Principles of Spiritual Sharing

“You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20 ESV

“To be slow to speak” has much to teach us, especially us talkers! It’s a key part of learning to be led of the Lord. When we are slow to speak, we allow time to hear from the spirit, to be guided by Him in our words. This strengthens us to yield our immediate fleshly reactions, rationalized as “right” or “justified”, to His way of handling things. Just as God knows how to direct His heavenly choir, He knows what we need.

When we find ourselves in an argument, does God remind us that His desire is for us to listen so that we really hear? Some believers are always anxious to speak, to correct, to minister to others, including—or perhaps especially—in Christian gatherings. Yet this says to be “quick to hear.”This verse speaks to purposeful listening, to hear with the intent of gaining understanding. God wants us to grasp what the issue really is, the root of the conflict.

Listen for understanding! More than one conflict becomes totally unnecessary if both will listen long enough to understand what the other is saying. Sometimes we are even in agreement and don’t know it. Arguments appears to be about something superficial but very often, it’s more about intangible things like validation, respect, revenge, judgment.

There is a time for all things when we rely on the holy spirit to guide us. Visualize our Lord teaching His Body of Believers how to flow in unity in Him as if we are making heavenly harmony together. There are those who need a stronger voice. God is waving His spiritual baton at these members of the body, directing them to come forth, more frequently speak up, rather than being quiet and listening. Others who around these saints are missing out on the treasures God has within His quiet servants.

We all know saints who rarely share, but when they do, we glimpse the gems of wisdom that are often held back. God knows who needs to be brought forth, heard more and with a louder emphasis in the choir of humanity. All of the Body of Christ is precious. Consider Paul’s beautiful discussion of His body:

“The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ. For in one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink. For the body does not consist of one part, but of many.

If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

But in fact, God has arranged the members of the body, every one of them, according to His design. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you.’ Nor can the head say to the feet, ‘I do not need you.’

On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts we consider less honorable, we treat with greater honor. And our unpresentable parts are treated with special modesty, whereas our presentable parts have no such need.” 1 Corinthians 12:12-23 Berean

Think of it! The parts of His body are all one, though differing in appearance, function, and form. We are not to give more honor to those who already shine, but to those parts that are weaker, and less honorable in outward appearance. We are all needed! A further question: could the “unpresentable parts” in the Body of Christ include those things that need to be covered in love by others?

In creating such spiritual harmony, God also knows which of us need to step back, be slower to speak, learning to more perfectly wait upon God. We may have many good things to say, but is it God’s timing to say them? Are those listening to us really hearing and understanding what we are saying? Are they able to absorb the wisdom and truth we are sharing, having a teachable heart?

“There are different gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different ministries, but the same Lord. There are different ways of working, but the same God works all things in all people. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

Yes, in formal times of ministry, ministers who sharing are to be respected rather than interrupted. When teaching in conversations with other saints, we may need to learn to have an exchange. Others may not be interrupting so much as seeking to understand. We learn how to grant the courtesy for others to speak, ask questions, comment, and have a conversational exchange when there is opportunity for a godly exchange of wisdom. This is all part of that “slow to speak” scriptural message.

God teaches us to connect with our listeners by pausing in our sharing of knowledge and wisdom to check for understanding, to discern if others comprehend our meaning. What good is it to know and say a lot of it does not reach the hearts of of those we sincerely want to reach? God calls teachers as one of the fivefold ministries and He is the expert Teacher. He teaches us how to teach and we learn so much in the teaching He calls us to do.

You cannot teach something that God has given you, in secular or spiritual settings, without going through something similar, being tested on the very things we are endeavoring to impart to others. That’s how Jesus Christ became the best Teacher: by the things He suffered as a human. He went through all we go through here on this earth but without sin. That is why He understands and knows the way above it all.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” Hebrews 4:15 NIV

When we do not learn to be slow to speak, led by the holy spirit, others also miss the wisdom and truth we have to share. It’s just as much a robber of the Body to say lots of words that are not understood as it is to hold back because we are quiet or intimidated by a stronger, more vocal part of the Body. Either wat others sadly leave without really “getting” what we are saying.

And even more sadly, when two knowledgeable Christians converse, it can deteriorate into a battle of knowledge instead of an exchange of wisdom. Each assumes they have what the other needs to know, the both of us may benefit from understanding what the other person has to share. We can even learn to disagree openly and in love. It does not have to cause a conflict to disagree. We can learn to calmly say, “Help me understand…” or “I see that differently…”

God’s way of peace will teach us how to settle all things. Then we wait to be led by the Lord, to see if they have “ears to hear” our viewpoint. Some will not. We may also feel in a rush to correct errors, particularly when we are passionate about truth and in our hearts want others to have God’s truth. But we don’t have to be threatened by any viewpoints that differ from ours nor have a driving need to set others right.

