Mercy: Turning Judgment into Revival

Mercy: Turning Judgment into Revival

Divine Release from the Penalties of the Principle of Sowing and Reaping

I remember one of my daughters as a teenager coming to us to reveal that she had been caught out in what was to her a serious problem. I will never forget the impact of her words on me; she said in tears “Dad I am not worthy to be your daughter.” She had been living under enormous guilt. Now it was brought into the light; into judgment. There was no thought of retribution in our hearts just one of restoration. There was no anger or desire to disassociate from her or her problems, only a deep desire to extend mercy and release her to get on with her life. Taking responsibility for her actions in the place of judgment was the first step to being set free. If the problem had not been brought to the place of judgment she would have continued to live with the guilt and experience the consequences of guilt; judgment set her free.

People often associate the concept of Judgment with issues such as punishment, retribution and condemnation. It is also associated with emotions such as anger, hatred and with taking action against a person that is destructive to them if they are seen to be guilty under law; religious or civil. However, in truth emotions such as anger with someone’s pattern of behavior and any subsequent hatred or enmity of an action committed by them are what cause them to be brought to the place of judgment, and should not be confused with the concept of judgment itself. Often people will speak of emotions such as anger as having the effect of clouding a person’s judgment. Consequently, they have no part in judgment itself.

Similarly, condemnation, punishment and retribution can follow judgment but again are not identical with the concept or act of judgment. Actually judgment should be made free from the emotions that bring us to judgment and before the issue of punishment and retribution is even considered. It is what occurs between the issues that bring us to it and those that flow from it. Therefore, there is a great need to understand judgment. In civil law sentencing is not part of the judgment but follows judgment.

The idea of the word judgment is evaluation, discernment, perception and assessment. It is bringing a situation into the light and evaluating it with a view to assigning responsibility. As a result judgment results in a verdict, or decision, and the concept of punishment or otherwise follows the verdict. Even in a non-judicial sense when you ask for a person to give their judgment on something you are asking not only for an opinion but an assessment of the situation and what options they see are available.

In Rom. 3:9 Paul states that he has established (in the preceding section of the Book of Romans) that before God everyone on the face of the planet has been charged with being sinful. The entire world has become guilty before God, i.e. God has given His judgment on the state of every person and everyone is guilty. Now having made that decision, or verdict, He acted. Once a judgment is made then the concept of punishment or consequence comes into view. The idea of this punishment or consequence is to restore the guilty person to a place of right standing. In civil law is the same basic idea that when a person has done what a court decides or has served their time they are considered by the community to be restored to right standing, or simply their righteousness is restored and any debt to society is considered paid in full. Hence the idea of the judgment is to re-establish right standing or righteousness, i.e. the object of judgment is setting things right.

In the case of sin the only thing that can set it right, or restore righteousness, is death. The passage Rom. 5:12-13 sets out that when Adam sinned (Gen. 2:17) the impact was death that then spread to everyone that came after him, which is all of us. In other words the consequence of sin is death, Rom.6:23, i.e. under the law of sowing and reaping the consequence death follows the sown action sin. Under the law of sowing and reaping consequence is unavoidable, both spiritually and naturally, for the law is simply a principle of the universe; what you sow you reap.

In Rom. 5:1-11 the scripture declares that God sent His son Jesus to pay the price for our sin by taking our place in death, hence to nullify and remove the consequence of what we have sown. In doing that Jesus brought us into right standing with God, i.e. a place of righteousness, Rom. 5:17-19. In the act of His death on Calvary He removed the consequence of our actions, Col. 2:13-14. However, the reason that God wanted to bring this problem into the light, i.e. to judge it, was so that having judged us all He could have mercy on us all, Rom. 11:30-33. The only thing required is that we bring ourselves to the place of judgment and acknowledge our sin, or own our sin, then He having judged us can forgive us in His mercy, 1John 1:8-2:2. However, forgiveness, or mercy, only benefits those who acknowledge they are wrong by coming to the place of judgment. Consequently, if we won’t come to the place of judgment mercy can’t be extended and we are stuck with the consequence of what is sown.

When we do come into the light, or to the place of judgment, God does not deal with us according to our sin (Ps. 103:10), i.e. having passed judgment He operates and extends mercy. Mercy is a winner after judgment, James 2:13. Mercy is the decision not to use or enforce a right or power when it would be justified. It is the quality that can overlook the concept of consequence and effectively reset the situation for a fresh start. However, to get the effect of mercy first requires judgment and without judgment mercy doesn’t operate, either for the individual or the nation. Forgiveness and release first requires an admission of guilt and then you cast yourself upon the mercy of God. Psalm 103 is a tremendous declaration of the blessing of God upon a person because of the mercy of God. Judgment rather than being feared should be embraced for then mercy is possible and with it a fresh start. Judgment allows mercy to follow and from mercy God restores and renews. Consequently, revival is the natural crop reaped from the mercy He sows in the ground of the lives of people and nations.

