Would You Recognize the Deception of Hyper-Grace?

The following article appears in Charisma Magazine and is excellent.

http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/39494-would-you-recognize-the-deception-of-hyper-grace

Would You Recognize the Deception of Hyper-Grace?

Written by David Ravenhill

Someone wisely stated, “The church has suffered more from her exponents than from her opponents.” This is certainly the case today, as we are seeing an onslaught of dangerous teaching sweeping through the body of Christ like never before. We have the graphic and prophetic picture of the serpent in Revelation pouring water like a river out of his mouth in order to sweep away the woman (Rev. 12:15-16). This, to me, speaks of the false river the enemy is attempting to use to deceive the church in these last days. Thank God that He has promised, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him” (Is. 59:19, NKJV).

One of the enemy’s wiles is to take something that is inherently good and seek to make it appear better. The hyper-grace message is a prime example of this. What is more amazing than grace? Nothing sets Christianity apart more than the message of grace. None of us would ever know our magnificent Savior and Lord without His redeeming, reconciling grace. There is no sect, cult or religion that has any doctrine comparable to it. Grace is found in Christ alone!  Little wonder, then, that the enemy has sought to improve on this glorious message by appearing to make it even more glorious, while at the same time lacing it with his deadly poison of deception and distortion.

Consider how you would respond to a message exhorting you to guard your mind, stay sober, be obedient, don’t be conformed to your former lusts, be holy, conduct yourself in fear, obey the Word and put aside all malice, guile and hypocrisy? What if the message went on to tell you to love and read God’s Word, grow up, tell others about God’s goodness, avoid fleshly lusts, do good deeds, do right, don’t speak about evil, be zealous for what is good and sanctify Christ as Lord? 

Many within the body of Christ today would cry out against such a message, claiming it to be nothing more than a religious spirit or legalism or even fleshly works. Grace, we are told, frees you from all these works and liberates you so that you are no longer under any obligation of any kind. Grace, they say, is the gift that comes to us with no strings attached. But is that really the message of grace? Has the enemy blinded our eyes through super-sizing the true message of grace—and thereby distorting it?  It may surprise you to know that all the exhortations I’ve listed above were taken directly from Peter’s first epistle. Now, here is a most amazing truth: Peter tells us in the closing verses of his epistle, “I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!" (1 Pet. 5:12, NASB, emphasis added). 

Here we have one of the most complete and comprehensive revelations on true grace to be found in the New Testament. Yes, grace is totally and irrevocably free, and it provides us with God’s power to change us. That was its original intent. Paul, in his letter to Titus, explains it this way: “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12, emphasis added).

Peter and Paul saw the Lord, who is the only true embodiment of grace and truth. If anyone had a correct revelation and understanding of grace, these two men certainly did.

Paul, you recall, had to correct the Romans on their tendency to abuse grace by continuing in sin. This abuse of grace has now raised its head again and is being taught in ever-widening circles within the church. Those proponents of the hyper-grace message will tell you that since your sins past, present and future have all been forgiven, there is no longer any need of repentance for the believer. Repentance, they claim, is the acknowledgment of a sin that has already been forgiven. Why put back in the ledger what has already been erased? So the reasoning goes.

But is this really sound biblical doctrine?

Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, scolded them for not dealing with the blatant sin of a brother who was sexually involved with his father’s wife. The Corinthians took to heart what Paul wrote. Then in his second letter, he commended them for their godly sorrow that brought them to a place of repentance (2 Cor. 7:9-10). He mentions repentance twice within two verses. If we did follow this erroneous concept of grace, then why was this sexual pervert disciplined in the first place, if his sin was already forgiven? Why punish him for something that is already under the blood? Jesus obviously didn’t consider this to be the case when He admonished five out of the seven churches in Revelation to repent.

Finally, as I have said many times, if we say that repentance is no longer necessary because all sin has already been forgiven, then why do we need to repent the first time in order to be saved? There is the belief by some that since all sin has been atoned for, all are saved but just don’t know it. This is the old but still very much alive false doctrine of universalism or ultimate reconciliation.

Jude was greatly disturbed by these errors in his day and tells us, “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3, NKJV). Why? Because there were those within the church who were distorting the grace of God and turning it into licentiousness. This, I believe, was also the subtle teaching of Jezebel in the church of Thyatira. I don’t personally believe she was openly teaching that it was OK to engage in sexual immorality, but rather that the fruit of her distorted message led to this type of activity.

