alternative lifestyle, we are on God’s side. Really?

God actively takes a stand against those who present their self-righteousness as a reason for His favour.

James 4:6 NLT
[6] “And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

God’s grace means that He empowers those who know who they are without Him, nothing but condemned sinners like everyone else, especially those we despise.

How can we diagnose this insidious disease? Watch out for contempt! In our words, in our tone, even in our body language, we display the symptoms of self-righteousness. We need the same grace, the same mercy that those need who stand condemned in our eyes.

How can we escape this trap? Look at others through Jesus’ heart. Replace contempt with compassion. Without His grace, we are where they are. Apart from Him, we are lost.

Romans 11:32 NLT
[32] “For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.”

Jew or Gentile, gay or straight, Jesus is the only one who can rescue us from hell.

REFLECTIONS ON THE OLYMPIC “EXPOSURE”

Christian Life, ,

The opening ceremony of the Paris Summer Olympic Games has produced a volume of outrage and condemnation from Christians and others around the world. Despite protests from organisers, it was obviously based on the image of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper”, with people impersonating pagan substitutes for Jesus and His disciples. The similaries were too obvious to miss.

Apparently, all the reminders have been removed from the mass media as a result of the protest. Is this an acknowledgement of guilt?

The gay agenda is a hot potato in today’s world. The whole movement with its many arms is being forced into every section of society including brainwashing the very young.

So, how are believers in Jesus supposed to react to this latest global thrust?

Do I detect in God’s Word a pattern that might have been set in motion or passed on in Paul’s day? Was his diagnosis of human wickedness in Romans 1 based on similar opening ceremonies of “Olympic Games” held in the coliseum in Rome?

The whole scenario in Paris is eerily similar to Paul’s expressed outrage against the gay agenda of his day. He sees the so-called “sexual revolution” as the epitome and culmination of a violent hatred of God. Those, who practise the “alternative lifestyle” believe and do everything opposite to what is right and good in defiance of God and try to push their rebellious actions on the rest of the world. If Christians protest and resist, they are wrong.

How must we respond?

Christians around the world respond in various ways. Some condemn and judge those who practice their “alternative” lifestyle with hatred and loathing. Others believe in “Loving the sinner but hating their sin.” Still others ignore the situation altogether and look the other way.

The question is, does God hate the gay agenda more than any other sin? Will He send gays to hell because they are gay, or lesbian, or queer, or transvestite, or cross dressers, or any of these variations?

The answer is an emphatic “No!” These forms of behaviour, as outrageous as they are to us, are all symptoms of one universal disease, as is every other symptom of unbelief.

People go to hell for only one reason.

John 3:18-21 NLT
[18] “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has ALREADY BEEN JUDGED FOR NOT BELIEVING in God’s one and only Son. [19] And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. [20] All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. [21] But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Jesus put the matter in perspective once and for all. What we believe about HIM makes all the difference. Paul understood what Jesus said.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 NLT
[7] And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, [8] in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who DON’T KNOW GOD and on those who REFUSE TO OBEY THE GOOD NEWS OF OUR LORD JESUS. [9] They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.

No matter what form sin takes, no matter how serious is seems to us or not, the outcome for all unbelievers is the same. God will not need to ask, on judgement day, why people did this or that. He won’t need to cross question anyone to determine guilt. In the end, all sin whether big or small, points to the only sin that matters – rejection of Jesus as the Son of God and Saviour of sinners.

Believers display their attitude by their reaction. It sees to me that the bigger the outrage, the greater the possibility of hypocrisy. If we forget that all have sinned, all are guilty before God, and only because of His grace and mercy are we are no longer caught up in the sins of others, we will take up the role of judge.

Jesus urged us to pray for our enemies. His attitude in His darkest hour, was compassion. “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”

Let’s not match the arrogance of the unbeliever with our own arrogant attitude. Let’s ask God for mercy for those who know but don’t care about the consequences of what they do.

Romans 1:32 NLT
[32]”They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.”

Let’s put ourselves in their place and shudder at the thought of eternal hell. Jesus showed His compassion by warning His enemies of the consequences of their unbelief. Outrage is not the answer. Compassion is!

