MORE TO KNOW

 

MORE TO KNOW

I Cor. 8:2-3 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one God knows and cares for. NLT

It is so easy to develop the mindset that we know all that we need to know or that what we do know is always the right answer to every issue. Let's be honest. We think we know it all. The longer we live in faith, the more self-assured we become. We like our doctrine and strongly believe that we have the right understanding of Scripture. We grow up and are trained to see things a certain way and close our thinking to any other way of thinking. We don't want to think too much about things and so we make up our minds on matters and that is that. We are right, and the rest of the Church is wrong. We criticize and judge those who think and live differently than we do. We refuse to have fellowship with those who might be different enough that they become a threat to our thinking. We refuse to embrace the wholeness of the body of Christ in all of its diversity, because they are not "one of us."

We need to hear what today's text is saying to us. We don't know it all. No one has perfect knowledge and understanding. No one can claim to have all the pieces of the puzzle of truth nailed down. No amount of education is going to provide answers to issues that the Lord does not clearly reveal. There are truths that are hidden in the mind of God. We can see things differently and still be united at the foot of the cross.

There are things that will only be known in heaven. We filter our understanding through our experiences and upbringings of life. It is okay to not agree on our understanding of things, but it is not okay to disagree disagreeably. As long as Jesus is our Savior and Lord, we are family and should be embraced as such.

We need to love each other, support each other, encourage each other, and rejoice with each other as we serve the Lord.

KNOW IT ALL

 

KNOW IT ALL

I Cor. 8:2-3 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one God knows and cares for. NLT

It is not unusual to come across people who think they know it all. It is especially true in the Church. Bible teachers and preachers tend to be pretty set in their thinking and are convinced they know what God wants us to know. Some are so confident of their understanding that they are not open to anyone who thinks differently than they do and are willing to argue their point with anyone willing to do it. It is necessary for us to know where we stand and why we stand there, but we must be very careful that we don’t close our minds to greater understanding.

I have been in the ministry for over 50 years of my life and one thing that I know for sure is that I don’t know it all. The Lord continues to change the way I think about some things. He opens up deeper truths, refines my understandings, and teaches me that even though I have to be firm in my convictions, I don’t know it all.

We have to be gracious towards those whom we may disagree with. Everyone who is living in Christ is family to us. We are to love, support and encourage each other in the faith. We are to work with each other for the honor and glory of Christ. We are to build each other up and not tear each other down. It is good for us to differ in our understanding on certain aspects of the truth. It challenges us to dig deeper and examine what we proclaim in light of the Scriptures.

It is good for us to accept the fact that we don’t have God and His ways all figured out. It is good for us to appreciate the work of God in the world to save souls and build His Church. It is good for us to learn how to live in harmony with those whom we disagree with. It is good for us to work together for Christ sake and not our own. It is good for us because God blesses those who do these things and lovingly takes care of them.

LOOSE ATTACHMENTS

 

LOOSE ATTACHMENTS

I Cor. 7:30-31 Happiness or sadness or wealth should not keep anyone from doing God’s work. Those in frequent contact with the things of the world should make good use of them without becoming attached to them, for this world and all it contains will pass away. NLT

As children of God, there is nothing that should keep us from serving the Lord. Serving the Lord is not dependent on external circumstances; it is the natural response of the heart that loves the Lord and is grateful for all He has done for us. Serving is not an option for those who are truly living in Christ; it is a necessity.

We are given many resources in life to use for God’s glory. The Lord blesses His children in different ways and in varied degrees. No matter what we have available to us, we should use what we have to serve Him.

We have a tendency to get attached to the things we have instead of using them for God’s glory. We get our eyes off of the Lord and onto the things we have. We must guard our souls in this area. No matter what you have or how much of it you have, it will all pass away and turn to dust. No one who builds his life on what the world has to offer will ever find in those things the happiness or satisfaction he is looking for.

Be aware of your blessings and be thankful for them. Ask the Lord to show you ways to use them for Him. Give Him ownership of you and all you have, and you will find the peace, contentment and joy your soul longs for.

DO NOT SUE

 

DO NOT SUE

I Cor. 6:1-2 When you have something against another Christian, why do you file a lawsuit and ask a secular judge to decide the matter, instead of taking it to other Christians to decide who is right? Don't you know that someday we Christians are going to judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can't you decide these little things among yourselves? NLT

It is so easy to take people to court. The reasons vary, but the courts are full of people suing other people over often trivial matters. I believe one of the reasons why there is so much of this going on is that we are driven by selfishness and greed. We want what we want, and we don't care how we get it. If we have to make life miserable for others, then so be it.

We, as the body of Christ, should be different. We should not allow self-interests or greed drive us to treat others in an ungodly way. We ought to love each other in Christ and when differences arrive, settle things with godly advice and wisdom and not the guidance of the secular world. There may be times in which going to court is unavoidable, but it should be done only if all other means of reconciliation and restoration have failed. Church business should be done in the church, not the courts.

