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JUDGE NOT BY APPEARANCE
Oft
times, we tend to look on the outward appearance of a matter
and fail to discern the TRUTH which may be hidden beneath
the surface.
This
is a concern as we have been taught in God's Word NOT to
judge by appearance.
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John 7:24
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge
righteous judgment
.
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Jesus made this statement right
after He was being accused (Yet again) of violating the
Hebrew Pharisees INTERPRETATION of the LAW:
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John 7:23
If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision,
that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye
angry at me, because I have made a man every whit
whole on the sabbath day? |
In other words
Jesus was healing someone on
the Sabbath and the Pharisees started accusing Him of
violating the law and He put them in their place, by sharing
the HEART of the law:
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Matthew 23:23
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have
omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy,
and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the
other undone. |
Jesus taught
us that we are NOT to judge by the appearance of a matter,
but rather to check the fruits
Soooooooooo ... Are we to
understand that it is ONLY by the words and deeds that we
are to discern a matter?
Okie dokie
I have a scenario
for ya.
What if we see a Christian man
sneaking into a strip club looking very suspicious looking
around as he enters.
That is pretty obvious huh?
What are we to say to him the
next day?
Do we remain silent or are we
to correct him?
Now, before you discern based
only on an apparent deed ...
Please add in one more hidden
factor ...
What if
This man had received a call from his Mom who told
him that his sister called her and told her two guys that
she met took her to that club without her consent and would
not allow her to leave and the Christian man was going to
get his sister out of danger and the reason he was looking
both ways was to see if he saw his sister in the parking
lot?
My friend, we must choose to
PROVE ALL THINGS before we do our Spiritual math on a
matter:
Remember that
Jesus was seen in some pretty unsavory places and people
judged Him:
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Matthew 9:11-13
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto His disciples,
Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when
Jesus heard that, He said unto them, They that be whole need
not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn
what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for
I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance. |
Jesus had to go
where the lost and troubled souls were to be able to reach
them.
God is looking to get His children IN to Heaven ... NOT keep
em out.
In particular the
lost souls.
Here is how Jesus explained it
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Luke
15:4-7
What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of
them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness,
and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when
he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and
neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have
found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise
joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more
than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no
repentance. |
God IS seeking
the LOST souls and uses Christians to do so.
This brings us to
a question
How far would you
go to reach a sheep?
What if they were
in an unsavory place?
Paul shared
something with us that I would like to share with you
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1 Corinthians 9:19-23
For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself
servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the
Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them
that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain
them that are under the law; To them that are without law,
as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the
law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I
am made all things to all men, that I might by all means
save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might
be partaker thereof with you.
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Paul was a
chameleon lizard of sorts, in that he would blend with his
surroundings as to gain souls for the Lord. He became as the
APPEARANCE of the lost sheep to make them comfy with him as
to bring them to the Lord. He built bridges so that they
could easily cross from their existing worldly lifestyle to
the Lords Christian walk.
Paul added a
VERY important statement after this
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1 Corinthians 9:27
BUT, I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:
lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I
myself should be a castaway
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Paul is saying
that he had to keep himself in check, as not to be overcome
by the darkness that he was in as he was reaching for these
lost souls.
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2
Peter 3:17
Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before,
beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the
wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. |
In other words
... BEWARE being lured into their world when trying to bring
them to the Lord.
IF you feel
called by the Lord to reach and teach lost souls ...
Do not try this
at home kids unless you are wearing ALL of your armor.
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Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; |
Do you believe
that it is possible that God uses our past choices and
circumstances to have us better equipped to reach lost souls
who are walking in the same darkness that we were once in
seeing as we KNOW HOW to escape that darkness?
If so ...
What experiences
do you have that can help others in the same darkness and
what are you doing to help others?
Ponder on that a
bit ...
Our Father wants
His children back
What limitations
do you believe that He has placed upon us as to reach them?
We are to use
EVERYTHING that we have to reach the lost. From past
experiences to talents we obtained in our lives to Spiritual
gifts. Please consider making a list of what you have that
could reach a lost soul and apply it in your day to day
lives.
To those called to reach for these lost souls, we have been
taught well
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Matthew 10:16
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be
ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves
.
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Then Jesus said
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Matthew 10:17-19
But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to
the councils, and they will scourge you in their
synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors
and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them
and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take
no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall
be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. |
There will be
those who will judge you as you reach for lost souls as they
did Jesus. They WILL accuse you of being LIKE them because
you are hanging out with or talking with lost souls, but God
judges the heart and knows WHY we do what we do.
What of this
statement that Jesus said
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But when they
deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak:
for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall
speak
.
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Luke shared
EXACTLY what was meant
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Luke
12:11-12
And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto
magistrates, and powers, TAKE YE NO THOUGHT how or what
thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy
Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. |
We are to use our
past experiences, talents and Spiritual gifts to reach the
sheep
But, the absolute best Spiritual gift that we have
is the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit within us. We
are to listen for HIM to respond when we are whispered
against for merely doing our job. We must not allow our own
emotions to be the reaction. IF we learn to do this, we will
respond as Jesus did when confronted, as His Words too
Were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
TO LEARN MORE ...
CHECK OUT THIS C-O-O-L PROGRAM:
Let us no longer
discern by the appearance of ANY person or matter
But,
rather seek what the LORD sees.
Cuz HE sees the
HEART of every matter.
Pray to have God
give you His eyes as to TRULY see.
Check out the
song titled Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath on the
C-O-O-L CD Player:
Take
care and have a SON-derful day.
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TRUTH?
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