Should We Judge or Not Judge? [Part Two]

       [Click Here to Read PART ONE of this Article]

3. We Should Judge

We have seen how the Holy Scripture teaches not to judge, particularly with wrong motive and wrong sense. Now we will see how it also teaches to judge. As God’s people, we are called to exercise wise judgment essentially in two things:

First, we have to judge false teachings and false teachers. 

The Lord Jesus cautioned, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matt. 7:15, ESV). How do we know they are false? By their fruit, meaning, way of life and teaching (7:20, ESV).

Paul also cautions, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert” (Acts 20:29-31; cf. Rom. 16:17-18, ESV).

Furthermore, in 1 Timothy 1:18-20, Paul judges that Hymenaeus and Alexander have become false disciples who blasphemed. Also, in 2 Timothy 2:16-18, Paul judges that Hymenaeus and Philetus are false teachers.

Here is my question: How can we be cautious of false teachers without first judging they are false? We need to discern truth from error and judge what is right and wrong. If we do not judge false teachers, we may become prey to their false teachings. As deception carries the form of truth, we need to be extremely discerning and judge false teachings, which is corruption of God’s word.

May we be mindful that a person who has a different opinion of Scripture on non-central issues is not a false teacher. For example, if one believes in speaking in tongues and the other doesn’t, they should not accuse each other as false teachers.

A false teacher is he who wanders away from the fundamental doctrines and practices of Christian faith, such as the absolute authority of God’s word, the doctrine of Trinity, the death and the resurrection of Christ Jesus, salvation in the name of Jesus and by grace alone, resurrection of the dead…etc.

Moreover, the doctrine of material prosperity is a dangerous false teaching, for it makes people to seek sufficiency in materialism than in Christ alone (1 Tim. 6:6-10). The doctrine of cheap grace, which undermines repentance and holiness, is also a fatal teaching that despises the sanctification of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers (Jude 4).

Therefore, the word of God does encourage us to judge false teachers and false teachings. Failure to do so is to pave way for heresies to arise and suppress the truth in the churches of Christ Jesus.

Here is a word of caution: when we confront false teachings, we should do so with a Christian spirit, as the word of God exhorts:

And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:24-26, ESV)

Second, we have to judge sins that destroy godly atmosphere in church. 

Paul was provoked to know that there was a man in Corinthian church who was living in adulterous relationship and the church was silent about it. Instead of appreciating their unbiblical tolerance, Paul sharply rebukes the Corinthians for being cold in church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:1-2, ESV).

He later admonishes them, saying, “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one” (5:11, ESV).

He then reminds them they are to judge those inside the church, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge” (5:12, ESV). Is this not judgment? If we do not judge sin as sin, it will put on the mask of righteousness and corrupts the whole church.

The Lord Jesus also taught that if any believer is unwilling to repent of his sins and rejects church counsel, the church should treat him or her as an unbeliever (Matt. 18:17). Is this not judgment?

Paul counsels to avoid those who get into foolish controversies, to abstain from those who bring divisions in church and to keep away from those who are idle (Tit. 3:9; 10; 1 Thess. 5:15; 2 Thess. 3:6). He even charges Timothy to rebuke the church leaders in the presence of all if they persist in sin and found guilty of it (1 Tim. 5:19-20). Is this not judgment?

The Scripture gives a balanced view of the nature of God—God is gracious and loving, and also, He is holy and righteous (Ps. 145:8, 17). The Lord loves people in spite of being evil; however, if they abuse His love and grace, they face the chastisement of the Lord (Rev. 3:19; Heb. 12:5-11).

And the Lord desires that we too, as His beloved children, manifest both love and holiness in our lives. Love without holiness corrupts the church. Holiness without love stifles the church.