This is also my great fear regarding the hyper-grace message. While I sincerely believe that many advocates of the hyper-grace message firmly believe they are proclaiming a fresh revelation of grace, I truly believe the fruit of their teaching will instead bring disgrace to the very God of grace they seek to magnify.

I can only plead with those who are caught up in this false teaching to re-examine their beliefs in the light of God’s Word rather than get carried along by the latest trend being taught by a few popular and flamboyant pied pipers. If the fruit of this teaching does not produce a longing after God and a desire to be like Him, then we should avoid it like the plague. Grace enables us to live and walk in victory over sin, the flesh and the devil. Anything less is not the true grace of God.

Do you have your "place"?

No deep thoughts or opinions today, just wondering out loud, if you will how many people are like me in that they have a certain place(s) that they go to to chill or relax, pray or whatever.  For me, it has always been water. Be it a lake, river or ocean, it seems like no matter what is going on in my life, I am at my best, my calmest and most reflective when I get on or near the water. My favorite is the ocean. My idea of the "perfect" vacation is to take me to the ocean and leave me alone. I can go and sit for hours just watching and listening to the ocean. One of my most favorite sites in this life is to sit on the beach at night and watch a storm come in off the ocean. Call me whack, but sitting on that beach, all stress and worries of life diminish and fade away. When I can't get to the ocean, the river or lake will do. I seem to think more clearly and allow the pressures of life to fall from my shoulders anytime I'm at the water just chilling. It's my favorite place to pray as well. I frequently "get lost" and don't answer my phone because I've escaped to the lake to walk and pray. But again, the ocean is my spot. Call me crazy, but for some reason I just seem to be able to get lost in God and to hear his voice much more clearly sitting or walking on the beach than anywhere else. I don't really understand why, these things just are in my life. 

So, today I was in Peoria very early and went for a walk up and down the riverfront area and just enjoyed my time with God, and afterward, as I was heading back to my van, I found myself wondering if anyone else is like this? I'm curious if others of you have your "spot" or place where you just get lost, find peace and rest or, like me, seem to hear from God better. If you'd be so kind, leave a comment and let me know.

Knowing What Matters

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. 

You don't have to actually answer the questions. 
Just read this straight through, and you'll get the point. 

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. 
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest. 
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress. 
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners. 

How did you do? 
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. 
These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. 

But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. 

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one: 

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. 
3.. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. 
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. 
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you. 

Easier? 

The lesson: 

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. 
They are the ones that care. 

Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life. 

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." 
Charles Schultz

Facing Death With Confidence

In recent weeks 4 of my friends have been diagnosed with cancer. Each case is of course entirely different. Two were told they stood and excellent chance of beating it and living long, productive lives. One was given 12 to 18 months with little hope beyond that. The other was given weeks to live. I've been amazed as I have watched each one come to terms with this terrible disease and face it head on. The last one I mentioned  only lived a couple of weeks and left this life last week. Her strength and outlook blew my mind. She put her life in God's hands and believed for healing, but as she told me in a Facebook message a couple of weeks ago, "If I lose this fight, I still win in the end because I'll be home and I'll see you there!" I had no idea when I received that message it would be the last I'd ever get from her, but I have to tell you, those are some powerful parting words! Her attitude about death reminded me of one of my dearest friends who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in June of 2001. His disease also took him down rapidly and he died in September of that year. When David was fighting his illness, it really rattled me and was causing me a lot of anger and questions with God. My friend was not supposed to die at 39 years old. I remember the last time I spoke to him just a few weeks before his death and he challenged me about my attitude and I was getting a little angry with him. Then he said to me, "Darrell, if I beat this thing, I win because I get to stay here with my family and pastor this my church. If I don't, I win, because I will be instantly where you and I long to go and we give our lives trying to take others with us. I'll meet you there!"  That conversation still rings in my mind some 12 years later. It caused me to change the way I think about life and death and eternity. I'm grateful that even on his deathbed, David took time to school me one more time.

Anyway... I've just been lost in thought about all this for the past few weeks, and I find myself asking the question of myself, "What if they told you that you had a matter of weeks to live? Could you maintain your integrity with God and face death with the same confidence as you do life? That's really something for us all to think about.

