Monday, March 29, 2010
Luke 6:37-42, “I hate those judgmental Christians!” A Bible Study Devotion.
Luke 6:37-42, “I hate those judgmental Christians!” A Bible Study Devotion.
Read Luke 6:37-42
Are you a person who does not believe in Jesus? Do you just want those Christians to leave you alone? Do you say, “Great; it’s fine for you, but I’m not interested?” Are they just a bunch of hypocrites? “Why do they have to be so judgmental?” If this is you, read this post…
Are you a Christian who does not want to be judgmental? Do you not tell people about Jesus because you don’t want to appear “better” than others? Do you read these verses and feel you have no right to point out another’s sin? If this is you, read this post…
To the non-believer: Nobody likes it when sin is pointed out to them. Nobody likes it when someone else gets into their business. Some of those Christians can seem a bit self righteous. You have your belief, they can have theirs. However, I have one question for you: Why does it make you mad? Think about it… If a person tells me that I should start knitting, I don’t get mad at them. I have no interest, so I just “walk” on by. So when someone tells you about Jesus, why don’t you just walk on by? Why not give it as much thought as you would knitting and just say, “Thanks, but no thanks...” The reason is that, although there is a person in front of you telling you about Jesus, it is not them who is speaking, but rather God through them. Ecclesiastes 3:11 …He has also set eternity in the hearts of men… What does that verse mean? It means that God placed a knowledge and longing for him in every persons heart. You get mad because you know deep down, in your soul, heart, somewhere, that what they are saying is true. You don’t need to be standing in a church. You don’t need to be holding a Bible. You don’t need to be talking to a preacher. God wrote eternity on your heart. He gave you a conscience. Only something that appeals to your conscience makes you mad… I’m not going to give you a full sermon on sin, repentance, and restoration. I will leave you with just two questions: Why would these people tell you about Jesus when they know that it will make you mad? They don’t want money. They don’t want you to join a cult. They don’t want anything from you. And, why does it make you so mad? If you really didn’t care what they had to say, you would just shrug it off and go about your business. I know you may not believe this, but they are doing it because they love you… (I’ll bet if someone has approached you and asked for money or something else of you while throwing the name Jesus around, it did not make you mad. There are false teachers in the world who work for their own gain, but they are not speaking for God. And because they are not speaking for God, they do not appeal to your conscience; there for do not make you mad…) Think about these two questions; it could really make you think. If you are really daring, pray about these two questions. If you honestly seek the truth, you will find it…
To the believer: Jesus is saying in these verses, don’t judge other people’s sin without examining your own. But he is NOT saying; don’t spread the Gospel because you have sin in your life. Judging is for God. Giving mercy is for God…and you. God did not give you what you deserve; Hell. He gave you mercy and commands that you give others mercy too. He also commanded you to spread the good news to the ends of the Earth. The famous verse about a plank in your eye is not an excuse to ignore Jesus’ command about sharing the Gospel. From this point on, consider it an honor if people get mad at you for sharing the Gospel. It is God working on their conscience. Remember, you did not go down without a fight either… Also, remember their fight is not with you. Their fight is a power struggle over control. Don’t try to make people mad; that is not how you spread the news. Don’t be pushy, just appeal to their conscience. Jesus used the law to show people sin. Let God’s word do the work and stay out of the way. If they happen to get mad at you in the process, take the beating. That is nothing compared to the beating He took for you…
Written by Chris Vasecka
To join a group of Christian business professionals who want to guide the next generation of Christian small business owners and professionals go to www.goodfaithpeople.ning.com.
Labels:
bible study,
bible study devotion,
devotion,
devotional,
god,
jesus,
luke
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