Finally, there are three things to keep in mind in the exercise of moral judgment and church discipline:

i) We need to examine ourself first to see whether we cherish the same sins we judge in others. Paul wrote, "In passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things" (Rom. 2:1, ESV). Now, this does not mean we have to be absolutely perfect in everything. We must be serious in our pursuit of holiness and honest in acknowledging our weaknesses, and then would we be able to judge rightly and help others with humility.

ii) Before judging any person of any sin, we need to have clear evidence from the Scripture that it is indeed sinful. We should be careful not to erect our own opinions as the standard of holiness, like the Roman Christians who did in regard to food and days (Rom. 14:1-12). And if any accusation is brought against anyone, we need to examine the facts and have witnesses than be hasty in believing hearsay (Matt. 18:16).

iii) Our judgment of others should be driven by love, not by self-righteousness and frustration. The motive of judgment and discipline must be love and the goal of it should be restoration, not condemnation. Without love, we will fall into the pharisaic attitude of Jesus’ day, the Pharisees who were busy judging others but had no mercy on them (Matt. 23:23).  

The Lord Himself said, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline” (Rev. 3:19, ESV). The Lord rebukes and disciplines out of love. Should not we, as His disciples, manifest the same attitude? Paul also counsels, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness” (Gal. 6:1, ESV). 

Let love and gentleness guide us in judging others of their sin in order to save them from destruction and to protect the church from corruption.

Final Words

We have clearly seen in the Scriptures that we are exhorted not to judge others and also to judge. We have learned not to judge emotionally and hypocritically. We should be careful to judge factually and lovingly.

May we know that in pronouncing the judgment on issues that are Scripturally aberrant, we are actually proclaiming what the Word of God says. We are only announcing the judgment that God has already pronounced in His Word. We neither have any right to erect our own standards and judge others respectively, nor should we ignore the standards of God and fail to judge accordingly.

May the Spirit of God bless us with His wisdom and grace to handle the privilege to judge appropriately! [Click Here to Read PART ONE of this Article]

_________________________________________

Enquiries: 

cstephendavid@gmail.com 

(or)

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Should We Judge or Not Judge? [Part One]

                                                                      

Note: This article is divided into two parts. It would be helpful to the readers to study this material in its entirety in order to get proper understanding of the message.

One of the issues about which many of us are confused is in regard to judging others. Some cry, “Do not judge others” or “Do not judge me.” And some others, “We have to judge others.”

Should we judge or not judge?

May we know that the foundation for Christian belief and function is not the worldly culture but the Holy Scripture. To answer this controversial issue on judging, we need to turn to the Scripture. But it is not just enough to turn to the Scripture. Most of the confusion and heresies arise not due to not turning to the Scripture, but turning to the Scripture and clinging to isolated texts.

Therefore, to get a right and balanced view, we need to approach the Scripture to get its holistic understanding about the issues with which we wrestle. Let us go ahead and address the question “Should we judge or not judge?” with a holistic Scriptural approach.

1. Meaning of “Judge”

It is necessary that we first define what “judge” or “judging” is. The commonly accepted definition of “judge” is “to come to conclusion about something.” More specifically, it is to decide about someone’s belief or conduct as morally wrong or right. 

Let us know that the term “judge” is morally neutral. It is the way we judge that makes it either right or wrong. When Simon, the Pharisee, answered to the question the Lord Jesus asked, He said, “You have judged rightly” (Lu. 7:38, ESV). To the obstinate Jews, the Lord Jesus said, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (Jn. 7:24, ESV). 

The above Scriptures make it plain that the term “judge” is not absolutely wrong. It the way we judge others which shows its rightness or wrongness. 

2. We Should Not Judge

1) The Lord Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you” (Matt. 7:1-2, ESV). 

This is a Scripture which is generally used by many to defend not to judge others. In fact, this Scripture is used to rebuke others not to judge their 'self'. They say, “We must simply mind our own business. We have no right to judge others. God alone is the judge. To judge others is a sign of arrogance and fanaticism.”

What they fail to understand is—in what context did the Lord Jesus say not to judge others? He said, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye” (7:3-4, ESV). 

The point the Lord Jesus makes here is—judging others is wrong when we don’t judge ourself and live blinded of our own defects. It is human nature to clearly look at the evils in others by being unaware of our own evils in heart. 