What's Wrong With Our Society Today?

Yesterday afternoon my daughter and I needed to run to Walmart to get some things to make dinner. As I started down the produce aisle, a little girl came around the corner on a bicycle, almost hitting me. She doesn't say a word, just takes off again as if nothing had happened. Over and over again I saw this girl riding her bike and people just shaking their heads. She was flying up and down the aisles and locking up the brakes and sliding sideways. I'm not exaggerating, she almost hit me 5 times. But the one that takes the cake, is  that when we got back by the milk, she slides the bike side ways, crashing into a rack and knocking several things off the rack. A woman, who it turns out was her mother, said to her, "You need to be careful or you are going to get hurt."   I was stunned! I was like, how about telling her to get off the stupid bike! I cannot believe any parent would allow such behavior. I can just imagine what this little angel is like in school! The girl took off again, and as she did, she bumped a woman's cart, nearly knocking over the woman standing beside it. Still not a word. To make matters worse, I watched as this kid rode the bike past employee after employee, and no one said a word. Later I was talking with someone I know who works there and told her about this and she said that it happens all the time and they are not allowed to say anything to her because one time an employee stopped her and the mother threatened a law suit for discrimination and threatened to have the employee arrested for touching her child. He apparently grabbed the bike and the girl started screaming. So, because a woman screams discrimination and threatens to call the police, they allow everyone else in the store to be at risk? Makes perfect sense to me.

Take It to The Lord

In my devotions I was reading a story in 2 Kings 19  and it got me to thinking. It says in verse 14 that "Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord."  
The background of this story is that the king of Assyria was sending threatening messages and letters to Hezekiah and his people. Through the prophet Isaiah, God reassured Hezekiah of His faithfulness. However, when this new letter arrived, Hezekiah panicked again and he went   the temple where he spread out the letter before the Lord.

What was happening? I believe it is the same thing that happens to most, if not all of us. We are at church, or in a time of prayer and we hear from God, and we are refreshed, pumped up and ready to be a devil-chaser. 
But then comes tomorrow.
Tomorrow another challenge comes. Another threat. Another worry or problem. And suddenly we are not quite as pumped up as we were yesterday at church!  (Can anybody else relate?) 
The good news is that Hezekiah did turn to the Lord!
Many of us would have begun seeking another source of help, another way out, or another angle to contend with our problem.
I don't know what went on in Hezekiah's mind, but somehow I think that perhaps he felt closer to God if he was in the temple. Maybe he felt as if he laying it at God’s feet or reading through it with the Lord. I've been that way where I just needed to go to the church to pray and seek God. I know I can pray anywhere, but sometimes it just helps me to be at the church.

My point in all this is simply to say that bad stuff happens to God's people. We all have difficult and trying times.  If you are living and breathing, you will come to understand that life on this earth means that we will have trials and suffer loss and pain. We face trouble at work, problems with family, death of loved ones and many face failing health, and all of these are a constant source of anxiety that can test our faith and try our spirits. However I have found that when we seek out a quiet place with Jesus, and lay our problem before Him, the Holy Spirit is able to quiet our spirits, calms our fears and ministers to our souls with His reassurance and peace. As we lay our problems on His altar, He will take charge of them. This is exactly what Peter meant when he said, "Cast all your cares upon him, for he cares for you."

I hope you learn the burden lifting, fear quenching comfort and joy that is found in taking all your cares to the Lord.

Thank You Harvest Church

Our church, Harvest Church of God in East Galesburg honored our family  with Pastor Recognition Sunday this past weekend. I cannot express my thanks enough. Your hearts were felt by ours by all that you did. We know the work and planning that went into this day, and we want you to know how much we appreciate it, but even more, God sees your labors of love. Thank you for all the cards and gifts. They are so much appreciated. I don't even know where to begin with the dinner! We've had some really great dinners at Harvest over the years, but I do believe this one topped them all. I only had two regrets: 1) that I did not get the opportunity to get by every table to visit with each and every one of you, and 2) that I only had one stomach! The food was so delicious... and I was not kidding one bit when I said I'd like to have everyone's recipes. Most of you know, but some don't; I love to cook, and there was some Mexican food at Harvest this week that would rival or even top any Mexican restaurant in the area! So please, as you have time, either write down your recipes or send them to me on Facebook. 