God leads by His spirit to come from a place of rest and interest in others as our brothers and sisters in Christ. What God has written on our hearts will remain. Error is continually dealt with by Him Whom we seek. We are called, chosen, and faithful to what God has taught each of us while we wait for God's ability to bring the unity He promises that we have yet to achieve. In all things God brings a balance as we learn to be led of the spirit, as all sons are directed to do.

“There are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. There are different ways of working, but the same God works all things in all people. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12: 4-7 Berean

Are you able to visualize God with His Holy Spirit baton in His hand, directing those of us “anxious to speak” members of the choir or heavenly band to soften our intensity, hold back a bit, and wait upon His timing? He may be directing others to be more prominent, add their part to the heavenly harmony of His spirit He is making of our fellowship and our life in Him. Can you see Him bringing a balance of all the parts, the smallest to the greatest being necessary and led by the spirit into unity?

When we are led by His Spirit, He has the power to create the most beautiful harmony we have ever experienced! In our walk toward the complete salvation God has promised, we are to be perfected by Him in all things.

“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48 NASB

We cannot be perfected in our flesh, it has to come by spirit. It is my conviction that He continues to work on this within our hearts until we are perfected, whether on this side in our earthly existence or in our future dwelling in the spirit with our Lord:

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2 KJV

If it is God’s will that we are perfect (complete), you can be sure He will fulfill His will. We are not yet perfect, but He is working within us to achieve His will to live out His promises, to enjoy our allotment. Oh, yes, there are enemies we battle but they are not mortal men and women:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:1-12 NIV

Our enemy operates in the earthly realm of the soul, planting doubt, fear, anger and rebellion against God in our hearts and enmity towards one another. But in every time and every circumstance, He appears when we have eyes to see, to discern, and ears to hear in order to comprehend His word. We all have eyes and ears, so He is talking about the spiritual eyes and spiritual ears of our spiritual bodies.

His appearance is not just a one-time event in the future. He appears daily in the midst of our hearts, wherein His kingdom dwells. Though it may be eons, He will have a people without guile:

“And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.” Revelation 14:5 KJV

In this key scripture from the Revelation, when we are completely like Him, we are found to be without guile, faultless before Him. Here is a heart that is pure and clean, most pleasing to God. When the heart is right, the words flowing from that heart are pure. The theme of the condition of our hearts is critical to God from Genesis to Revelation, whether it is our hearts toward our Lord or toward others.

It is God’s priority to make us a people with a pure heart. It takes God to teach us to learn that a heart of righteousness like His heart does not develop from following external rules and customs but from worshipping Him in spirit and truth. What defiles us is what comes out of our hearts:

“…Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ‘Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.’ Jesus replied, ‘And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?

For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ he need not honor his father or mother with it.Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’

Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, ‘Listen and understand. A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”’ Mark 7:1-13 Berean

Have we forgotten this emphasis upon what is inside of a man with our focus on religious rules and customs, cultural standards of right behavior? God has a heart of righteousness and desires the same for His people. Some don’t eat pork and others do. Some worship only on Sunday morning while others gather on Saturday night. Some have set a standard for religious dress while others does not. Some only do water baptism as a sprinkling for babies others do immersion in water.

We could go on and on, listing all these outward traditions that God says nullify, literally wipe out the power of His word when they are the focus of our efforts at righteousness. God always sees when our hearts are far from Him regardless of our outward religious practices. Words that appear knowledgeable but are not worked as truth in the heart are laced with guile, useless and even damaging in His kingdom.

Guile isn’t a very modern word, but most of us sense it when we are being spoken to with guile. The Greek word for guile in this scripture is “dolos”, meaning “decoy, trick (bait), wile, craft, deceit, subtlety.” When we have discernment, we see when this is the condition of the heart. Jesus’ example of those denying to honor their parents while saying that they are is a prime example of guile

The words of the person with guile are subtly manipulative, with an intent to deceive. The motives are usually to get something for ourselves or to protect ourselves in some way, rather than or in addition to sharing the love of God. A guileless heart, however, has been purified to speak as Jesus did. He only spoke what the Father speaks, no ulterior motives. All of our ulterior motives are to be purged from the heart before God’s throne.

No seemingly holy but hollow religious words remain there, words that don’t match behaviors, words that stem from mixed motives. He has no guile, and we are to be like Him when we see Him as He is. As we continue our walk with the Lord, He becomes more and more precise about dealing with the heart conditions that displease Him. He refines us further and deeper to create the righteousness He desires from His people.

