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Judge not lest you are judged |
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Perhaps the most quoted statement of Jesus is the one on judgment, and yet there is a tendency - a gross one at that - to misinterpret its profound meaning. Of course we humans are not God or even His Holy Son. That is why in true gospel order we are incapable of making statements that do not derive from either God's anointment or Jesus's Holy Spirit. We are forbidden to condemn people for actions or behaviors which we do not like. In those moments we assume that the Lord has afforded us the power to judge without proper prayerful revelations from Christ Himself. . . Yes, assuming the power and authority of God is sinful. . . We are God's servants and not His equal. Nonetheless God affords us the power of judgment but only in His Son's spirit. As an example the Lord gives us the power of judgment on whether to establish new meetings or not. That is why when we are inclined to augment established worship groups, we need to wait on the Lord in prayer for that power of judgment. Then, my friends, when we grow, as we should, it would be in the judgment of God. We would feel that power permeating our souls. Sometimes we may be inclined as a meeting or as a sincere disciple of Christ to discipline a person for wrongful or inconsiderate behavior. If we act spontaneously, regardless of the situation, we would alienate ourselves and adversary from the Lord's anointing. And that is why we need to pray to God for the power of judgment to ascertain whether we are called to elder or not. If after much prayer and deliberation God confirms the need for judgment, we are then judging in His gift and not in our own inclinations. Likewise if we are moved to preach the Gospel, we need the approval of the Lord for such activity. That is why we wait on the Lord for proper judgment. Then we do need to have clarity about the message we are inclined to preach. It must be Jesus's message and not our own perception. Still we need to wait on the Lord for the power to judge whether our preaching is in unity with His revelations. Finally, when we do preach it will be in the Lord's Judgment. The Lord, if we are faithful, will give us the power to judge. For that to occur, we need to wait on Him in obedience.
Arthur Berk |