Again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts... each and every one of you. You guys are the best! 

Love you all!

Pastor D, Libby, Daniel and Ashley

God Whispers: A Right Now Word

Yesterday I had a very long and exhausting day. I had one of those days where I got absolutely nothing accomplished that I had intended to do because of phone calls and people needing me. I'm not complaining at all... just life as it is. I have to admit that emotionally, I've been on edge and drained. Since last November, I've had friends dropping like flies. In 6 months time there have been 15 of my friends die, all but two of them younger than me. Two more of my friends have been diagnosed with cancer and both given months to live. We are praying and believing God for miracles for both of them, but the point is, all this death and disease around me has kind of rattled me a bit. No, I'm not fearing death... I'm just stunned to watch so many leave this earth too young and others clinging to life.  Anyway, that just kind of sets the stage for my day yesterday. My phone rang yesterday morning and on the other end is a person who has been a friend since we were about 14 years old was on the other end and she told me that she was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer and given just weeks to live. We had a good cry together and then prayed and made plans to try to see each other soon. Just a little while after getting off the phone another friend called me and asked if we could meet up. We made plans for later in the day. Just a few minutes later, another friend called wanting to know if we could maybe have coffee. I knew something was wrong by the tenor of his voice. I can't and won't go into his information, as it is too personal, but suffice it to say that most of the day was spent with him as he just poured his heart out to me. Every time I thought there could not be more, he would tell me something else  that he was walking through. My friend was at the end of his rope and honestly just did not have the strength to hold on. He was broken and weeping and needed not only his friend, but pastor. I chucked everything else that needed to be done for the day to give my day to to him. That included study for my Bible Study at church last night.  As the day wore on, we bounced from one coffee house to another, then to a restaurant, then to a parking lot where we sat and talked and as the day wore on, I had spent more than 5 hours with my friend before he left. After being gone only 20 minutes or so, he phoned again wanting to know if we could meet in a couple of hours. I had church last night and I was getting ready to tell him that I could not meet, when I realized that this man needed me more than everyone else did at that moment, and I made the decision to cancel church. 

When all this was over, and I was home settled on the couch, guilt came washing over me because I'd cancelled church. I mean, I just beat myself up and I was feeling like such a failure that I did not even feel like I could pray. I went to bed last night feeling lower than a snakes belly and questioning my decision. I tossed and turned and could not sleep, and I turned the light on, grabbed my iPad and opened Facebook. The very first thing I saw was the status of a friend who had posted, "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?"  I just began to weep as I read it as I thanked God for his right now Word.  The thief comes... why? To "steal, kill and destroy." I was allowing him to rip off the peace of God, to steal the knowledge that I had done exactly what God had asked me to do and to cause me to question, not only myself, but my walk with God. That's what the enemy of our souls does, but God has a "right now Word" for us if we will only hear. He wants to speak into our situation specifically and give us what we need to make it through another day. Thank you Lord for your right now Word!

The First to Come Up

This morning I was reading this very familiar passage of scripture once again, but today it spoke to me in a new way. Let's look at the scripture first:

When they (Jesus and His disciples) had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, does your Teacher not pay the temple tax? He said, yes. And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, what do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers? Peter said to Him, from strangers. Jesus said to him, then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you. (Matthew 17:24-27) 

I emphasized  the part of that sentence because this is what spoke to me today. When Jesus tells Simon to go catch a fish, he does not tell him to keep looking until he finds just the right fish, but rather he tells him to take "the first fish."  No doubt that in that sea there were thousands of fish. Fish of  many different types, colors, sizes, weights, strength and ages, but regardless of all that, the Lord’s focus was on the “the First to Come Up”. He focused on the Willingness and Speed! He was not interested in waiting until "just the right fish" came along. Many of us would sit and wait for "the right person"  to come to do a job or ministry. If this had been us, and a carp was the first fish caught, we might think, "no, let's wait until a bass comes along because that's a better fish."  We often are like that, because we have in our minds a preconceived idea of who the person is or what their qualities might be and how they "look" in order to fit our own standards that we've set in our minds. But God is not looking for "flash" or ability... he is looking for availability.  Many people want to sit and wait until that person who we think is the ideal choice decides that they finally have time to do what God wants done. Really? We are going to put the work of the Lord on hold while we get all our ducks in a row and we expect God to wait on us? How arrogant is that to think that we can tell God to just hold his horses and we will get around to it eventually?  God is looking for "the first to come up"  or those that will say, "I may not be much Lord, but what I am I make available to you. Do what you will with my life."