Character: The Journey From Dream to Fulfillment

The purpose of the Book of Genesis, the book of beginnings, is to explain how the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (the Israelites) came to be dwelling in Egypt at the time of Moses. It consists of a number of major narratives the last one of which is Gen.37:2-50:26. All of the narratives are in the form of genealogies, or stories about the lives of people, not chronological reports of events. This last narrative of Genesis concerns the life of Joseph from his teenage, Gen.37:2, until his death in Egypt, Gen.50:26. The vehicle for the story is a narrative showing the fulfillment of God’s vision and dream for Joseph. It is the divinely inspired dreams that set the story in motion by bringing to a head the antagonism between Joseph and his brothers, Gen.37:5-11.

The brothers sell Joseph to Midianite slavers who take him to Egypt, Gen.37:12-28. Joseph himself realizes they were the vehicle of the divine plan to take care of the Israelites; since the dreams and reactions to them resulted in being sent before his brethren to prepare a place for them, Gen.50:20-21 Note Joseph recognizes that the brothers originally intended evil but God intended good and it was the divine purpose which prevailed; “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Rom.8:28 At the beginning of the story Joseph is revealed as a spoilt brat, Gen.37:3, who is a “tattle tale” informing on the behavior of his brothers, Gen.37:2. In other words Joseph is a precocious young man who lacks character at this time in his life.

However, God had a dream and purpose for this young man’s life at the end of which, when the dream was fulfilled, he would be humble before God seeing himself as a provision for his brothers; a person seeking to cover and protect, not expose and demean. This is indeed an astonishing transformation of character, especially considering the road to fulfillment. Joseph could easily have succumbed to the desire for revenge, which his initial treatment of his brothers suggests he was battling with, see Gen.42:9-44:34. This appears to become resolved in his life when he recognizes that it is the purposes of God which brought him to Egypt, not the actions of his brothers or their hatred of him, see Gen.45:7-8. The fact that Scripture records that Joseph wept and cried out in agony, so much so that the whole house of Pharaoh heard it, may indicate that this concept of divine purpose had become revelation to him at this point. Whether or not this is the point of revelation the important issue is that this revelation resulted in his being reunited with his brothers and able to forgive and release his hurt. At this point Joseph is released to become a true servant to his brethren. Revelation of the purpose of God freed him from reacting and judging his brothers hence allowing forgiveness to occur.

This story is not about a person sustained and empowered by the dream of God, it is not a success story of a person “going” for the dream. It is likely that Joseph had forgotten the dream, or that it was at most dimly in the background, since the Scripture declares that it is when the brothers stand before him as the ruler of Egypt under Pharaoh that he remembers the dreams, Gen.42:9. It is the story of how God took hold of a life and fulfilled His dream for a person’s life, God never loses sight of the vision even when we do. It is most importantly the story of how God prepared the person to fulfill the dream. Finally it is a story showing that when others are seen through the purposes of God this enables a person to deal with the tendency of reacting to people and their actions. God calls a person to fulfill His purpose and then prepares the person to fulfill the purpose. The journey from call to fulfillment is about establishing a character commensurate with the call so that the person can finish their race, achieving the purposes of God, and not be destroyed by the call.

“for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” Philip.2:13

A Healthy Society No.2: The Precious Ingredient – Responsibility

The second of the prime ingredients of a healthy society, responsibility, comes from what is referred to as the ‘Golden Rule’, expressed in the phrase ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. The sense of community in a society, i.e. the quality of relationships of the people within a society, is directly proportional to how a person treats others within the society. This means that the value of relationships is enhanced when consideration is taken for others, hence the ‘Golden Rule’ is the precious ingredient which adds value to the community. Therefore, taking responsibility for our actions in the treatment of others directly contributes to our own welfare in a healthy society.

The modern society has undergone a shift in primary focus from ‘others’ to ‘self’, evidenced in such things as ‘self help’, ‘self love’, ‘my success’ etc. Also in the church the ‘what’s in it for me’ mentality has prevailed, seen in the emphasis on such things as ‘my rights in Christ’, ‘gaining my riches in Christ’, giving is promoted by what I will get in the giving, the emphasis on ‘self’ books in stores etc. What has changed is the primary focus, i.e. from ‘others before self’ to ‘self before others’. In either form of society both are considered but in a healthy society the correct order is ‘others before self’. This is the traditional concept of ‘heroism’, action undertaken placing the value on others above self. This is also the core heart value of relationships in marriage and parenting, the ability to place a concern for ‘others’ above concern for ‘self’.

