My dad used to say, "You have the right to swing your arms, ... until you hit someone else in the nose." Think about it. 😳 What is happening to us, the church? Where is love? For that matter, what is love? If you haven't ever talked with me, you will find I love to ask questions and I have learned to take my questions to the Lord.
I minister to many people in various situations from all over North America. I read about this or hear about that; Christians reaching out with broken lives, broken stories, broken relationships, broken finances, broken health, did I say broken,... broken! Sometimes people are dealing with another people's current sin choices and sometimes they are just dealing with someone's past offenses. They could be dealing with their own failures and their own unforgiveness; toward themselves and/or toward others but we don't get to stay in a place of broken, again, not as believers. Let me say, it again, God let's us choose whatever we want to do, but AS BELIEVERS, who believe, we are required to live GOD'S way, not our own! We choose to lay down our lives, our way, our rights. (I John 3:14-16). I truly am seeing we are so far from God and His way in our society. Christians awake! We have become the very churches that John wrote warnings to in Revelation - far from God. Think about this, John is talking to the CHURCHES, not the world! Let.that.sink.in. and read it again: Revelation gave warnings to CHURCHES — Christian people; the YOU's AND ME! Father, I repent! I want YOUR way, not my own way! (Isaiah 53:6).
We are living in a time where more than ever, God is reminding us that He requires immediate obedience from His people. This requires us HEARING Him. Many Christians I have encountered say they pray (talk to God), maybe that is you, but when it comes to them telling me they "hear" Him, that is a different discussion. Many tell me they read their bible or they go to church and they are fairly confident when they say they know God because they think knowing Him is talking to Him or talking ABOUT Him or going to church or reading their bible - right? Some feel they know Him because they are working FOR Him, but does "working for someone" mean that you truly LET them (your boss [God in this instance]) into your personal life? Even the demons say they know of and believe in Jesus. (James 2:19). A question we really need to be asking is not just do we "know" Him but have we made Him King and do we follow Him? Are we bondservants? That is what Paul called following after the Lord? Do we HEAR HIM? Do we dialog WITH Him and does He speak to us? See relationship is not just one person doing all the talking (us praying) but true intimacy requires TWO; both sharing, giving, building, responding. The question really gets down to, does He know me? (Matthew 7:21-23).
Let me dig this out... people say they "pray" (talk to God) but then what? What is He saying TO you after you talked to Him? I ask people, how did He "answer" you (your prayer)? Crickets. 😳 Many times I hear nothing from them because they say He didn't answer. I have heard them say God doesn't respond. What? How is this amazing God we serve not responding? He says, My sheep hear MY voice (John 10:27)...so He HAS to talk to us, otherwise He would be a liar because we (as sheep) hear His voice! Maybe we are just not asking the right questions.
Again, I believe the question is do WE know HOW to talk to Him so He can respond and then do we wait to hear from Him and what He is saying to us? Over and over in Revelation is says, "to Him who has an ear let Him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches". I am truly convinced we don't let Him speak because deep down, many times, we just don't know how to hear Him, to listen to Him; to respond. And, if we are honest, there are also those who really don't WANT to hear Him at all because that could quite possibly require them to "change"... and who loves to "change" and is willing to "change"? We really don't like doing anything we don't like doing.
So, my question to you is, do you ask Him to speak to you? Do you ask Him questions? Acts 2 teaches us two great questions to ask to begin a conversation with the Lord. It teaches us WHAT to ask. In verse 13 they ask, "What does this mean?" Then in verse 37 they ask, "What are we to do?" This is such a great place to start with the Lord. When you pray (and if you are like most people, you get into the list of things you want God to fix - pray) you tell Him all kinds of things. But next time you pray, take that list of things and stop. Let's say you have issues in your job. You have been praying about all the broken thing going on with the boss and such. Take that situation to the Lord and use Act 2 as your guide. Like this: Lord, what is this "issue" I am having at work? What does this mean? Then let the Lord respond. He may say, "Well, you have unforgiveness toward your boss because you didn't the raise you thought you should get and now you are bitter about it.
