I spent about three years reading the Bible before I became a Christian.
I called myself out on a few things a year and a half after believing. I think it was seven years later that I was walking to school and praying and I decided to do something for other people with my faith. I stepped forward in faith and found people obstructing anything I wanted to do. I wore out my first Bible giving people answers and at that time there was an effort to get the Bible on disk and computers were very slow. But then I would listen to verse by verse teachers on the radio for maybe 20 hours a week and they would give me answers that people were already asking me.
So instead of just thinking of yourself having a hard time, what I recognized is that the whole Church is messed up and here I am 36 years later and the church is still having a hard time. On top of that, there is a doctrine called "forbearance".
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God already knows that we aren't there yet and God is not expecting you to get it right immediately. Jesus basically bore all of our mess on Himself because of our disobedience.
Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
The definition of forbearance is toleration or restraint and some of the "crazies" that preach Lordship Salvation cannot teach "forbearance" because they are saying that if you can't get it right, you aren't a Christian because they cannot forebear.
Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
This is something God does. God brings the patience, the kindness and the gentleness. And if people want other people to come to church, you have to teach forbearance because while you didn't have it all together, Christ died for you not expecting all of you to get it right but God was ready to bear your your mess on Himself.
Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
So I think God may have had me learning this in church this day not only to help be discipled and to be a better Christian but to help grow the church and to help you grow because you are asking this question and this is the answer.
If you surround yourself with some of the crazies that expect you to get everything right all of a sudden, you might feel a certain way and that might hinder your growth but if Christians want to help you, they themselves have to learn the forbearance of God and then you know that they love you.
We're told to speak the truth in love but at some point we are overzealous and say, "Well..I love you but..." and then we let you have the truth but you are not the enemy because you are our brother and God helps us do this if God brings the patience, the kindness and the gentleness that we should have.