When you look up the dictionary meaning of pride the various meanings primarily relate to ‘self’. In the negative problem of pride the issue is not whether the value of ‘self’ is being overestimated or underestimated; the issue is that it is the result of a fixation on ‘self’. Webster’s Dictionary states that the word proud comes from a word having the meanings of ‘being useful’ or ‘beneficial’. Therefore, in the positive and correct sense to ‘take pride in oneself’ is to attempt to be your most useful or beneficial, notice that this concept relates to ‘others’. Also to ‘take pride in one’s work or endeavors’ is to seek to make them useful and beneficial to others. Whilst the list of areas could go on the important point is that when used correctly pride is relating not to ‘self’ but to the usefulness and benefit to ‘others’. In the present society where we have a fixation on ‘self’ the emphasis on ‘self’ has led to a negative sense of pride not a positive one.

The negative sense of pride leads to problems within society, e.g. the Scripture declares that “By pride comes only contention…” Prov.13:10 Therefore, where pride is prominent the society will fracture in contentions. The over-emphasis on ‘self’ leads to envy of others, and where envy and self-seeking exist it leads to problems within a society. It also leads to a ‘pleasure centered’ society, where the emphasis is on satisfying the needs of ‘self’ before all else. The Book of James shows where this will lead for a society going down this path; “…if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there…Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” from James 3:14-4:3 This really needs no comment other than to say it reflects the total breakdown of a society. Essentially a concern for ‘self’ will lead to a reaching for rights, which will lead to contention. Alternately concern for ‘others’ will lead to a reaching for responsibility, which will lead to reconciliation.

In the light of the above consider the following Scriptural references; “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law…Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Ro.13:8&10 The purpose of law is to define evil and so remove it from a society, therefore preserving the society. However, the text highlights that the real intention of law is to avoid harm to others, and it is for this reason that love fulfills the desire of law. Acting in love, or simply a desire and concern for others, will not harm others and so achieves the law’s prime purpose. Therefore, love not only fulfills the law but also caring for others preserves and enhances your own life. The best way to correctly value ‘self’ and have a healthy society, which is best for you and others, is to live by the Golden Rule, which is the precious ingredient adding value to a society.

In No.1 concerning a healthy society it was noted that the first ingredient is accountability. The link between these ingredients is that accountability ensures responsibility, i.e. if you know you are going to have to render an account you will take care to fulfil your responsibilities. In reality these two simple ‘rules of society’ are the application of what Jesus taught. In Mark 12:28-34 when He was asked what were the great commandments of the law He essentially replied, love God and love your neighbor. When the scribe who asked Jesus the question responded by acknowledging the powerful truth of Jesus’ answer, Jesus replied to the Scribe “…You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Mrk.12:34 A kingdom is a society living in harmony with one another and the King. The simple application of these principles puts any person within reach of the Kingdom of God, which is the truly healthy society.

A Healthy Society No1: The Preserving Ingredient – Accountability

In the society of my youth reference was made to two valuable ‘unwritten rules’ that made a society safe and secure. Firstly there was the importance of being what was called a ‘God-fearing’ person. This was a person who lived and conducted their lives with a sense of oversight by ‘God’, whether such a belief in ‘God’ was orthodox or not and whether religious observance was present or absent. This would also involve living by a moral code consistent with the belief. Even though such people lived in a ‘secular’ world and even allowed themselves a fair degree of moral flexibility in their lives there were always boundaries and limits which were not to be crossed. The second was called the ‘Golden Rule’, which was usually expressed in the simple phrase, ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. I was often exhorted to live by the ‘Golden Rule’ by my parents and elders through my youth and teens.

These two ‘rules’ were deemed sufficient for a society to be a good place to live and to ensure success in life. These two ‘rules’ provide the two prime ingredients of a healthy society;

1. The concept of accountability from the first ‘rule’ &

2. The concept of responsibility from the second ‘rule’.

This study looks at the first of these ingredients for a healthy society.

Scripture declares that “The fear of the LORD (or God) is the beginning of wisdom.”Prov.9:10 Wisdom is not just knowing something it is being able to apply it in life. The Book of Proverbs is basically built around three main words, which are knowledge, understanding and wisdom. I once read an interesting example given by an author to explain the difference between these words. His example was based on the human problem of lying. He noted that knowledge is knowing that God hates lying, whereas understanding is self application i.e. knowing that God hates you lying, but wisdom is the application into life i.e. stop lying. So the fear of God is the doorway to being able to apply moral principles into your life, which is very important for a healthy society.