Then ask the Lord the second question: "What do you want me to do about that?" I promise you, God will talk to you! He desires communication WITH us. He wants us to dialog WITH Him. This is just a great place to start. Before you know it, you will be hearing the Lord with great ease - even in your dreams!
I ponder/dialog many things with the Lord as this area of broken Christianity is just one arena I have seen such wounding in the body of believers. Even this morning I woke up to a dream regarding distention in some outside relationships (of believers, not having to do with me) and I was pressed back into Him to find out what it means. Follow up questions with the Lord!
Have we lost our way in the body of Christ? People have become so "me" centered. They "rise up" to "speak out" (all the while thinking they think they are the champions for the weak (they even quote scriptures justifying their stance) but are they truly seeing how their actions are hurting others? As believers do we get to stand on one scripture and deny the others?
In my conversations with these type of Christians, they feel "justified" because their way seems right (to them). Hmmm, God even addresses this in His word: there is a way that seems right to man.... (Proverbs 14:12). When did humanity become the face of JUSTICE? Even Jesus said He didn't come to judge* (John 12:47). *[Judge (v): (to) form an opinion or conclusion about.] These Christians have expressed to me that they feel the ends (how they are acting) justify the means (the cause they are fighting for) but that isn't Christlikeness.
They state things like, "You [whatever our topic is] acted like a jerk [whatever they disagree about] so I get to treat you poorly too!" Really? Two wrongs make a right now? Suddenly, we have Christians feeling justified to being rude, hateful, condescending, and dare I say, even anti-Christlike to each other? But that isn't the only tactic. No! Some Christians see this rude behavior is clearly "not Christlike" so they don't go there, they have another avenue to vent their aught; they just block people out of their life and won't talk to them. They choose to ignore those they have "conflict" with. If they have to be in the same spaces (like family gatherings, they don't acknowledge them), or they avoid them (like at work, walking a different way to the lunchroom), or they cut them off (like deleting them from facebook or unfollow them on Instagram). (Matthew 5:23-24). What has happened to, "Come let us reason together?" (Isaiah 1:18). I have seen this over and over again in what we call Christianity and we wonder why many people today want nothing to do with our Jesus? Father forgive us!
As believers, we don't "get" to (although the Lord always let's us choose so we can do this) crush all others in our paths while we are on the road for what we think is justice. The Kingdom of God has no place for our self-righteousness. When WE think WE are "building a better place and helping Holy Spirit" - that is a clear indicator that WE have pride in our lives. Seems we all think "our way" is the "right" way...but what does Jesus say? What does Jesus think? People talk and say they are "believers" but what do they do? Our actions are telling the story.
This past Thursday, a 32 year-old young man (that was in ministry with two of my grown sons years ago) went to sleep and didn't wake up. He left behind a wife of 8 years with two small children; a son who is 4 and a daughter who is 2. We met him when my daughter was 2, she is now 16. We had him in our home many times during the three years he was in ministry with our boys. He has now finished his race — strong; serving and loving God, his family, and his friends. He is in the presence of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8) as he lived his faith, sharing with all he knew his love and need for Christ. Everyday I find myself pressing into the Lord with my questions, my concerns, my needs, my desires, and this event was no different. His passing caused me to encounter the Lord too. We don't know when we will be called home. Life is fleeting. I encourage you to encounter the Lord while He is still able to be found. (Isaiah 55:6-13). We, the church need to start being the Bride - ready for her coming groom! (Revelation 19:7).
The Lord led me to worship this morning, after I awoke from the dream and began to encounter Him. Worship is a great place to start our conversations with the Lord. Jesus said so, saying this is how you should pray, "Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,..." (Matthew 6:9-13) - there it is, hallowed; it means "holy, consecrated". Take some time to worship Him - His holiness; consecrate yourself to be like Him — Holy! (I Peter 1:15-17).
I started with this song, by Jeremy Riddle, All Hail King Jesus. But what about you? Are you willing to let Him be King and rule over all — even over you? Jesus come!