What about a worldly mind-set?

 

What is a Christian supposed to do when another Christian is walking in the flesh? The NT instructions could prompt a lot of discussion. Several come to mind that say this is to be done in Christ-like gentleness. Most of those refer to telling truth to unbelievers.

However, God is not so gentle when it comes to dealing with Christians who sin and should know better. For example:

Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds. (Psalm 141:5)
Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. (Proverbs 27:5-6)
Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue. (Proverbs 28:23)
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, (Luke 17:3)
As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. (1 Timothy 5:20)
This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, (Titus 1:13)
Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. (Titus 2:15)

Most Christians have an aversion to a preacher who shakes their finger at them. As I read the OT prophets, it seems that a lot of that is happening, but at the same time, writers like Isaiah and Jeremiah also speak about the goodness and power of God. He gave His people reasons why they should obey God and rebuked them for their unbelief and disobedience. Yet who enjoys rebuke!

Sometimes in a group that gather for study and prayer, some of those present try to “fix” the problems presented in prayer requests rather than asking God’s will to be done. They may tell the person who made the request how to fix their problem, which could be helpful (or not), but often do it by telling God how to fix it. as if our ideas are solutions God never thought of, or worse, that He doesn’t know what He is doing. Many prayers are for the comfort rather than the will of God.

Think of what Jesus said to Peter when this man said Jesus should not die:

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16:21–23)

The words do not convey whether Jesus spoke gently or with strong authority, but He did not thank Peter for being concerned. This disciple was thinking about comfort and that his friend should never suffer or die, but not the will of God. Did he not hear Jesus pray, “Not My will but Thine be done”?

When a Christian is behaving or even talking as if they don’t know God, I usually pray for them, but sometimes God wants me to say something. To be like Jesus could mean a gentle and private conversation, but as the above verses say, Jesus was not always that way with His rebukes. Sometimes He used sharp words. When He speaks to me, He is usually gentle too, but I know the feel of His sharpness. It usually comes when I’ve persisted in having my own way for some time and need a swift kick instead of a soft warning.

PRAY: Lord, I rebuked someone who persists in trying to “fix” the problems of others, even those who are trusting You to take care of them. This person wants everyone to be comfortable and seems oblivious to the reality that You use even tough trials for our good. Wanting to be comfortable all the time can mean pushing Your will out of the picture. Thank You for letting me know that a rebuke can be sharp and reminding me that if Peter had his way, You would not have gone to the cross. Then where would we be!

God’s power over evil…

Someone I know well is a member of a cult. His faith is not in Jesus as God in human flesh who took our punishment for sin. He believes Jesus died to give us the right and power to earn our salvation. While that idea is not biblical, he also believes a few things that do agree with the Bible. One of them is the confidence that God will defeat evil, yet not realizing that He already has.

Today’s chapter in “Born for Battle” says that despite the suffering in the world and the severe persecution of genuine Christians and even of those who claim to be but are not, the power of God will overcome Satan. Actually, He already has. This enemy is now on a short leash, and as the reading says, he is merely a pawn in God’s will, as are those who hold firm to their sin.

Surely the wrath of man shall praise you; the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt. (Psalm 76:10)

That book’s author also quotes this verse to show that the storm of hate that evil stirs up is used for God’s purposes: "This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men." (Acts 2:23)

The very worst evil could do actually turned out to be the very best that ever happened. And because of that, I need to be careful how I evaluate the events of life. Peter was not thinking right when he heard and responded as Jesus told him what would soon happen:

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16:21–23)

The idea of God killing Jesus was foreign to him and still is for many. The Jews did it, or the jealous Pharisees, but how could God crucify His sinless Son?

Yet He did. There was no flaw in His plan. For a time, Peter thought so and became Satan’s mouthpiece. Eventually he learned that God’s redemptive purpose moves along a path of suffering and sacrifice — and as my reading says, any diversion from that is from Satan. For that reason, I’m learning to be careful how I think about the world news and God’s will. We Christians tend to want heaven on earth, a return to Eden in our lifetime. However, the Bible does not promise this and we  remain in a spiritual battle.