The concept of fear is not blind terror but respect and awe. Far from paralyzing to inaction, as fear is often associated with, it promotes positive action, as the Scripture declares “…by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil.”Prov.16:6 Therefore, being ‘God-fearing’  promotes wisdom or positive appropriate action when dealing with others. Consider the following passage; “When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserver you; Understanding will keep you, To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things, From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perversity of the wicked; Whose ways are crooked, And who are devious in their paths…”Prov.2:10-15 This is what used to be called being kept on the ‘straight and narrow’, i.e. avoiding self destructive life patterns that harm others. This has great benefit for the person leading the ‘God-fearing’ lifestyle, as the passage goes on to state; “So you may walk in the way of goodness, And keep to the paths of righteousness. For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it; But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, an the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.”Prov.2:20-22 In other words it is a lifestyle of self preservation in the midst of a difficult world, and hence preservation of the society in which such a person lives.

Therefore, the fear of God fosters a sense of accountability in life. It also makes the world a better place since; “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.”Prov.14:34 The word righteousness in the Old Testament is a relationship word meaning being in right-standing with God, or living life in a way that is perceived by the person to please God. Such a lifestyle promotes a successful society that is good for all concerned. As a result morality is a function of individuals in a society not a function of governments. Government has a God-given function of regulation within society, despite the modern trend of government to opt out of a regulatory function preferring self-regulation. Consider the following passage; “…rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.”Ro.13:3-4 They are ordained by God to punish immorality.

Therefore morality is a function of society in its accountability before God and punishment of immorality, i.e. dealing with those who ignore the morality of society, is a function of Government. In the modern society as the ‘God-fearing’ person has become lost there has been a resultant rush to situation ethics, i.e. self-regulation or self-accountability for morality. If there is a moral breakdown in society people ask what is the Government doing about it? However, Government can only pass legislation to punish immorality, it can’t enforce accountability to a moral code. In such a society legislative definition of rights of the individual is seen as the key, the focus on the self. However, in a healthy society the focus is not on rights but on responsibilities of the individual, and the focus is on others. Some years ago the government was considering legislation of the rights conferred by the government on people in a proposed Bill Of Rights. A former Chief Justice of Australia was reported to have said words to the effect that if a society is just and humane it has no need of a Bill Of Rights, if it is not no Bill Of Rights will preserve it.

What is needed is not more laws but more ‘God-fearing’ people which will produce a sense of accountability in dealing with others. This will lead to the positive application into life of principles and ways that will preserve a healthy society.

Christianity: An Alternative Lifestyle IN the World not TO the World

Christianity often is made to appear as an alternative lifestyle to the world rather than an alternative lifestyle in the world. However, for the Christianity to be truly authentic it must be applicable to life and should work in the most difficult or unusual of situations. There has often been a tendency to ‘cloister’ people in the Christian community and try to insulate and isolate them from the world they are in fact supposed to effect.

Consider a Scripture such as 1 John 2:15, which states; “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” This text would seem to indicate that a Christian should withdraw from the world. However, such texts have been considered out of context to the whole of the Scripture. For the same author states in another place in Scriptures that “…God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son…”, John 3:16. The same author also reports Jesus as saying “I do not pray that You should take them (the disciples) out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one.”, John 17:15, and “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”, John 17:18. Clearly a person must be careful not to consider a text in isolation from the rest of Scripture.

The above situation can be resolved by considering the implications of what the Apostle Paul meant when he declared “…our citizenship is in heaven…”, Philippians 3:20. The values, principles and guidelines for life in this world are derived from a spiritual source, which is the Spirit led interpretation of Scripture. They don’t arise from within this world, and, hence are not dictated by the world in which a Christian lives. Therefore, Christianity is alternative lifestyle within the world not an alternative lifestyle to it. The Scriptural concepts are to be applied in working, living and relating to the world around the believer. One paradigm, supported in Scripture, that can help illustrate this is found in 2Corinthians 5:20 where Paul states that “…we are ambassadors for Christ…” An ambassador, or representative, of another country lives and works in a host country but their lifestyle and values in life are derived from the country they represent. This is the situation for the Christian living in this world.

This view of reality began to dawn upon me when Ann and I were to be married. I was out of work at the time and felt, as a prospective husband, that I should have a job. However, the only job I could get at the time was as a Barman, working in the Members’ Bar, at an RSL club in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney. I remember the reaction of our Pastor when we went for Pre-marital counseling. He was more concerned about my occupation at the time than dealing with relationship issues. His mind-set seemed to be that believers should be separated from the world, and as a result, not involved in certain occupations and endeavors. However, I believed that the Lord had enabled me to get the work at the time. I also felt the Lord had spoken to my heart from Scriptures such as 2Thess.3:10 “…If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” and also Prov.14:23 “In all labor there is profit…” It was in this situation as I sought to apply my faith that I learnt some valuable spiritual lessons.