Think about that fish that Peter caught for a moment. Nothing special about him... just another fish. But how blessed was this "first fish"  that came up and gave what he had to be used by the Lord to pay the Lord's tax! There was nothing special about this fish... he just made himself available.
What a picture of how God sees us.  
How many times do we sit back and wait to see if someone else does the job, and if not, then we will make our self available. And we miss out on the blessing because we were slow and made our selves unavailable instead of being "the first to come up."  We often think we are not qualified or don't have the ability, but just as God supernaturally placed that coin in that fishes mouth, so he fills us with the gifts, talents and abilities to fulfill the call... if we would only make ourselves available. I've often heard it said that God does not always call the gifted, but he equips those who make themselves available to be used. 

One last thought. Jesus did not tell Peter to kill the fish... but to open his mouth, and there he found the coin. God's opportunity to do his will does not come as a threat or drain to us. As we avail ourselves to him, he gives us what we need and supplies the resources to get the job done.  And you know, I don't read anything about them mounting that fish on a plaque and making him the focus of attention either. He just did his part and was apparently cast back into the sea to wait to be used another day. We have a tendency to want to make a show or spectacle of someone whom God uses. When we do that, the glory goes to "the fish" and not the Master. 

I hope that maybe this spoke to someone else today too. God's not looking for the "right" fish, nor waiting on the "better" type fish... rather he is looking for the "fish that comes up first".... that one that says, "here I am Lord, use me."

Judge Not?

I’m really disturbed by the number of people who use phrases, "Don’t Judge Me", or "Stop Judging and Love", "God's the only judge"  other similar ones these days. Somehow the world, even the church, has gotten and embraced the notion that judging is bad. I find it particularly interesting (and frustrating) that the people who do not believe in or follow Christ actually dare say that it’s a teaching of Jesus that we shouldn’t judge each other. But it is of even more concern that people who are in the Church, and especially those who call themselves a minister of the Gospel actually are proponents of this erroneous teaching as well. Let's call it what it is... the truth of the matter is that inasmuch as people say they don’t want to be judged or hear others being judged – what they are actually saying is that they don’t want to be held accountable for their actions.   What they are in essence saying is "Just accept my actions without holding me accountable for them." Furthermore, many of these "don't judge" folks within the Body of Christ do their best to teach others that we are not to judge because they know that eventually, the finger is going to point back at them and they themselves do not want to be held accountable for their sloppy and inconsistent walk with Christ.

Am I saying that I am perfect? Absolutely not! But the fact is, I actually have people in my life that I have made myself accountable to and I ask them to confront me when they see inconsistencies, short comings and failure in my life. I have those that will firmly but lovingly tell me, "Darrell, you need to check your attitude." (Or whatever area I may be failing in.) You see, the fact is that even though this teaching of "judge not" has become wide spread and common, it is in error. In reality, true love actually cares enough to confront! Yes, true love does judge. True love is not apathetic nor timid. True love does not allow sin to triumph over the person they love without a fight. True love does not turn a blind eye and deaf ear and walk away without trying to help one who is struggling or fallen. A person who really cares wants to see their friends, loved ones and fellow believers in Heaven and when they see someone straying off course, they will do whatever is needful to help that person right their course.  My point is that if you have people in your life who are not judging you, but are just letting you commit all types of immorality without telling you are wrong, and not encouraging you to do better, then what you have in your life are people who do not truly love you, or rather who do not know how to love you as they ought.

One of the problems is that we don't really understand what it means to "judge."  One of the best ways I know how to put it into an everyday working definition is to say that the type of judging that God wants and expects of us it to tell someone the truth about themselves.  It is to be done in love and compassion, not in an effort to condemn or tear someone down. To judge with love should actually build others up, not tear down.  This is the what Paul commanded of us in 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 when he wrote, "We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, cheer the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient with all. See that no one returns evil for evil; rather, always seek what is good for each other and for all”. 
Using verses such as this leads me to the belief that I can confidently say that I firmly believe that to not judge is to not love.