Jesus has defeated the enemy, yet this enemy still thrashes about, injuring and deceiving, destroying and duping even sincere people away from faith in the true Savior, salvation that could be theirs by the grace of God. Yet the God who makes the wrath of man praise Him can also take the evil done by their wrath and use it to bring those who fight Him to their knees at the foot of the cross. For me, this is truth that instructs me how to pray for hardened sinners. God can use their sin to save them. Nothing is too difficult for God.

PRAY: Lord Jesus, even my own sin drives me to You. May the sin in the world have that effect on many, that Your goodness is recognized and glorified, even in the mess we humans insist on making. You rebuked Peter for setting his mind on ‘comfortable’ yet You also made of him a strong testimony to Your grace. How badly I need that same power in my life that You may be exalted and the enemy resisted.

Ministry to those who suffer

An elderly Christian woman had been blind for a long time, but whenever the church held prayer sessions for those with health problems, she adamantly refused to ask for healing. I’d wondered if she considered her blindness as a God-thing or some sort of chastening, but I didn’t want make any assumptions or judge her. At the time, I had very little understanding of why God allows suffering.

Today, Chambers hints at the various reasons for suffering using parts of this passage . . .

“If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And ‘If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?’ Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” (1 Peter 4:14–19)

From this and other passages, God says Christians suffer because they are Christians. Our message and our lives offend those who are not interested in being redeemed from sin, never mind admitting that they need redemption.

These verses hint that we are not to suffer because we have broken God’s laws, even the laws of the land. If we do, any suffering that incurs is likely deserved justice.

Other passages say that Christians suffer because God is using a painful situation to produce deeper faith, or perhaps to purify our lives. If this is the case (and as Chambers says), I might know what is going on in my own life, but others should not assume anything, like Job’s friends did.

Nor should I interfere with the discipline of suffering in another Christian. Because I want them strong and mature for God, I should not feel sorry for them, yet I must be compassionate and encourage them to seek the face of God.

At the same time, feeling pity for a person God is chastening is contrary to God’s will. Who am I to say that God should not correct or chasten His children with suffering or build their faith with hardship? Chambers says sympathy actually weakens those in such situations. If my lack of discernment into God’s purpose for suffering produces pity, then it could interfere with His purifying work in them and even weaken others in the church.  

Obviously this topic requires understanding and discernment. My dictionary equates sympathy with compassion, but ‘sympathy’ is a word seldom used in the Bible. Philippians 2:1 and 1 Peter 3:8 uses two different words that most translate as sympathy, but both equate sympathy with compassion, which is a good thing. In contrast, Chambers uses ‘sympathy’ to refer to a ‘poor-you pity’ that has no understanding of suffering other than it is to be totally avoided. This is not biblical.

Of course, if I choose to suffer, there is something wrong with me. However, if I choose God’s will even if it means suffering, God is pleased. Yet when I am suffering, others cannot understand why unless they are very much in touch with the Holy Spirit. If I suffer because of my own sin, I should not be pitied but exhorted. Others should not sympathize with my pain if it encourages self-pity or renders me weak and useless. Jesus even said that such ‘sympathy’ is of the devil . . .

“From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.’” (Matthew 16:21–23)

Peter put comfort ahead of God’s purposes. This is contrary to ‘common sense’ and could be demonic.

If I am suffering because of God’s plan (like Job, and like Jesus) then I am in good company, but my suffering will be misunderstood just as theirs was. Job’s friends thought he must deserve it for some reason or other. Jesus’ friends thought ‘no way, He does not deserve this’ and protested.