When once we would have said and done things with mixed motives, not thinking a thing about it, now we feel the prick of our conscience letting us know that we are falling short of God’s best, despite what our words appears to say. There are all kinds of reasons for our guile, but they all can be categorized within the “lust of the eye, the desire of the flesh, or the pride of life.” We see something we want and we use guile to get it.

It may just be another’s good opinion or it may be bigger than that. We are not honest about it but subtly pursue it. We desire to point out another’s error or cover criticism with outward “niceness.” We want to do certain things in our flesh that are not the “good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.” We may even reason with guile in our mind, will, and emotions, in our soul realm, rationalizing our behavior to ourselves, if not justifying it to others.

“All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart. To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the Lord than sacrifice.” Proverbs 21:2-3 Berean

Guile is a part of the pride of life. It shows up whenever we use deceit and even trickery to get what we think is due us. Aren’t you grateful that God doesn’t deal with all of our motives at the same time? He goes layer by layer, allowing each experience we submit to Him to teach us His ways. In fact, I thought I was a much nicer person until God began to strip the layers in my heart to purify my motives! His ways are indeed not our ways and His thoughts higher than ours.

We learn to be thankful when we sense the Holy Spirit’s prompting before we speak, to examine our motives, and the condition of our hearts. He is able to purify any guile within by the light of His spirit. As we continue, some areas become easier and no longer need intervention. And we continually pursue Him. Oh, to speak only what He speaks, to rest in knowing that our words will be effective and true, free of guile and pleasing to Him!

We may seem far from this standard today, but as we follow on to know Him, He brings the refreshing rain of His spirit in times of change.

“So let us know—let us press on to know the Lord. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3 NASB

We are invited, encouraged to press on to know Him. Not the scriptures, not the law, not the do’s and don’ts, but Him. It’s the relationship with Him, our beloved. When this is our heart’s desire, when we pursue Him with all of our being, we find Him everywhere: in the scriptures, in others, in nature, as well as in our hearts of faith.

“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” Romans 14:19 KJV

“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12 KJV

We are empowered by God to look for and follow after what will make for peace and edify—build up— our brothers and sisters. This is to be our focus. But God’s love is not to be used as a reason to fail to uphold God’s righteousness. His standards do not change. Unlike humans, however, He is always merciful, longing to be compassionate when we or others miss the mark. When we follow after the things necessary for peace, it is to edify the other.

To edify means to “build a structure,” and is from the Greek word, “oikodome.” In the passage from Romans 14, above, it goes on to say:

“Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.” Romans 14: 20-21NIV

Food, what religious people believe are God’s dietary laws about what to eat and drink, was a huge controversy in those early years of Christianity. The Jews were taught many dietary laws through Moses and handed down by tradition. Many had sound scientific reasons that were protective of their health but unknown in those days. Yet Jesus comes along and says none of that matters. It is the attitude of the heart that makes a food good or evil.

This is significant when we spiritually share with others while breaking bread with them. What a change when Jesus said the Father desires a heart for Him that extends outward to others, more than focusing on outward sacrifices for sin. No wonder He was a radical that the Jewish leaders hated and condemned! It is hard to have everything you have ever believed about serving God be revealed and now pronounced unimportant.

God prioritizes what makes for peace and builds up our brothers and sisters in Christ. When this was powerfully revealed to Peter, a devout Jew who all his life had followed the dietary laws laid out by God to the Israelites, he was shocked:

“…Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.He saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.

It contained all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, as well as birds of the air. Then a voice said to him: ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat!’ ‘No, Lord!’ Peter answered. ‘I have never eaten anything impured or unclean.’ The voice spoke to him a second time: ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’

This happened three times, and all at once the sheet was taken back up into heaven.”
Acts 10:9b-15 Berean

Peter accepted the change from following dietary laws to prioritizing what may cause another to stumble, to bring offense. It is important to be sensitive to others and their beliefs, though ours may differ. It’s not about food or drink, it’s about the heart, over and above any rules we may embrace in His kingdom. Some Christians feel free to drink wine on occasion (all things in moderation) without any guilty conscience of wrongdoing. Others feel to abstain as part of their spiritual commitment.

But to insist on the freedom of drinking wine when in the presence of a brother or sister in Christ who does not and further, believes it is wrong, is not ideal. It’s just not a good idea to risk both the peace in fellowship and the potential for causing another of God’s people to stumble. Peter had to be visited directly by God in a vision to be able to accept eating foods that His Jewish traditions considered unclean when he was in the home of gentiles who did not follow them.