When it becomes necessary be for the church to decide matters amongst her members, it should always be done at the feet of Jesus. Prayer should always guide and govern our thinking so that the will of God can be discerned.

How we settle our disagreements speaks volumes about the integrity of our hearts before God. It is better to right and wronged than it is to be vindicated and create a broken fellowship that cannot be mended.

ONE;S SIN AFFECTS THE WHOLE

 

ONE’S SIN AFFECTS THE WHOLE

I Cor. 5:6 How terrible that you boast about your spirituality, and yet you let this sort of thing go on. Don't you realize that if even one person is allowed to go on sinning, soon all we be affected? NLT

There was a terrible sin going on in the church at Corinth. One of the church members was having an affair with his, mother. It evidently was going on in public and no one in the church seemed to care too much about it. The sinning parties were a part of the church. They were not held accountable for their sinful actions.

Yet, the church was testifying to their godliness. They were professing faith in Christ and encouraging others to do so. They didn't seem to believe that what one of them was doing mattered as far as their witness was concerned.

The Church is a community. The lives of the community are intertwined. What is done in the community affects the whole community. When sin rears its ugly head in the church, it cannot be ignored. The witness of the life-changing Gospel is directly affected.

The standards of the Gospel have no value if they don't change the living of those who profess to live by them. When godliness is compromised, the body is weakened and soon many parts of the body are infected. When sin is allowed to be displayed in public, the church loses her right to proclaim the Gospel. It is hypocrisy to preach one thing and then to blatantly live another.

We need to be careful that we don't go on a witch hunt and make public every sin that is committed in the body. Some sin affects the integrity of the body and some don't. We all sin and all sin should not be made public. Some sin should only be dealt with between individuals and God. Others may be between two individuals. There should be great caution used when sin is exposed and dealt with publicly. Great harm to lives and the cause of Christ can happen when we don't. It's a terrible thing to ignore sin in the church. It is equally terrible to bring to public light every known sin in the body. Let us be wise in how we deal with sin. Let us be certain that our actions are directed by the Lord and not us.

And, lest we forget, the Lord clearly told us to look inward at our own sins before we look at the sins of others and judge them.

LIVE WHAT YOU KNOW

 

LIVE WHAT YOU KNOW

I Cor. 4:5 So be careful not to jump to conclusions before the Lord returns as to whether or not someone is faithful. When the Lord comes, he will bring our deepest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. And then God will give to everyone whatever praise is due. NLT

Don’t jump to conclusions about another person’s soul. We are so prone to do it. We see what we think determines the status of one’s soul and judge whether or not someone is a child of God or not. While there are certain things that should be true of every believer’s life, we must be very careful about this. We don’t know the heart, only God does. Only God is able to determine whether or not a person is worthy of being His child or not.

We must understand that not everyone has the same knowledge and understanding of God’s ways. We are responsible for living by what we know to be true. The more aware we are of God’s ways, the more like Christ we must be. There is no excuse for disobedience. We must live by what we know is true.

I believe as well that if we are ignorant of God’s way yet have the opportunity to learn and know His ways more than we do that we will be held responsible for not knowing. We cannot plead innocence when we fail to take advantage of the opportunities we are given. God requires of us responsible learning.

The Lord will expose all of our heart’s hidden secrets. He will examine our every motive. He will determine rightly and justly every soul and reward those who are truly His. It is not our right or role to judge another’s soul. Instead, we are to love one another with the love of Christ. We are to build each other up and not tear each other down. There is no room in God’s family for self-righteousness that leads to condemnation.

JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS

 

JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS

I Cor. 4:5 So be careful not to jump to conclusions before the Lord returns as to whether or not someone is faithful. When the Lord comes, he will bring our deepest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. And then God will give to everyone whatever praise is due. NLT

It is so easy and tempting to jump to conclusions about another person's faith or lack of it. As long as others fit into our notion of what they should be like, we are comfortable with believing they are one of us. However, if someone breaks the mold and lives (or looks) differently than we do, we are quick to question the rightness of their life before God. Let's admit it. We are all guilty of judging by appearances.

Only God knows the heart of man. God knows whether or not someone is among the faithful. We are very poor in our assessments. We are easily fooled. We are given certain criteria to live by in the Scriptures, and we can be reasonably sure that if someone is not even trying to live by God's standards that they are not among the faithful. But, only God knows for sure. We progress in faith at different rates, and so we must not be quick to conclude that people who are acting in an ungodly way are truly ungodly in heart.

When the Lord comes, He will bring every heart to light. He will embrace those who are in the faith and reject those who aren't. We will be surprised by some who will be embraced and by some who won't be. God knows the motives of the heart and will do what is right. He will reveal every motive and it will be quickly understood why our judgments failed us.

If anyone deserves a pat on the back on Judgment Day, God will do it. We are prone to praise people quickly, whether they deserve it or not. We like to be praised and seldom reject it. But, when God dishes out the praise, it will be a time of great rejoicing. All heaven will rejoice with us, for we will have come home at last.

God's acceptance is all the praise we need or should ever want.