In my work the first thing I noticed was how destroyed peoples lives can get. There were the cleaners who worked through the night on the club. When I opened the Members’ Bar they would be the first customers and they would often remain throughout the day, only going home in the afternoon or early evening before starting work again at around 2am. All the marriages in the club, from the manager down, were either broken up, about to be broken up or would soon break up due to the infidelity of the partners. The Members’ Bar adjoined the Lounge Bar where the banks of Poker Machines were located. At times I would have to relieve in the Lounge Bar including giving change for the Poker Machines. I will never forget the ‘haunted’ looks on many of the faces, at times it felt like they were willing me not to give them change. I remember one man pointed out to me by another barman. I was told, to use the words of this barman, that ‘this man put his trucking business through the slot machines’. Evidently the business he had owned had a fleet of 12 trucks and now he worked for another firm as a driver. Whilst at first people were suspicious and dismissive of my faith, as I worked among them and didn’t judge them people began to open up about their lives. I realised that if my faith couldn’t work in this situation then I had nothing to offer these people.

The following quote from the book Pioneers of Revival about William Booth the founder of the Salvation Army sums up what I came to feel in the work I was doing at the time;”One day William took Bramwell, his son, into an East End pub which was crammed full of dirty, intoxicated creatures. Seeing the appalled look on his son’s face, he said gently, ‘Bramwell, these are our people- the people I want you to live for’.”
This is the heart beat of John 3:16-17.

Serving: A Doorway to Liberty not Bondage

In the modern era it is not fashionable to think of serving as a high calling, rather it is considered as menial and even degrading. In the modern mindset a person trades their service for the reward, or payment, and the emphasis is on the payment. However the very idea of serving, where the emphasis is on the service provided rather than the payment, has been equated with ‘servitude’; a state of slavery or bondage. In servitude the act of service is a choice made for the person, not a choice made by the person. Jesus showed that the decision to serve was positive, life affirming and character building. Consider Jesus own words when He said to the disciples; “For who is greater, he who sits at the table or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.” (Lk. 22:27) Clearly, the decision to serve cannot make Jesus a lesser person. Yet Jesus prefaces His own decision to serve with the qualification that the person being served is greater. It is here that the problem appears to arise for the modern person to whom, without understanding, it would seem that service is indeed demeaning and reduces the worth of a person who chooses to serve. However, on this passage alone that understanding would make Jesus a lesser person than those He served.

The answer lies in the issue under discussion in the text. The text concerns Jesus adjusting the attitudes of the disciples due to their rivalry about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus broke into their deliberations by pointing out that although rulers in this world operate their authority at their own whim for their own interests this is not Kingdom mentality. In this world’s model position and authority are used to benefit the person who has position and authority, i.e. the focus is upon the payment or reward. However, in Jesus kingdom model position and authority is bestowed upon a person not so as to be used upon for selfish ends but rather to facilitate service to another that benefits the one being served;

“…The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger (the least advantaged), and he who governs as he who serves.” Lk 22:25-26

Since authority is to be used to facilitate service of one person to another, then the person being served assumes the place of greater functional importance for the purpose of being served. However, the act of service makes no comment on, and is unrelated to, the worth of the individual either serving or being served, i.e. the fact that you are being served or serving, has nothing to do with your value as a person. The issue is not one of intrinsic value or worth; we are not greater people than Jesus though He served us. What it does mean is that we were more important to Him in His service than any self-interest.

This lesson was made clear to me in a position I held when I was first married. One morning I was instructed to do a job a certain way by a relatively inexperienced supervisor. Since, because of previous experience, I knew I would end up having to do the job the correct way I decided to do it the correct way from the start. The supervisor chastised me for not doing what I was told and he instructed me to redo it the way he said. I told him I thought he was wrong but he insisted. I had just finished completing the job ‘his way’ when the Secretary-Manager came into where I was working. He then chastised me for the way the job was now completed and told me to redo the job the correct way, as I had done in the first place. He left without allowing me any chance to explain. I felt so unjustly treated and it is fair to say that my estimation of my supervisor was not particularly high. Although he knew what had taken place he never apologised, or informed the Manager of what really happened. It then seemed from that day that he was my supervisor for every shift on which I was scheduled to work. His ineptitude showed in his work and I began to despise him, as I discovered most of the other staff did for the same reasons. I used to give the Lord a ‘cheerful earful’ about my opinions of my supervisor and even got to the place of praying for deliverance.