So, the Lord concludes, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye” (7:5, ESV). This is what the Lord is saying—“If you examine the evil in your own heart and rectify yourself, you will be better able to see the evil in others and help them.” It is hypocrisy to judge others’ sin when we harbor much worse sins in our own heart. 

The Lord Jesus, therefore, is not teaching about not to judge others at any situation. He wants us to be quick to judge ourself than others. He desires that we be a good example. He warns us not to live with catch-others-mistakes attitude.  

Truly, we should not judge others when we ourselves are not good examples in the areas we judge in them. 

2) James wrote to his readers, “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” (4:12, ESV). Elsewhere, Paul wrote, “Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” (1 Cor. 5:12, ESV)

Are these two Scriptures contradicting each other? Certainly not! 

What we need to know is the context. In what context did James rebuke the people not to judge others? The believers here were into malicious speech against one another, so he had to exhort them, “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers” (4:11, ESV). There was bitterness, jealousy, slander, and selfish ambition among them (3:14). With the same tongue they were praising God and cursing people (3:9-10, ESV).

When there is bitterness, jealousy and pride within, and if we judge others with this attitude, will not the Scripture rebuke us not to judge? How could our judgment be right with these evils within? Will there be love and compassion in such judgment? 

Truly, we should not judge others out of bitter and arrogant attitude. 

3) Paul said to the Corinthians, “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God” (4:5, ESV).

In light of the above Scripture, it is interesting to observe what Paul says in the immediate next chapter, “For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing” (5:3, ESV). He not only pronounced judgment, he also encourages the Corinthians, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” (5:12, ESV)

So, what did Paul mean when he said in the previous chapter, “Do not pronounce judgment”? There were people in the Corinthian church who undermined the spiritual effectiveness of Paul. They questioned his speaking ability, even his apostolic call. The false apostles were more appealing to them than the apostles of Christ. 

Hence, Paul (who in fact planted the church in Corinth but were deceived by false apostles) had to explain to his people, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (4:1, ESV). After presenting convincing proofs, Paul goes on to say that it does not matter to him what the Corinthians think about him, and writes to them to wait for the coming of the Lord, who is the right Judge to pronounce the right judgment about him.

Truly, we should not judge the ministers based on their physical performance and abilities, which is a worldly approach. We need to know who they actually are in Christ Jesus.  

4) Paul wrote to the Roman Christians, “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” (Rom. 14:10, ESV)

Again, it is helpful to know the context. In the church at Rome, “One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables” (14:2, ESV). Also, “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike” (14:5, ESV).

These preferences and differences in regard to food and days bred quarrels among the believers. They become judgmental over petty issues. They despised each other and accused one another as being wrong. So, Paul writes to these believers not to despise each other, for God has welcomed them both and they are all accountable to Him (14:2-12, ESV).

Truly, we should not pass judgment on others over personal opinions and preferences that are not clearly counted as sinful or holy in God’s word. [Click here to go to Part 2 of this article...]

Dangerous and Deceptive Spirituality

Note: Yesterday, as I was doing my study on Matthew 26-27, the Spirit of God opened my eyes to observe an important spiritual lesson. The following is the message which emerged out of this study.

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We are well aware of the betrayal of Judas to the Lord Jesus. After Judas delivered the Lord into the hands of the enemies, he changed his mind and felt horribly guilty for betraying the innocent blood.

In order to rectify his sin, Judas brought back the thirty pieces of silver for which he betrayed the Lord and returned to the chief priests and the elders. When they despised him, Judas threw the money into the temple and went and hanged himself. 

Following One Thing and Disobeying the Other 

Observe carefully what happened after Judas left: “But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money" (Matt. 27:6).

When we just read this verse, we may suppose how obedient they were to keep the law! How concerned they were that they did not want to do anything against the law! How pious and righteous people they were!

But just before, in the previous chapter, it is written that “the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth [secretly and cleverly] and kill him” (Matt. 26:3-4). They even sought “false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death” (Matt. 26:59).