It is difficult to go from something you have believed is unclean your entire life to being at peace with it. Some things, such as the “right” to drink or not to drink wine or spirits are just not worth the conflict. Consider God’s prediction about the futility of being successful in pleasing people. Here we find Jesus exposing the futility of man’s opinions and judgments, essentially saying in regard to others’ opinions that “you can’t win no matter what you do…”:

“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He hath a devil’. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners’.

But wisdom is justified of her children.” Matthew 11:18-19 KJV

Jesus anticipated such criticism from humans because He knows judgment to condemnation is in our fleshly hearts. He and John the Baptist were both doing the will of God. But what if it had been Jesus and John criticizing each other? John was out in the desert, eating locusts and honey, calling for repentance. What if John resented Jesus lounging around, eating at feasts and wedding ceremonies, drinking wine with the same sinners John was calling to repent, spending most of His time with them rather than the good and righteous people “deserving” of His company?

What if Jesus had become upset that John was out wandering around, preaching and baptizing when there were so many needs Jesus had to attend to among the people? What if he thought: ‘Why can’t John help out more with My ministry?” It may seem ludicrous to imagine this but is this not what happens when we see gifts and callings that differ? It’s so tempting to think what we are called to do should be what others also do. There seems to be a part of us that wants to see differences as a sign of error—of course in the other, not ourselves.

Our projection of judgment and blame, focusing upon, amplifying, condemning, having conflicts with others whose beliefs and walk differ from ours—that’s the error! Yet this is what we are doing when we criticize another’s calling or behavior, when we rigidly hold to standards rather than love. We see with our natural eyes what they are doing and judge by outward appearance. It does not appear to us like they are doing what God wants.

In the scripture passage above, however, our Lord does not stop here. In Him dwells all hope. He doesn’t leave with the description of the contrasts between John the Baptist, and Himself. He goes on to say that when we have wisdom, it is “shown by our children”—that is, by what we produce. Both John and Jesus had ministries that bore much fruit. They honored each other’s calling and both died a tragic death because of it. They did not do what we sometimes do when we are in competition rather than cooperation in God’s work.

Is it any different today when churches count their parishioners, the crowd that comes to hear them, the many programs of helping others, comparing their success to another church, or feeling superior because of worshiping at home gatherings rather than in a structure called a church—or any number of other differences? Such either/or thinking or behavior towards each other, our fellow servants of God, does not show forth God’s heart of righteousness. It is not either/or. It is us, the Body of Christ. Love unites, it does not divide.

Both John and Jesus were doing the will of God, though in very different ways. Our unity is in love, in our spiritual hearts of righteousness, not in habits of behavior, choices we value or reject. We are all reading from the same (or very similar) Book of God’s word and we are all seeking the same Lord. Yet we see, hear, and understand differently.

We are called by God in such a variety of ways! And He loves us all. Oh, how He does love us! We, the people who follow after Him, are near and dear to Him. This is what is critical, or at least much more important, than our differences. God hates division, which stems from pride, lies, attacks on the innocent, wicked plots, evil behavior, false testimony, all that brings discord:

“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him:haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.” Proverbs 6:16-19 Berean

The fruit of our doing things God’s way will be seen in visible evidence of the righteous heart of God in our lives. This is what we desire to produce. When our own heart before God does not condemn us, we have the freedom to live before God as He directs, regardless of others’ opinions or disapproval. We have the peace of God in our hearts about all we do in God, while remaining mindful not to cause stumbling in another walking in God and learning His ways. God will be manifested in His people!

How will God ever accomplish the unity among believers that He has promised if it is based on external things that just do not matter to Him? Without spiritual eyes to see, we remain blind, and without spiritual ears to hear, we don’t understand. Yet we humans take in what we visually see, hear, and feel regardless if we are in the right heart space to assess others. Our God, however, lovingly grants understanding when we need it, stretching our hearts across the gulf of strange differences between us, to unite us in love by the spirit. Amazing!!

The key is not outward acts nor differing lifestyles. Jesus and John had the same heart of service, remaining respectfully aware of the other’s calling and purpose in God. Both were called and chosen by God to minister to sinners, but each carried out their calling in different ways. What a model of brotherhood—and with a relative at that! Jesus and John were cousins, connected in infancy by the Holy Spirit.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, when she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit with God’s Son. Her cousin was further along in her pregnancy with John. Here’s what happened:

“At that time, Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hilly country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!’” Luke 39:45 NIV

Jesus and John met in the wombs of their mothers, connected by the spirit within their mothers who were close cousins. God revealed to Elizabeth Whom her cousin was carrying in her womb. Following that, there is little indication of how Jesus and John the Baptist’s relationship unfolded until Jesus goes to be baptized by John.