One morning as I lamented my lot before the Lord, again with the same supervisor on my shift, God spoke clearly to my heart and said; “Peter that man doesn’t render account to you, you render account to him. He has another he must render account to.” At first I felt like arguing with God as it felt so unfair, after all he was a bad supervisor and many of his decisions and orders were not correct. However, the force of what God said remained with me, weighing heavily upon me, and I began to understand that my job was to serve the supervisor to the best of my ability and not to judge him. I adopted a changed attitude and sought to co-operate and do the work whatever I may personally think about a task. Amazingly I found a new freedom and release in my work. Further more within two weeks the supervisor and I ceased being on roster for the same shift; it subsequently worked out that I never worked again with him as my supervisor on the same shift, even though he remained with the company.

Hence, I realised that the supervisor was a gift from God that helped me to learn this valuable spiritual lesson. Service is the active employment of a person’s gifts and abilities for the enhancement and betterment of others. If you do that to the best of your ability you will be highly successful in all you undertake. A motivational speaker once pointed out that you don’t make money to be successful but if you are successful you will make money. Finally and most importantly service enhances character it does not demean it; not only will you be amply rewarded you will be a better person for the service.

Uncompromising Faith: Handling Employment Creatively

I received a phone call from a friend of mine who was the State Sales Manager for a large multinational company. He wanted to ask my advice to help him with a decision he had to make. He had been approached about making a donation from the company towards an event that, as a Christian, he would not normally personally support. His dilemma was that the company would not want to make the sort of discriminating decision that he might personally make. On the one hand if he denied the request on the grounds of his own faith not only could he personally end up in a difficult and contentious situation, he could also bring the company into a situation that would open it up to civil action under anti-discrimination provisions. On the other hand if he approved the donation for something against Scriptural provisions and against his own conscience where would he stand with God. It is the vexing problem faced by many Christians working in a pluralistic society which doesn’t recognise the supremacy of any one particular religion, and therefore also not the supremacy of the Scriptural warrant in the lives of Christians.

Some would say ‘Damn the torpedoes’ take your biblical stand and suffer the consequences for Christ. This certainly seems on the surface to be the brave answer of a bold faith, and no doubt at times it would serve this purpose. However, in a pluralistic society it is also quite likely that this would not achieve the purpose of Christian witness and rather would be seen as bigoted and closed minded, driving people further from Christianity. Conversely others would decide to take the non-confrontational path, but are made to feel that they have compromised and dishonoured their faith. Sometimes their reasoning may be that they don’t feel they have the right to discriminate, thereby imposing their faith on the situation. At other times they may simply be applying the principle that ‘discretion is the better part of valour’, that providing and caring for their family takes precedence. In these circumstances they are accused of being weak in their faith. As Christians we need to find a way to navigate life in a pluralistic society with true spirituality.

I resorted to the story of Daniel to help my friend navigate this difficult situation. Whilst Daniel did not live in a pluralistic society he certainly lived and worked in a society in which people of the Hebrew faith were a minority, and that was antagonistic to his Jewish beliefs. Yet in this society he rose to prominence without in any way compromising or dishonouring his faith. Before being tempted to assume that Daniel always took the bold confrontational approach that is usually associated with his name, it is wise to examine what took place in his career path to the pinnacle of Babylonian society.

As Daniel began his life in the Babylonian Court, he certainly took a strong stand when asked to adopt Babylonian lifestyle in his development in the Babylonian Civil Service. The Scripture records that “…Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”Dan.1:8 However, the next verse gives a context that gives a good guiding principle for taking this sort of stand effectively. It is significant that “…God had brought Daniel into the favor and good will of the chief of the eunuchs.”Dan.1:9 In other words Daniel had established a relationship that had fostered respect for his faith. This was the basis of the negotiation with the chief of the eunuchs, a person who was his immediate superior in his workplace.

The time came when Daniel was able to employ his God given gifts that led to his advancement in the Babylonian Court, see Daniel Chapter 2 and the story of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation of it. As a result of Daniel’s display of wisdom and gifting “…the King promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.”Dan.2:48 In the time of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar, when the King was distressed and in need of advice this is how the queen at the time described Daniel’s position and his record in that position. She stated “There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father- your father the king- made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers.”Dan.5:12 In other words the ‘wise men’ Daniel was placed over included the leading practitioners of the Babylonian religion. The next verse indicates he had done this job so well that he was the one the King should call for advice. Daniel made them do their job well and in accord with their beliefs, even though those beliefs would have seemed highly inappropriate to him as a Jew and consequently which he could never himself adopt. Nevertheless, in his occupation in the Kings’ service Daniel had to understand those beliefs in their context and from their perspective, as well as help them implement and exercise their roles in those beliefs.

The lesson that can be learnt from Daniel is that when an issue in the work place involves the personal perspective, a strong stand is appropriate based on having established a relationship with, and gaining the respect of, those in the work place. However, when the perspective is the employers’ perspective then the appropriate stand is that of the employer and their interests, without imposing your own values on the situation. These principles can provide guidelines for navigating these difficult circumstances whilst maintaining faith and a positive witness, yet functioning effectively in your position.