What's more, after the Lord was resurrected, they gave money to the soldiers to spread the false message that the disciples came by night and stole the body of Christ (Matt. 28:11-15).

These religious people who were so zealous to keep the law by not putting the blood money into treasury, they were the same people who through deception have arrested Jesus, sought false testimonies (which the second last commandment forbids in the Ten Commandments), killed him and spread the rumor that Jesus' body was stolen by His disciples.

Were these religious people following the law when they lied and followed deceptive ways to fulfill their evil plan? But they were concerned that it is against the law to put blood money into the temple treasury!

Here is what I say dangerous and deceptive spirituality is—it is very zealous to follow some parts of the word of God while at the same time blatantly disobeying other areas of Scripture. A person who is a victim of such spirituality behaves very godly in some things and very devilish in other things.

Moreover, because of being very particular in obeying some parts of the word of God, this person thinks he/she is quite pious and pleasing to God [this is where the religious people of Jesus' time were deceived]. They are completely blinded about how hardened and rebellious they are in the other areas of God’s word which absolutely displeases God.

How spurious this spirituality is! It seems many of us in our time are entangled in this dangerous and deceptive spirituality.

Some may ask, “How are we entrapped in this dangerous and deceptive spirituality?

Dangerous and Deceptive Spirituality

We may claim of loving God with our whole being while having no love for our neighbor. Does not the same word of God which says to love God also command us to love our neighbor as ourself? (Matt. 22:37-39)

We may humble ourselves before God in prayer and desire to walk humbly before Him while behaving arrogantly before people. Does not the same word of God which encourages us to humble ourself before God also command us to walk humbly before people? (Mic. 6:8; Phi. 2:3)

We may be gentle and kind toward believers while being unkind and harsh toward our spouse and children. Does not the same word of God which says to be kind towards one another as believers also command us to be loving towards our spouse and children? (Eph. 4:32; 5:22-6:4)

We may be active in sharing the gospel of Christ while speaking lies to others. Does not the same word of God which says to go and preach the gospel also command us to speak the truth to one another? (Mark 16:15; Col. 3:9)

We may be regular to Sunday fellowship and participate in corporate worship while neglecting to love church people and serve them? Does not the same word of God which says not to neglect church fellowship also command us to love and serve God’s people? (Heb. 10:25; Gal. 5:13)

We may be earnest in our prayers to God while gossiping about someone's weaknesses with others? Does not the same word of God which says to devote ourselves to pray also command us not to gossip about others weaknesses? (Col. 4:2; 2 Cor. 12:20)

We may be caring toward our spouse and children while dishonoring our parents and being careless towards them. Does not the same word of God which says to love our spouse and children also command us to honor our parents and care for them? (Eph. 5:22-6:4; Matt. 15:4-6)

We may be passionate for evangelism and church planting while being indifferent to care for orphans, widows and the helpless. Does not the same word of God which says to fulfill the Great Commission also command us to care for the orphans, widows and the helpless? (Matt. 28:19-20; Jas. 1:27)

We may be sincere in confessing our sins to God and asking Him to forgive us while we hold grudge and bitterness toward others. Does not the same word of God which says to confess our sins to God also command us to have forgiving heart toward others? (1 John 1:9; Col. 3:13)

We may be good in giving our tithes and offerings to the church while we love money and are possessive toward our possessions. Does not the same word of God which says to be generous in giving also command us not to love money and possessions? (2 Cor. 9:6; 1 Tim. 6:10)

We may be submissive in church while manifesting disobedience in the workplace. Does not the same word of God which says to be submissive in the church also command us to be submissive in the workplace? (Heb. 13:17; Eph. 6:5-8)

Everything said above could be vice versa.

Final Words

We can go on and on and see how passionately we obey one Scripture and blatantly disobey other Scriptures. The worst part in this is that we may only see what we are obeying and justify ourself without seeing what we are disobeying and rectify ourself.

How we often fall in this dangerous and deceptive spirituality!

