Judge Not Lest You Be Judged

In Matthew 7:1, Jesus tells us not to judge, lest we be judged. With this Scripture in mind, we are often afraid to speak out when we observe sin. The misnomer is that we are judging when we call on someone to behave differently.

The confusion stems from the three Greek words to express one English word. The Greek word "judge" in this verse is Krino. It means to pass judgment on, to condemn. You rarely see this behavior encouraged in Scripture but rather, we are called to do this Greek word, Anakrino to ask questions, to examine, to evaluate, to investigate, to search out or this Diakrino-to make distinction between (persons), to weigh thoroughly.

Judgment involves opinions that are not checked out for accuracy resulting in krino, condemning, judging. Discernment (anakrino) involves a desire to restore.

We are to examine, to evaluate, to question and check facts for accuracy. Then, we are to follow the steps in Matthew 18.

"And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

"But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.

"And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer. Matt. 18

The purpose of this principle is restoration not condemnation.

God's Grief

My friend Kenny answers a question I've had for years.

God was grieved that He had made man because of man’s pervasive wickedness. (Gen. 6:5-11). A couple of questions arise: did God make a mistake when He made man? That He is grieved by his own creation seems to suggest a flaw in the Creator: unless God intended to be grieved. And this should be intuitively understandable to all of us who like stories that make us sad. And many of us particularly like sad stories that turn out happy. Similarly, we like to see our sports teams in danger of losing, only to win. God also likes this kind of contrast, as Paul writes that God made some people for wrath so that he could off-set them against those people He showed mercy.
This is a hard teaching, but not one beyond our intuitive understanding.

Ask in Faith

Each Believer is given a measure of faith. (Rom. 12:3) All measures of faith are not the same. Faith is a gift.

When we make a request of God, we ask in faith. (James 1)

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for… (Heb. 11)

Why do we inherently ask God, then ponder how we can accomplish the task for which we asked?

I had a friend, Marc, who prayed about a ministry with Campus Crusade. He believed God was calling him into this ministry.

Soon, I received a "Prayer Letter" in the mail. I was requested to check boxes if I would support him on a one time basis, monthly basis or in prayer.

When questioned, he believed that this is a way that God could provide. God, being God, can provide any way He chooses, however, it does take faith out of the equation. If I believe God is calling me, then I also must believe He will provide without my intervention. True, he may use people to provide but that provision is through God's prompting, not man's. When the finances materialize without involving anyone but God, without asking man (or asking them to pray about it, which is another way of asking them for assistance), then He gets the glory.

Many pastors do the same. They say God is calling them to build a building (or some other project). They then go about asking the members to give, to dig deeper, to pledge… They even go to a secular banking institution and agree to pay a percentage of "God's money" to the bank to give them a loan.

More people are hurt by these tactics and leave the church. This can not be of God, the flock scattered over a building project. They are caused to stumble as they see clergy acting out secular techniques to do God's bidding. They never learn to walk by faith.

If God is truly calling, He will provide.

Mike's reply to the Little Foxes

We have a tendency to focus on the foxes.
But what is the vineyard?
If we don’t know what our “grapes” are, how can we recognize when they’re being destroyed?
Are we trying to grow obedience? Integrity? Knowledge?
When Jesus was asked what the “first” (most important) commandment was, He responded “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength”  and the second: “love thy neighbor as thyself.”
Love of God must be our primary crop - - everything else comes from or after it.  If we don’t understand God’s love for us, we can’t love in return.
And we can’t love ourselves, which means we can’t love our neighbor.
It is interesting that when the scribe showed his understanding of what Jesus had said (he had “repented”, or changed his thinking), Jesus let him know he was “not far from the kingdom of God.”
If others don’t see that we love them, they don’t see that we are disciples.  We may be “Christians” (saved), but we really aren’t His disciples.  The foxes (petty issues between people) are destroying the vineyard (the love of God).
A military Chaplain and friend was the best example of this to me.  I could spend all day picking apart his theology, but I couldn’t overlook the love that radiated from him.  It was very, very obvious that he was a disciple of the Living God.  And it was that love, more than anything else in my life, that made me want to have a relationship with God and continues to motivate me.

Little Foxes

Ken suggested writing a few examples of little foxes that ruin the vineyard:

Aimlessly surfing Internet or TV channels leading to pornography.

Reading novels or books that stimulate sensual desires.

Casual flirtation leading to relationship with non-believer.

Social activities with non-believers leading to ungodly activities and attitudes.

Gossip leading to slander and harmed reputation.

Using credit cards casually leading to huge debt.

Teasing or rudeness that leads to broken relationships.

Sleeping in later and later leading to slothfulness.

 

Telling “white lies” leading to bigger lies.

Catch The Foxes...

Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, while our vineyards are in blossom." Song of Solomon 2:15

The foxes, the little foxes, were not there to destroy the grapes, they were playing. They were cute. They didn't seem to be a problem. However, they ruined the vineyard.

There are things in our life that are major, but they most likely started out small, something we thought amusing.

If we don't take care of them, catch them in their infancy, they grow and become problematic.

They may not appear to be a problem but they grow and bring us to ruin.

Making Promises We Can't Keep

My friend Jon was wondering what one does if he has signed a pledge card to give to a church building or other financial commitment and then realizes that he has made a promise that he can not fulfill or believes it was in error.

Proverbs gives the steps to gain relief.

My son, if you have become surety (a cosigner) for your neighbor, Have given a pledge for a stranger, If you have been snared with the words of your mouth, Have been caught with the words of your mouth, Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor. Do not give sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids; Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter's hand, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler. Proverbs 6: 1-5

The writer of the Proverbs breaks down several ways we make promises:

1) becoming a cosigner for your neighbor (or companion).

2) given a pledge for a stranger.

3) trapped by the words of your mouth (making a promise).

4) captured by the words of your mouth saying you can or will do something you may not be able to do).

The way out, to deliver ones self:

1) go.

2) humble yourself.

3) importune your neighbor (a strong word meaning to beg even to the point of being arrogant).

4) don't sleep until you have accomplished what you are seeking.

5) deliver yourself like an animal fleeing the hunter.