Set Yourself Free: Jettison The Dead Weight of Offence

Early in my pastoral ministry as an Associate a situation arose which led to an expectation failure with the Senior Minister of the Church. As a result of the incident I felt totally betrayed and hurt and could not even think about the person without a sense of offence. The first major lesson I learned from this experience was that we often treat and respond to people based on expectations and assumptions about a person. Freedom from the prison of offence we end up in, which is really of our own making, comes from realizing that whilst we cannot control what another does to us we can control our response.  It is our response that God is interested in when it comes to His dealings with our lives. The importance of this is highlighted by the Scripture, “…if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.” 1Cor.11:31 The corollary is true, i.e. when we judge others we bring ourselves into judgment.

This lesson was the beginning step in moving towards freedom and restoration not only with God but also in my horizontal relationships with others; “…for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can  he love God whom he has not seen?” 1Jn.4:20 The revelation in my heart from this lesson freed me to recognize the next ‘road-block’ to complete freedom, which was the offence in my own heart. I was caught in a quandary, since on the one hand I could not seem to do anything about the degree of hurt and resultant offence in my heart; the events that occured had impacted me and it was no use trying to deny it. However, on the other hand I clearly recognized that I was in error.

One day as I was reading the Bible the following Scripture impacted my spirit, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.” Eph.2:14-16 I suddenly realized that if upon Calvary Jesus had put to death the enmity, or offence, then I had no right before God to maintain it, regardless of whatever had been done to cause the offence. I came to realize that the offence was a ‘dead weight’ I was carrying around on my heart. However, this did not alter how I felt and, as a result, I now not only seemed powerless in the situation. I was also aware of just how wrong I was in holding on to offence and further more I did not want to give ‘aid and comfort’ to the enemy, which are the satanic forces, by in any way seeking to appear to claim to be justified in my attitude.

I decided before God that the only way I could proceed was to acknowledge that I was wrong. Every time I felt the hurt and offence building up in my heart I would go off to a secluded spot, my own personal prayer room. I would state out loud, ‘I acknowledge before principalities and powers that whilst I maintain offence in my heart I am an enemy of the cross and I am wrong to keep alive what Jesus has slain upon the cross!” I have to admit that at first I carried out this process by faith, i.e. I still felt the same way and it was hard work to go ‘against the grain’ of my feelings. As I continued to make the confession I became deeply convicted about the truth of the confession, but the feeling of hurt and offence was indeed like a wall or barrier, as described in Eph.2:14 above, that I was unable to get over.

Then one morning, after about 6 weeks, I was in the bathroom and had just completed my ‘declaration’ when suddenly, what I can only describe as a miracle happened. The wall, or barrier, of offence suddenly begin to dissolve. A sense of joy literally flooded into my heart and I experienced a deep love for the other person that overcame all my hurt. I cannot be sure that the Spirit of God actually spoke to me in words, but I felt as I washed with soap it was as if in the spiritual realm I was experiencing the truth of Rev.1:5 “…To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” In an instant I was freed and restored in both vertical and horizontal relationships.

This was the second great lesson I learned from this experience. Whenever I feel offended I am the one with a problem, whatever has been done to me is between the other person and God. I must deal with my problem and leave the other person to God. Offence can cause ‘hardening of the attitudes’ which is very dangerous to the spiritual heart, which if not dealt with this can have a fatal effect on Christian lifestyle. A failure to deal with hurt within a reasonable time is what leads to offence and you must differentiate between hurt and offence. You may not be able to help being hurt by what another does to you, but you can avoid offence. Offence is a reactive response to hurt as a result of not dealing with hurt through Calvary. However, it is never too late whilst in this world to partake of the miracle of Calvary, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1Jn.1:9

All The Rage: Where Does It Come From? Pt3

the safest way is…
This topic was begun by an examination of the narrative that concerned Jesus’ visit to the house of Martha and Mary, recorded in Luke 10:38-42. It was noted that there is nothing wrong with what Martha was doing, she was serving others and seeing to their care. The problem developed because she apparently felt used and violated because Mary didn’t help her. As a result her level of anxiety was causing her to approach boiling point with a barely concealed level of hostility towards Mary. When she felt her rights had been violated she became offended with the perceived violator, Mary. Jesus challenges her about her level of anxiety that was stemming from being offended, thus He reproves her not for serving but rather for being offended.