Remember, what the Lord Jesus said – "teaching them to observe ALL that I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:20). We are not called to obey one Scripture and disobey the other Scriptures. We are called to obey the whole Scripture wholeheartedly.

Wait a minute! Do not misunderstand me. I am not saying we should live a perfect and sinless life. Nevertheless, by God's grace, we should make every effort to follow all the Scripture. And whenever we fail to do so, let us repent of our sins and seek the power of the Holy Spirit to obey. But let us never justify what we disobey by what we obey. May we always be poor in the spirit and seek spiritual richness.

May the Lord open our eyes to see the horrendous spirituality that is prevailing in our time and give us the grace to live an authentic, God-pleasing Christian life. Let’s maintain a repentant and God-fearing heart, living a genuine life in Christ.

"Have mercy on us and save us, O Lord, from this dangerous and deceptive spirituality."

_________________________________________

Enquiries: 

cstephendavid@gmail.com (or) messageforourage@gmail.com

Two Cautions When Seeking to Hear God - Part 2

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CAUTION TWO:

Not long back, I met a zealous young man who was sharing about how the Lord spoke to him regarding the way He would use him as His mighty instrument to the nations. And when I questioned him about to which local church he is a part of and is committed, I realized he is a spiritual vagabond.

I have inevitably noticed that when it comes to personally hearing God and even giving a word of prophecy to others, people always look for the spectacular—that God would use to be a great blessing to the nations, that God would immensely bless and prosper, that God would do mighty wonders and miracles, that God would direct in marvelous ways, that God is going to do great and awesome things…etc.

However, these people, I have seen, do not personally hear God in simple things about which the Holy Bible emphatically speaks, such as—love your wife and don’t be harsh with her, submit and respect your husband, revere your parents, don’t lie but speak the truth, forgive the ones who hurt you, generously help others, be patient with difficult people, be submissive to your authorities and superiors, make every effort to live at peace with others, humbly serve others in your local church…etc. (see Colossians 3 and Romans 12)

And there are those who are active in giving word to other believers, saying this is from God, but they themselves are not convicted by the Holy Spirit that they are not active in sharing the gospel of Christ Jesus, calling people to repentance and faith in Him. The disciples in the book of Acts experienced unusual manifestations of the Spirit, but I always see them passionate, focused and active in spreading the gospel of Christ Jesus and making disciples, which is often not found among the folks today who claim to walk in the Spirit.

Before I close, let me ask to turn our attention to the Corinthian church which was filled with the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit. Paul, after explaining the spectacular gifts, writes to them, “But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31). And then he proceeds describing about the significance of love.

Interestingly, Paul spoke about himself in exhorting the Corinthians, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels…..if I have prophetic powers…..if I have faith that moves mountains…..if I give away all I have….I am nothing and gain nothing” (1 Cor. 13:1-3).

Now those who speak about hearing God personally or give word of prophecy to others, I don’t generally find them hearing God saying: 

You are impatient and unkind towards others. Be patient and kind, my child.

You are envious and boastful. Rejoice in others’ accomplishments and honor others above yourself, my daughter.

I am grieved through your arrogant and rude attitude. You quickly justify yourself when others correct or criticize you. Be humble, my child.

You are selfish and insist on your own way. You do not give thought to others and to what others are saying. Give preference to others, my son.

You are easily irritated and quick-tempered. Be gentle and compassionate, my child.

All these God spoke through Paul in 1 Cor. 13:4-6. Nevertheless, we people generally don't listen to such simple exhortations when God speaks but look for something that is fascinating, sensational and astounding.

So, I urge the readers to pay attention to this counsel: Don’t look for the spectacular and great. Humbly obey God’s word in simple things and He will do great and mighty things in and through us beyond our comprehension. Be faithful in the little things and He will guide us higher for His glory. Hear God through His word to bring inner transformation and we would later wonder seeing His mighty manifestations in life.  

My dear brothers and sisters, let us give priority to God’s word, be diligent in studying and meditating on it, be prompt in obeying it and subject all our beliefs, convictions and feelings to its authority. Keep in mind the fact that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” ( 2 Tim. 3:16).