As for me, when I pray for the sick, I’m concerned and want them to be well, but I’m also aware that I’ve no clue about God’s will for them. Perhaps the more difficult question is how to talk and minister to the suffering. Is God at work? Do they want His will to be done? How can I be compassionate yet discourage self-pity and encourage them to seek God’s best and to entrust their lives to Him?

How much I need the Lord to show me these things.

Be wise with prayer requests

My hubby and I get together twice a month with another couple to pray for our adult children and our grandchildren. We have done this for many years and agree that the changes in our family are slow. The great change is in us and how we pray. Our requests once concerned temporal needs. Now it is for spiritual needs and eternal well-being.

The Apostle Paul seems to have learned this much quicker than we did. He prayed continually about the spiritual needs of the churches and people under his care, and gave instruction for prayer, even personal prayer requests.

. . .  take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:17–20)

Paul was in jail. The natural inclination would be prayers for his release, but in his letter to the church at Philippi, after lengthy prayers for their well-being, he said:

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. (Philippians 1:12–14)

Paul saw God’s hand in his situation. Even though he was in a horrible place that was nothing like the prisons of today, he realized that God was using this for good. Had his Christian coworkers prayed for his release, they would have been asking out of God’s will.

Chambers makes an easy connection to my prayers; praying in the will of God could means hardship for others. If I intercede in sympathy with their trials, I could be messing with God’s plan to lift them to a higher level. For instance, if my prayers have been for someone’s salvation, God could be answering that prayer with trials, sickness, or other hardships. I need to seek His will before quickly praying the usual request for comfort.

This makes prayer a deeper challenge. I need to be sure of God. I can sidetrack my relationship with Him by sin, but also with personal sympathy and prejudice. Sympathy has this ‘I will not allow that thing to happen’ way of thinking. It is like Peter’s statement to Jesus when He said He would be crucified:

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16:21–23)

This strong rebuke shows the importance of God’s will in our prayers. Jesus called Pater ‘Satan’ and exposed a fleshy focus that was sinful. I don’t want to pray that way for myself or others.

Chambers also says that if I am an intercessor, then I will not have time or inclination to pray for my own ‘sad sweet self’ because I will not be thinking about myself at all. If that were not challenge enough, Chambers also says that the discernment that God gives is always a call to intercession, never to fault finding. In other words, having a critical spirit also messes with the will of God because it usually prevents me from praying at all. Without prayer, I have stepped away from my most vital connection to Him.

Deceitful pride = idolatry

After a quick read of the following verses, I thought that the idol to be confronted today would be the love of comfort, but after reading it again, this goes deeper than comfort . . .

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16:21–23)

Peter’s value system did not include suffering and death, at least not for Jesus, yet considering how Jesus rebuked him as if it were Satan speaking, this is a universal lie. No one wants to suffer. Some think Christians should never be sick or have trials, but Jesus was open to the will of God, yielding His own will in humble obedience. He did sweat drops of blood over the prospect, but He was committed to do whatever God asked, giving up all rights to-self comfort and even His life. He taught the disciples to have that same focus, not on self but on God.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (Matthew 16:24–26)

Satan is all for self. He determined to make himself like God, even bypassing the way God transforms those who trust Him. However, his own way didn’t work for him, and it doesn’t work for anyone else.

How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. (Isaiah 14:12–15)

In pride, I think I can transform my life. I have tried by doing my best, making resolutions and gritting my teeth in determination. However, this does not work . . .

For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Galatians 6:3)

Just as I could not save myself, I cannot make myself into a new creature. This is the work of God. To suppose I can do it reveals my pride and self deception.

Realizing pride also brings to light other realities. Even as a saved person who thinks that I love the Lord with all my heart, I can stray from Him into self-rule, self-determination, and self-preservation. I used to wonder why I would do such things, particularly after all that God has done for me. But then I remember what the Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). 

Such folly shows me how much I need the Savior to guard my heart and keep me close to Him. If I could do it myself, Peter would be correct and Jesus didn’t need to die.