The Psalmist declared, “God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.” Ps.7:11 In Deuteronomy 4:25 the Scripture declares that the doing of evil provokes the Lord to anger. The text goes on to declare that when the people repent and become obedient to the Lord; then He will be merciful and not forsake them, i.e. He will turn from His anger, Deut.4:29-31. When God sits in judgment on violations of His laws and ways, then His anger is the correct response to unrighteousness. Also the purpose of that anger is the restoration of righteousness and once this is achieved the anger ceases. Conversely, when considering the human situation, in the Book of James the author declares; “Therefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20. The anger which has humanity as its’ source will not achieve the purposes of God.
Therefore, the very existence of anger is evidence of judgment having occurred. If a true judgment is to occur it is essential that the person sitting in judgment is free from condemnation and guilt under the law in which their judgment is issued. Paul highlights the problem;

“Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God.” Romans 2:1-3

The person who judges when they themselves are not free from judgment brings upon themselves the judgment of God; hence the anger of God as He seeks to restore them to a place of right standing with Him. This means they will experience a sense of guilt which will produce a strong desire to justify self which will itself lead to judgment and greater anger. Clearly “offence” becomes a vicious circle, hence a trap, that rather than defending a person and maintaining their freedom enslaves them.
Therefore, the Scripture exhorts and commands that a person cease judging and so avoid judgment themselves:

“Judge not, that you be not judged.(the force of the verb tenses here essentially translate to – stop judging and so avoid being judged) For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Matt.7:1-2

The purpose of God in the Person and Gospel of Jesus Christ is to release us from judgment. As Paul said to the Corinthian church;

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2Cor.5:18-19

However, to be released we must first release others or we remain in the trap of judgment and anger. When we focus on our rights then whoever transgresses the law of self comes under our judgment. However, if we are in any way guilty of ‘self-centredness’ we actually bring ourselves under the judgment of God. This can be avoided by following the example of Jesus when ‘self’ is violated:

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: Who committed no sin, nor was any guile found in His mouth, who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;” 1Peter 2:21-23

Evidently, according to Scripture, true godly righteous rage is rare and it is safer to let it go. The best form of defense is to release another from your judgment and leave it with God.

All The Rage: Where Does It Come From? Pt2

A true attitude of service will also help avoid the constant feeling of anxiety and resultant rage
In considering the narrative Luke recorded in Luke 10:38-42 it was noted that the anxiety experienced by Martha led to offence with her sister Mary. It was also noted that there was nothing wrong with what Martha was doing, she was serving others and seeing to their care. Her problem stemmed from the fact that she felt used and violated because Mary didn’t help her. This led to her becoming offended with Mary and it was this attitude of offence that Jesus reproved in her conduct. The issue is not that she was serving when she should have been listening. The narrative immediately prior to the story of Martha and Mary is the parable of “The Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:29-37), which stresses action undertaken to serve others. Consequently, this second narrative cannot be meant to detract from the first but act as a support and greater expansion of the theme. Therefore, the narrative of Martha and Mary, when understood in its’ context, deals with attitude when serving others. This is what the writer Luke is highlighting as a context for the remarks of Jesus to Martha.

This narrative shows us that a cause of anxiety that can lead to rage is a perceived sense of injustice and violation of a person’s rights. Martha chose to serve, there is no indication in the narrative of a request to serve. However, she then became concerned for ‘self’ in the process of serving. As a result she basically voided her action as service, since the true servant surrenders ‘self-rights’ in serving. Consider the remarks of Jesus recorded in Luke 17:5-10, where Jesus is asked by the disciples to increase their faith to cope with the pressure of true discipleship. Jesus response is to use the paradigm of serving as the way to increased faith. Then He says of a servant:

“Does he (the master of the servant) thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded of him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’” Vss. 9-10

Whenever a person becomes focused on ’self’ anyone else acting contrary to those perceived self-needs becomes a violator of the law of ‘self-preservation’ and a cause of offence. Offence is simply the response of a person to perceived injustice and anger is the manifestation of offence. Consider Psalm 37:1-8 where the verb, ‘to fret’ i.e. to kindle anger or cause/allow to become angry, is used. Here the Psalmist exhorts the reader to not allow him or herself to fret because of  “evildoers”, Vs.1. (That is those who seek to violate and exploit the righteous.) The Psalmist goes on to say;

“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret – it only causes harm.” Vs.8
The following is the Psalmist’s answer to avoid fretting;
“Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because the man of who brings wicked schemes to pass…For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.” Vss. 3-9

If the Lord becomes your recourse for justice then anger ceases and peace prevails. It is interesting that a true attitude of service will also help avoid the constant feeling of anxiety and resultant rage. The fear of true service, for the server, is the loss of identity and hence being used up and discarded. However, the Christian can trust ‘self’ to God and so abandon themselves with confidence to service. Without these components a true attitude of service is almost impossible, consequently in the modern world the rage shall increase.

Next Page »