 [Click here to go to Part 1 of this article] | 2 of 2

_______________________________

Enquiries:

cstephendavid@gmail.com (or) messageforourage@gmail.com

Two Cautions When Seeking to Hear God - Part 1

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Note: This article is divided into two parts. I request the readers to study this material in its entirety in order to get a proper overview of my presentation. 

There is a song in my vernacular language which goes like this – “You are the Lord who speaks. You are not a rock or a tree that cannot speak. You are the Lord who speaks.”

Truly, the God of the heavens and the earth about whom the Holy Bible reveals is the Lord who speaks. But about the idols of the nations, it is written, “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see…” (Ps. 115:4-5, ESV)

If there is anything that distinguishes the Living God of the Holy Bible from the man-made gods of the nations, it is this—the Lord speaks. He speaks primarily through the Holy Scripture which the Spirit of God takes and seals on our heart. He also speaks through inner conscience, through people, through situations and even through miraculous means.

Although God is sovereign in how He communicates to people, there are two cautions I would like to present, which have come out of years of careful observation in Christian life and ministry.   

CAUTION ONE:

Sometime back I happened to spend time with a man who seems to be a genuine believer. He is out of job for a couple of months. When I asked him why he is not working, he said he is waiting upon the Lord and believes that God is guiding him in this way.

Would God let a person to remain idle without work for months, particularly when he is healthy and fit?  What did Paul write to the Thessalonians?

For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. (2 Thess. 3:7-10, ESV)

When the Holy Scripture already says not to remain idle, not to be a burden to others, but to work and earn one’s living, why should people have to wait upon the Lord and remain idle?

Of course, there is a need to pray for God’s wisdom about which job to take and how to make wise decisions, but it is unwise and unscriptural to live without work for months in the name of waiting upon the Lord. In fact, it is disobedience to God’s word which says, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”

It was Augustine of Hippo who said, “When Scripture speaks, God speaks.” Now this is the caution I would like to give: When the Holy Scripture already speaks clearly about something, don’t ignore it and wait upon the Lord for something else.

Some people when they come to believe in Christ Jesus and are told to take baptism, they say, “I will pray and think about it.” There is no need to pray but to obey God's word. There is no need to think more but to yield more to the word of God. Doesn’t the Holy Scripture already speak about taking baptism ones a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ? (Acts 2:38)

What else do we expect God to speak to us when He has already spoken about what we have to do in the Holy Scripture!

When God's word explicitly reveals His will and if people still seek for some extra revelations, they are simply despising the authority and supremacy of the Holy Scripture. Certainly, we need God’s guidance in the areas which are uncertain, such as where to work or serve the Lord...etc. But wherever Scripture obviously speaks, there simply has to be humble obedience.

Furthermore, there are some people who want to preach the gospel only when they feel the Lord is leading them. Did not the Lord already command, “Go and preach the gospel”? (Mr. 16:15) I don’t see in the book of Acts the disciples of Christ preaching the gospel only when they felt led by the Holy Spirit. In fact, the disciples kept on preaching the gospel wherever they went (Acts 8:4). And when the Lord saw the need to direct His people, He intervened and directed them to different place and people (Acts 16:6-10; Acts 8:26-40).

Remember, the Lord directs the moving vessels, not the still ones. There are many who remain still, do nothing, live idle and expect God to direct them. I suppose, they are ignorant of God's ways revealed in the Holy Scripture and wasting their precious life and time.

I have observed that many are excited to hear God outside of the Scripture than to obey His word in the Scripture. I think this is dangerous and even gives foothold to the enemy of our soul to deceive us.

So, I urge the readers to listen to this counsel: Don’t bypass God’s word to hear God. Don’t give more preference to other means of hearing God than the reliable and unchanging source of God’s word. Be prompt to obey the word of God and He will direct further and deeper in His ways. Be active in doing what God has already spoken in His word and He will guide specifically in situations that are unclear to us. [Click here to go to Part 2 of this article...] |  1 of 2