“I WILL GIVE YOU THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM”

Apologetics, ,

Matthew 16:17-19 NLT
[17] “Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. [18] Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. [19] And I WILL GIVE YOU THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM of Heaven. Whatever you forbid (untie, loosen, release, annul, set at naught, destroy – Strong’s Concordance number g3089) on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit ( bind, tie, fasten – Strong’s Concordance number g1210) on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

This is a passage of Scripture that has almost as many interpretations as there are interpreters! From Peter, the rock on whom Jesus builds His church to demons that have to be beaten back by our authority, confusion has confused the issues around Jesus’ commission to His disciples.

It’s important for us to distinguish between specific instructions and promises Jesus gave to His twelve disciples as the “foundation” of the church…

Ephesians 2:20 NLT
[20] Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

… and general instructions and promises that apply to the church.

“I WIL GIVE YOU THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM”… What a loaded statement! The entire New Testament is an expansion on Jesus’ promise to His Twelve disciples.

This was a unique situation in the lives of the disciples. The setting was unusual, one that Jesus deliberately chose as the background to His commission to His disciples.

Caesarea Philippi was the “red light” district of Israel, situated in the north-east, near Mount Hermon, and the area later known as Banias, the source of the Jordan River and the site of the despicable pagan worship of Pan, the goat-god.

This was the area in Israel, the centre of monotheistic Judaism, where Roman and Greek paganism were practised in the extreme. A temple to the worship of Caesar and a temple to the worship of Pan, the goat-god of fertility, were the centre of pagan worship in this area together with the disgusting practice of sexual contact with goats.

Against this background, where the worst of human depravity was exposed, Jesus impressed on His disciples the power of His “yoke”, the power of the gospel based on His life, death, and resurrection, to save and deliver from all sin. At the same time, He commissioned His disciples through understanding and experience, to interpret, and teach His yoke to the whole world which was the key to the kingdom of heaven.

Although He did not express these details in so many words on this occasion, the disciples would have understood His commission by the words He used. They were first-century disciples of a Jewish rabbi. They were called to a life-long commitment to follow, imitate, and pass on the teachings and practices of their “teacher” without adding or subtracting anything from his teaching or example. His yoke represented every detail of who he was, did, and taught.

Like a young ox yoked with an old ox to learn to pull a plough, disciples were “yoked” to their rabbi to learn to live like he did and to pass the rabbi’s yoke to other disciples.

So, Jesus’ final command to the Twelve was a summary of the years that they had spent yoked to Him as their rabbi.

Matthew 28:18-20 NLT
[18] “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. [19] Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. [20] Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus was adamant that those who adopted His yoke of righteousness and mercy would be set free from all other yokes, especially the yoke of the religious leaders who hypocritically taught a legalism they did not live by.

His yoke was already (approved) permitted in heaven and did away with every annulled and destroyed yoke bound on people (for example, the yokes of idolatry or legalism). Hence, He gave His commission to the Twelve to practise and teach His yoke to the very people who were enslaved by the paganism the disciples were witnessing in Caesarea Philippi. “On this rock I will build my church…” Which rock? Is it not possible that Jesus was referring to the very rock on which the temple to the worship of Pan stood. In places like that, He would build His church of people whose lives would be changed through His death and resurrection and His yoke of mercy and forgiveness.

Jesus’ authority to pass on His commission to His disciples lay in the very words of Peter’s confession. As the Son of the living God, He had the right and authority to send them out to the world to bind His yoke on people as the solution to sin and alienation from God.

The worst the world has done is to substitute imaginary gods for the true God, to attribute to them the right to be worshipped, and to turn God’s holy requirements upside down, calling good evil and evil good (Romans 1:18-32).

Jesus instructed His disciples to pass on the gospel message of salvation through His death and resurrection to the whole world. They would rightly understand what His death would mean, through the writings and predictions of the prophets in the Old Covenant. He would send the Holy Spirit to be in them, giving them understanding, who would lead them into all truth. He would inspire them to write this message for posterity.

2 Peter 1:16-21 NLT
[16] “For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes [17] when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” [18] We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. [19] Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. [20] Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, [21] or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”

It is faith in the gospel message of salvation through Jesus alone and obedience to the message, that is the key to the kingdom. The response of obedience to Jesus and His teaching opens the door to God’s reign in the heart. Jesus, sets those free from all other yokes who follow and obey Him.

John 8:31-36 NLT
[31] “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” [33] “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” [34] Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. [35] A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”

The Twelve were chosen to call people to enter the kingdom of God through repentance and faith in Jesus. They were to teach the good news of Jesus in all its detail. They would call others to discipleship, but no one would have the authority Jesus specifically entrusted to them. All other disciples are called to embrace the yoke the Twelve passed on without adding or subtracting anything to it. Adding to or subtracting anything from Jesus’ yoke would automatically disqualify them from being His disciples.

