KEEPING CHRIST REAL
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
How many of those who claim Christ as Savior really know who Jesus is in a personal relationship? It is a proven fact that most of us realize that we fall short on a daily basis when it comes to giving our lives to Christ, but my fear is that the problem goes much deeper than that.
We are starting to ask the harder questions at the Gathering Ministry of those who are supposed to be there for the right reasons. We are finding a lot of question marks when it comes to asking ourselves hard hitting questions about our own accountability, and the use of discernment when it comes to letting others take a pass rather than calling someone out on what we see going on in their lives. Today as an example we asked the hard question about the use of real discernment in our lives and using it to make determinations about what we should let go and what we should begin to stand for. We hear all of our lives about "Judge not lest ye be judged" and we quickly fall into a line of thought that scripture teaches us not to judge others...yet it does not tell us not to judge; but to understand that we will be judged by the same standards that we use to judge with.
At some point in our lives we will run up against that reality in our criticisms of others to find that we are just as guilty as most of those we judge harshly. That kind of judgment is a way of living by the law which literally is used to convict people of sin...not used to effectively help people out of sin. The only way out of sin is to rely upon the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His mercy, love , and grace toward us; and then to accept the terms of surrender to His Lordship of our lives. I am sure that much can be said about our personal taste in how we allow Christ become Lord in our lives, but the truth is there is only one way...and that is through our submission to Him. The first step in all of this is however, how we make that judgment call about self and about those who we have been listening to who claim to have the spiritual answers for our lives. We will no doubt all be judged in the same way as we have already judged others. The question is what set of standards are we using when we make that judgment either on self or on others? Is it by the use of God's word ,( and by that I am not saying a verse of scripture that may or may not be in context) but by the things that Jesus has left for us to build upon in teaching and thought and deed?
Or are we perhaps using our own brand of right and wrong that can be twisted depending on the circumstances? This week we will be talking about keeping Christ real to not only us but to those whom we may give our witness to...may you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
How many of those who claim Christ as Savior really know who Jesus is in a personal relationship? It is a proven fact that most of us realize that we fall short on a daily basis when it comes to giving our lives to Christ, but my fear is that the problem goes much deeper than that.
We are starting to ask the harder questions at the Gathering Ministry of those who are supposed to be there for the right reasons. We are finding a lot of question marks when it comes to asking ourselves hard hitting questions about our own accountability, and the use of discernment when it comes to letting others take a pass rather than calling someone out on what we see going on in their lives. Today as an example we asked the hard question about the use of real discernment in our lives and using it to make determinations about what we should let go and what we should begin to stand for. We hear all of our lives about "Judge not lest ye be judged" and we quickly fall into a line of thought that scripture teaches us not to judge others...yet it does not tell us not to judge; but to understand that we will be judged by the same standards that we use to judge with.
At some point in our lives we will run up against that reality in our criticisms of others to find that we are just as guilty as most of those we judge harshly. That kind of judgment is a way of living by the law which literally is used to convict people of sin...not used to effectively help people out of sin. The only way out of sin is to rely upon the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His mercy, love , and grace toward us; and then to accept the terms of surrender to His Lordship of our lives. I am sure that much can be said about our personal taste in how we allow Christ become Lord in our lives, but the truth is there is only one way...and that is through our submission to Him. The first step in all of this is however, how we make that judgment call about self and about those who we have been listening to who claim to have the spiritual answers for our lives. We will no doubt all be judged in the same way as we have already judged others. The question is what set of standards are we using when we make that judgment either on self or on others? Is it by the use of God's word ,( and by that I am not saying a verse of scripture that may or may not be in context) but by the things that Jesus has left for us to build upon in teaching and thought and deed?
Or are we perhaps using our own brand of right and wrong that can be twisted depending on the circumstances? This week we will be talking about keeping Christ real to not only us but to those whom we may give our witness to...may you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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