John was joyful in meeting his Lord. Jesus honored John in being led to be baptized by His cousin. They surely were in agreement about the religious leaders of the time, the scribes and Pharisees, whom they both strongly rebuked and chastised. Whatever their paths, each had a spiritual understanding and respect for the other’s calling. Both saw that these leaders had hearts that were far from the God they proclaimed to others:

“But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance.

And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones, God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’

At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?’ ‘Let it be so now,’ Jesus replied. ‘It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness this way.’

Then John permitted Him. As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!’” Matthew 3:8-15 Berean

Jesus is the Pattern Son, showing us the path of righteousness we are to follow. He was baptized, immersed in water, to fulfill all righteousness—to do all things in the way Father God showed Him. He laid the pattern of His life down so we, too, are baptized in Him. Yes, there are different traditions and beliefs about what baptism looks like, and how it should be done, leading to conflicts among us.

May I suggest that God is less concerned about immersion or sprinkling, infant baptism or baby dedication, and other differences that separate? He is much more interested in the believer receiving the message about purpose of water baptism and other directives be written into their hearts! Water baptism represents the truth of being washed by His spirit, to be cleansed of the old and birthed into the new.

It is not just a tradition, it is the way of righteousness Jesus revealed. It is important to follow His lead, but the specifics cannot be more important than the heart. Jesus was dedicated to God the Father as a baby and immersed in water for baptism by John the Baptist. This is the pattern He laid down, but it seems wise to honor the sincere hearts of those who follow His example in the way they believe. God always sees the heart and will sort all of that out.

"For the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 Berean

It surely is not good for such differences to cause division among brothers and sisters in Christ. There are endless ways we Christians do things differently while sincerely believing we are doing it God’s way. We will never achieve unity in focusing on these aspects of our faith and walk in God. It’s further grievous if we are trying to force our beliefs on another, including unbelievers, as we stand before our God. Such conflicts are more about who makes the rules than about what those rules are.

Who has the right to make religious rules for another? We need the caution not to judge by outward appearance, as Samuel was tempted to do when sent to anoint Saul’s successor to rule Israel. We all do it, making assumptions by what we see or hear but it is clearly not God’s way. God sees all of it, everything in our hearts. He is the sifter, the one who prioritizes what gets dealt with through His everlasting love for us.

He is a true and faithful Friend who is always with us. We are so grateful that He loves us while knowing everything about us! There is not one human on the planet who is empowered to genuinely love us like that without God.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.

You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.

‘A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.’

I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! Galatians 5:1-12 NIV

Mark Paul’s words: the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love. The only thing! Circumcision was no longer required, in fact risked adding “a little yeast” that would lead back to other Jewish laws now superseded by Christ. Not rules, whether it be the Jewish rules of law such as circumcision and not eating unclean meats or those traditions and rules that we impose on ourselves and others, robbing us of the freedom we are granted in Christ Jesus.

What we do in love is eternal, swallowing up former things that never brought righteousness in the Body of Christ. If God chooses to allow us to see into another’s heart, we are to see with His eyes of love and mercy, particularly if we are in a position of giving counsel or as an intercessor. The Lord only shared for His purposes, He does not tell secrets. When entrusted with this information about another, we are to keep His secrets as well.

It can be tempting to want to share what we know, under the guise (guile) of helping another to understand or even as a prayer request. But God entrusts such precious information to those servants in whom He has confidence, through testing of past experiences, to use such intimate knowledge wisely, for His good. God knows who will be able to move past judgment to mercy and redemptive justice. Here we are admonished:

“Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself.

But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not destroy your brother, for whom Christ died, by your eating.” Romans 14:13-15 Berean

Could God be any more direct in this passage? Make up our minds to stop judging each other! Nothing is unclean in itself. If that is true, how your group of believers does certain things that vary from how another group of believers do it is surely not unclean! It’s the attitude of the heart God is addressing in these words.

Acting in love is more important than what people are doing. In fact, it is a crucial factor in what we choose to do or allow. The love of God is the most powerful force in all creation! God is not looking at food, drink, dress, companionship, or even outward required patterns of worship and service to Him as the measure of the Christian. He always and continually looks at the heart. God is also able to cover in love the errors we may make when we had His pure motive of love in the doing of it.

When our motive is love, we won’t miss the mark with others, just as He did not.

“Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.

It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].

Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]. But as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for the gift of special knowledge, it will pass away.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Amplified