The passage of Scripture quoted at the beginning has a completely different meaning from that traditionally taught. This is not about binding Satan (as if this were possible!), and loosing the Holy Spirit (which is utter nonsense). Jesus taught His, disciples that the power of the gospel of God’s grace through His death and resurrection would bind that truth in them and loose them from the lies they believed and practised. Only through the message of the gospel, faith in Jesus, and the work of the Holy Spirit that brings about the new birth can anyone ever see or enter the kingdom of God.

In response to Nicodemus’ question…

John 3:3, 5-8 NLT
[3] “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”…
[5] Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. [6] Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. [7] So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ [8] The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

A DISCIPLINED MIND

Christian Life, ,

2 Peter 1:10-11 NIV
[10] “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, [11] and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Some believers think that the mind is of no consequence in the outworking of our salvation. It’s the spirit that is all-important, not the mind. We can put our minds into neutral and focus instead on what our spirit is saying.

However, nothing can be farther from the truth. Our mind is an essential function of our “hearts”, that inner part of us that expresses who we are and drives our bodies to sin or righteousness. We practise sin through our bodies but sin originates in our minds through our fleshly desires. Our minds need to change gear to redirect us towards righteouess.

It’s not easy to separate and categorise the workings of our psyche since we function as a unit. However, we learn from Scripture that our minds, our thought processes, control and direct our lives.

Proverbs 23:6-7 NLT
[6] “Don’t eat with people who are stingy; don’t desire their delicacies. [7] They are always thinking about how much it costs. “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it.”

The NKJV translates verse seven of this quote as…

Proverbs 23:6-7 NKJV
[6]”Do not eat the bread of a miser, Nor desire his delicacies; [7] For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.”

Whatever a person appears to be on the outside, what he thinks is the real person.

Our passage of Scripture for today is a clear directive to take control of our thoughts since an undisciplined mind is dangerous, and will eventually affect our destiny. Is it possible to control what we think? Yes, it is!

Random, uncontrolled thoughts are often bad thoughts. Satan’s tactic is to influence our thinking towards sinful, selfish desires which eventually translate into sinful behaviour.

James 1:14-15 NKJV
[14] “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. [15] Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

Our desires begin as thoughts which fire our emotions and drag us into actions. Therefore, to short-circuit our sinful actions, we must begin with our thoughts. Since we cannot think two thoughts at the same time, we have the choice to exchange random thoughts for disciplined thinking.

How do we acquire disciplined thinking? Our random thoughts are very often negative, and influenced by our circumstances; for example, we are insulted, belittled, or offended in some way! What are our thoughts? Attack! Defend! Avenge! Anger? Hate? Bitterness?

Forgiveness is the last thing on our minds unless we train ourselves to think God’s way.

A disciplined mind is only possible if we fill our minds with thoughts that lead to righteousness. We have been born from above by God’s Spirit. We have God’s life in us and His power to overcome sin but…this does not happen automatically. We must work, together with the Spirit, to put the process of transformation into action.

Romans 12:2 NLT
[2] “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

The only way to change our thinking is to fill our minds with God’s Word since His Word tells us what He thinks about Himself, about His children, and about what He has done and is doing for us and what is good for us and others.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV
[4]”The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. [5] We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

This is “spiritual warfare” within ourselves, not foolishly beating the air to flush out demons but bring our thoughts into line with God’s thoughts! We must pull down the strongholds of unbelief in our own minds by taking our thoughts captive to obey Christ.

2 Peter 1:4 NLT
[4] “And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

Peter gives us a resume of thoughts that will equip us for life and guarantee a rich and joyful welcome into God’s eternal kingdom.

2 Peter 1:5-8, 10-11 NLT
[5]”In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, [6] and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, [7] and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. [8] The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ…
[10] So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. [11] Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

The Christian life, from the moment of our new birth, is not a life of meandering through the wilderness of the unknown. It is not a hit-and-miss walk through the jungle of danger and opposition. It is a disciplined walk of faith in the one who leads us, diligently and determinedly following His instructions which enable us unerringly to navigate through every storm. He will guide us past rocks and obstacles until we reach our heavenly destination.

Colossians 3:1-4 NLT
[1] “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. [2] Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. [3] For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. [4] And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.”

Without minds set on Him, we have no guarantee that we will make it.