So, what does the Bible say about judging? The following are just a few verses written concerning judging. I'm only using New Testament for this writing to cut short the argument of those who would say we should not use the Old Testament for anything pertaining the governing of the church:

*  “Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly.” (John 7:24)  (Oops! It tells us to judge!)
*  “Simon said in reply, “The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.” [Jesus] said to him, “You have judged rightly.”” (Luke 7:43) 
* But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. (1 Corinthians 2:15)
* “Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world? If the world is to be judged by you, are you unqualified for the lowest law courts? Do you not know that we will judge angels? Then why not everyday matters?” (1 Cor 6:2-3)

Now... what about that ONE passage? You know... the one EVERYONE quotes (or misquotes) and thinks they know.
I'm talking about Matthew 7:1-5.
Mat 7:1-5
(1)  Judge not, that ye be not judged.
(2)  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
(3)  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
(4)  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
(5)  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.


Let's take a look at it and break it apart.
"Judge not, that ye be not judged." 
Newsflash... this is NOT a command!  It is quite simple in saying that if you don't want to be judged, then don't judge.
The problem is, this is the only part people want to quote. But it goes on to say, "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye met, it shall be measure to you again. Romans 2:1-5 helps us to clarify this. It says You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
Clearly, what Jesus and Paul are both saying is to stop being a hypocrite and being judgmental against people when you are doing the very same things!  Notice what Jesus says in verse 3 says in that Matthew: "Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?"  Jesus is saying that you cannot judge others if you are also guilty of what you are judging them for!
He continues: "How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite..."  (Please note who Jesus is speaking to in this passage! He is talking to the Pharisees! His audience is a group of hypocrites!) He continues: "...remove the wooden beam from your eye first..." (In other words, we are to judge ourselves first! Clean up your own house before you go pointing out the dust in someone elses house.) He continues: "then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye."
Notice... he does not say to leave the splinter in your brothers eye, but to clean up your own house first so that you can help your brother with his!   
Not quite the way we heard this taught... is it? Certainly not by those screaming, "Only God can judge me!"

There is another verse I want to look at, probably the second most misquoted verse in all of scripture, certainly when referring to judging.  It is found in James 4:11-12.
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[a] or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

This verse, in context clearly is speaking of speaking (or writing) slander of a fellow Christian. It is not related at all to the meaning given to it by so many today. It is simply speaking about how we make a mockery of the Word of God and the Body of Christ and even God himself when we slander one another. That's it. Nothing more.

I could go on, but I think I've made my case. So, let the arguing begin!

All I Need

I'm still reading and studying in the books of Samuel and this week I was reading the story of Mephibosheth and I got to thinking about life. You know, it just seems like some people are never satisfied. No matter what they have themselves, they see others with more than they have and start wanting the same kind of things for themselves. They can be going along with life perfectly happy with themselves (or so it seems) until they see that someone else is getting to do something that they are not doing themselves, and suddenly they want to do what that other person is doing. Nothing prevented them from doing it themselves before, they simply chose not to do it. But when someone else does it, suddenly they have to be the ones doing it. It kind of reminds me of watching two infants playing in a pile of toys. There is always that one kid that no matter what he has to play with, when the other child picks up a toy, the first child now has to have it. I'm sure we've all witnessed this. And many folks grow up to be exactly this way. Discontented. Paul reminded Timothy that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). There is much wisdom and peace found in those words. But the sad and true fact is that for most people, their formula for great gain has to do with acquiring more money and more possessions and more recognition than the next guy. Godliness and contentment are near the end of the list of what they want.

In the passage I referenced in 2 Samuel, David had given Mephibosheth (the son of his friend Jonathan and the grandson of Saul) a special place at the king’s table. In fact, David wanted to know what else he could do for Mephibosheth.  Grateful, he expressed his thanks to David:
 “All my grandfather’s descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?” (2 Samuel 19:28).

In essence what Mephibosheth said was, “That’s all I need.” You see, he was grateful and content with the provisions he had been given. He was extremely grateful with the fact that his life had been spared and was that the king looked on him with favor. Rather than make a play for more, he said, "Thank you... I have enough. That's all I need."

It's my prayer today that I can live with that kind of grace, gratefulness and contentment. I've truly been blessed, for much like Mephibosheth, what I deserved was death and damnation in Hell... but because of Jesus, I have found favor with God. I have all I need in Jesus.

