I think with all things, it's not about us. It's not about our hearts, our minds, our thoughts, our feelings, but 100 percent about HIS heart, HIS mind, HIS thoughts, HIS feelings. When we can submit ourselves to Him, knowing that it is no longer us that live, but Him that lives in us, and let Him work through us as He desires, then we will truly mature in Him, get off the milk, and be the light and salt in the world as we are advised to do.
We are fleshly people, so our focus is on what? Our flesh mostly! I know many won't like these words, but I think we, in general, put our focus on US more than on Christ (the Word). If we know the Word, our hearts will be guarded. If we seek HIM first, our hearts will be guarded. The Word is our life now, not ourselves.
I hear people all the time use phrases like "Brood of vipers", or "Hypocrites," in order to bash other Christian brothers and sisters, but what we fail to understand is that Christ never said this to a brother or sister. These words were for the Pharisees and Sadducee's; and nothing to do with a child of God, but yet, people get attacked on a daily basis, and are told, well Jesus wasn't always nice when he chastised. Ultimately, it's an excuse to belittle and attack someone else. Christ was NOTHING but love, and the times that He was righteously upset or angered in the Spirit was because of unsaved people that claimed to know Him, but yet hindered others from entering into Heaven because of their laws and religiosity.
Christ is ALSO Christ, and what He does has no bearing in what we are told to do. Imagine your boss having a rule that you cannot fraternize with the customers, and you see your boss doing just that. Go ahead and try and tell him about how wrong he is and see how far you get. He's the BOSS and he can do what he wants, but you are not and you do as HE SAYS, not what HE DOES. It's just the way it is in life and the way it is spiritually.
We are told to LOVE our enemies. If Christ wanted to call them anything, He had the right to do as Christ, but He gives us a command to love them, and calling them names and belittling them is NOT walking in love. We are also told to shake the dust off our feet with those that completely refuse and deny and don't want the Gospel of Christ; not call them heathens, heretics, jerks, idiots, nutcases and morons, but to just shake the dust and leave.
Do we really think by calling names, that the seed you tried to plant will grow? I highly doubt it! They will not care about anything you said or tried to say about God or the Word if you are attacking them verbally. If anything, it will turn them off Christianity and want nothing to do with it. What seed you tried to plant will more than likely never sprout, because you have ruined your testimony by being rude, arrogant, and judgmental; whether they be saved or not.
We are told to do unto others as we would like done to ourselves, but yet we walk around and judge, condemn, point fingers, accuse, attack, and just outright be self-righteous men and women.
With this said, however, there is a time to chastise or rebuke, but what we fail to see is that this is done for the edification, exhortation, and comfort... ALWAYS! If it is not done in this manner, it's SIN! Even the 7 letters to the 7 Churches, Christ rebukes the church, but ALWAYS, after that rebuke, He edifies them or gives them comfort somehow. So many today want to beat down and tear apart and leave others feeling empty, alone, and hurt; walking away defeated and broken hearted.
God deals with HIS children completely different than those that are not HIS, and we should take note on this. We are ALL brothers and sisters in Christ if you know Him, but we, in general, treat one another like we are not. We get to upset with a brother that may have a different understanding of the rapture (pre-mid-post), and then call them heretics or false teachers because their understanding doesn't line up with our understanding. Or we tell them that they are not reading the same bible we are reading and that they need to somehow get more spiritual so that they too can some to the same knowledge we have. Really?
Since when did ANYONE become the sole authority on the Word? I think that is more a Catholic teaching than not. Yes, there are things in the Word that are 100 percent understandable, and these things are the foundational truths that hold Christianity together; the cornerstone, but a pre-mid-post rapture or 3 wise men or 1000 wise men, or if Adam had a belly button... These things we might never know or understand in our flesh, but someday will be revealed to us. Why break fellowship with a brother or sister in Christ over something that has nothing at all to do with Christ and Him crucified? How far do we take these differences before we start to disown someone or call them a heretic or false teacher?
Do we not realize that we can talk for hours and hours, back and forth, and nobody come to any understanding of the other persons view, and get angry and disown them as a brother because they don't see it your way? If one disagrees, fine... Share your understanding, but always walk away with Love; not division or hate. Believe it or not, we are ALL seeking truth and we ALL want to understand the Word of God, as it is the foundation of our lives and heart. It's not going to be US that lead anyone to the truth in the end. It's going to only be by the Holy Spirit and the revelation that HE gives to that person; not the 10 hours you argue with them, calling them names, and pretending like you have all the answers. Yes, we share the truth, as we understand it, but in the end, all this name calling and division is NOT of God; and it shows that deep inside, we are NOT guarding our hearts.
I'm really not sure why I went this far in depth with my post. I guess I'm just writing my thoughts on (perse) paper for someone to read. In the end I'm not saying that we compromise false teaching or anything else, but what I am saying, is that our approach to these persons, and how we conduct ourselves with them, will be more pleasing, imo, to God the Father, if we do it out of love, and not hate or anger, or name calling. We are light and salt in this world, and if our actions show that we have no leniency or toleration of anyone that disagrees with us, then what example are we displaying? At this point, we are no longer Christians, but self-righteous experts on nothing.
These are just my thoughts... Take them for what it's worth... But guarding your heart has more implication that what most would see.