Choose Wisely

One of the things that really gets under my skin is when people repeatedly ask for my advice, but they seemingly never take my advice to heart or to follow it. I'm not so arrogant or vain as to think that I always have the right answers... I know better. In fact, many times I will tell people that I simply don't have the answer for their situation or that I don't know what I'd do if I were in their situation. But there are many times that I do have the answer. There are times that the answer is a no-brainer if the person would simply look at the situation with honesty and common sense, but they are thinking with their emotions or hormones and, for some people, the later always wins out. For instance, the young lady who is dating a guy who she has caught cheating repeatedly. There really is no need for advice for a person who is thinking rationally... but the emotions/hormones rage and she takes him back again and again and finds herself pregnant. Of course, the guy dumps her, only to be taken back again. Then it is only a matter of time and he cheats again... and again... and again. There is break up after break up but she takes him back with idle promises of fidelity, only to be crushed when it happens again. I (and many others), thinking through wisdom and experience give advice to leave that guy in the past and learn. But there are others giving their great advice, "If you love him, give him a chance. If he loves you, he won't do it again."  So they end up marrying the guy, thinking that a ring and a piece of paper will change things... but the "vows" this sort of guy makes at the altar are meaningless drivel, no more sincerity in those words than the time he begged his way back into her bed countless times before. The sad thing is that exact same situation has played out more times than I can count... and a few months later I am now dealing with a divorced young lady who is now a single mom raising children alone while they try to overcome with deep emotional scars from the broken relationship and dreams. Then the next young girl comes along and you share the horror stories of these other women with them... only to watch them follow the same destructive path, thinking they know better and that "their man" is different and they can change him. "Second verse, same as the first." 

So, I've had yet another sleepless night as my heart breaks for yet another one of these women living out the same scenario, and I feel like I'm watching a warped version of the movie, "Groundhog Day."  As I lay awake at 4:00 this morning thinking about this and asking my self why I even bother trying to give advice at all, I got to thinking about the types and sources of advice that people turn to and listen to. Many newspapers and magazines have advice columns such as Dear Abby, Ann Landers, and so on. I have not read them in years, but when I was just a kid growing up in Davenport, Iowa, I can recall reading the advice column where they asked some woman named "Rona" for her advice. I can remember that even as a kid of 10 years old thinking that some of the people who submitted the questions seemed to lack common sense and good judgment. Of course, Rona (whoever that was) would politely point out the simple common sense to them and would then outline a solution for them. There were some who had some really serious, even life-altering situations to which there were no easy answers. But most of the writers asking questions fell somewhere in between those two extremes. And that's the way it is with most of us in life, and we go around asking others for their advice. The thing is, when you are asking advice, you need to be careful who you ask. You can get advice from friends or professionals, and the facts are that some advice is good, sound advice, and some of it is utter foolishness, and sometimes it is the professional that gives the most foolish advice! So the question is, "How can people know which advice to take?" For me, that answer is quite simple: By going to God’s Word for guidance and by consulting a trustworthy, godly believer for help in some of life’s sticky situations.

The problem is, many people are not looking for godly counsel or advice... they are looking for advice that fits into their selfish desires and plans. In the Bible we see this same scenario played out. Absalom received two different sets of advice and chose the wrong advice to follow... which led to his death. He sought out advice from more than one source (one godly, one not) and then Absalom said, "The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel.” (2 Samuel 17:14). The fact is, that advice was not "better," but rather that he liked that advice better because it was going to give him what he wanted. The thing is, seldom do we actually get what we want when we are following our selfish desires, rather than the will of God. But somehow we think we know better and that we can turn the situation around into something that we can convince God that he was wrong about and he will tell us, "Oh... you must have been right."  Sounds foolish, but that's exactly what we are thinking in the depth of our heart when we go in any direction other than what God says. I am amazed at the number of times I've heard young people tell me that the had prayed and God had told them that the man or woman they were dating was not the one for them, yet they continued on in that relationship and then later come crying and blaming God for the mess they have made of their lives. This is serious stuff... determining whose advice we will follow. In fact, it can be a matter of life or death, or totally change the path of our lives if we listen to the wrong voices and make the wrong decisions. We need to choose carefully. That is one of the reasons that we should pray and ask God to lead us to the people who can speak truth into our lives, even when it is not what we want to hear.