Ordinary People

Thank God for “Common People”

As our Lord came near to the end of His life, the religious leaders saw that they were losing their place of prominence in the sight of most of the people. The ordinary Jews who heard Him showed how fascinated they were by Jesus. They asked the question, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied” (John 7:15)?

Jesus spent His life dealing with the “common people.”

Jesus spent His life dealing with the “common people.”

The religious leaders “…heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him” and “…sent officers to take Him” (John 7:32). The soldiers returned empty-handed saying, “No man ever spoke like this Man” (John 7:46). The leaders tried to use their influence as religious leaders to persuade men by saying, “Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him” (John 7:48)? This had no impact on the multitudes. Those leaders could not deny His power shown in the resurrection of Lazarus and in their frustration, “…the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death” (John 12:10).

The very next day, Jerusalem was in an uproar as Jesus made that triumphant entry into the city. He had been totally rejected by the “godly” leaders, yet His popularity was so evident. The leaders confronted Him in the temple, and He dealt with every one of their questions. “And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him any more” (Matt. 22:46). They had failed! How did the multitude respond? “And the common people heard Him gladly” (Mark 12:37).

“The common people heard Him…” Thank God for “common people,” for the kingdom of God did not attract nobility, but it was built upon the response of “common people”    (1 Cor. 1:26; Jas. 2:5). “Common people” loved Jesus.

Jesus spent His life dealing with the “common people.” He ate with sinners and publicans; He helped Legion with the demons; He was part of the life of the woman who had seven demons; He touched the lepers; He felt the touch of a poor woman who touched His garments; He spent time with a woman who had had five husbands and was now living with a man outside of any marriage; He ignored the multitude to heal that blind man who was despised by most; He chose a “terrorist” (Zealot) to be an apostle and chose ignorant and unlearned fishermen to proclaim Him to the world. Thank God for “common people.”

The lesson to be learned from this should be obvious. Our world is filled with those religious leaders and their blind followers, but there are still “common people” who are searching for the meaning of life. As we sow the seed we must never overlook the “common people.” If Jesus were here He would definitely see the “common people” as future saints!

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Disciplina & Comunion

CORTE DE COMUNION
Se le llama así por lo que implica, simplemente es retirar la comunión que se goza en Cristo con hermanos que nadan desordenadamente. Es lamentable que en la Iglesia del Señor ocurran desordenes sin embargo, no es algo nuevo. Desde la antigüedad el plan de Dios ha sido mantener su viña tan limpia como sea posible. Bajo la ley de Moises había un sistema para los ofensores en asuntos morales o asuntos doctrinales. Usualmente se llevan fuera del campamento y ahí se ejecutaba sentencia, el principio a aprender está ahí y no tiene que ver con el hecho de apedrear a alguien sino con la acción de sacar al individuo fuera para mantener a Israel limpio por dentro. Cualquiera puede argumentar que esto es extremismo y que la ley de Cristo es de amor y de perdón, y ciertamente lo es pero no lo es todo. Parece ser que esto es lo que Pablo estaba indicando cuando acusa la alcahuetura de algunos miembros de la Iglesia con el caso de inmoralidad en 1Co.5. La frase que el usa es “el tal sea echado fuera” en los versículos siguientes pasa a explicar como un poco de levadura leuda toda la masa así también un poco de desastre tolerado en la Iglesia leuda toda la congregación. Así que en primer lugar:

Corte de Comunion

Corte de Comunion

1. LA IGLESIA DEBE ENTENDER Y APOYAR CIEN POR CIENTO: No hay nada más complicado que una congregación dividida en “secreto”. Creo que el tema de la disciplina es uno de los que se debería de tocar más a menudo desde nuestros púlpitos, la hermandad debería de aprender más y más que la disciplina o el corte de comunión que se hace a un hermano que ande desordenadamente es necesario y que no es algo personal. Los pasajes son muchos y las circunstancias diversas, pero no necesariamente en todos los casos hay que pasar por todos los pasos que menciona Jesus en Mateo 18. Cuando él da esta enseñanza note que inicia: “Por tanto, Si tu hermano peca contra ti…”(Mt.18:15). La idea parece expresar la ofensa que se comete en contra de otro miembro del cuerpo de Cristo sobre asuntos personales. Pero hay ofensas que no son individuales o personales, son ofensas a la doctrina misma de Cristo, son ofensas a la Iglesia Gloriosa del Señor y al ser evidentes  en público entonces no necesitan de un proceso del que habló Jesús. A estos hermanos se les debe de hacer un corte de comunión directo como el caso que Pablo trabaja en 1Co.5. Pregunta-¿Fue Pablo primero a hablar con este hombre que cometía fornicación en privado?¿Mandó Pablo a el liderazgo de esa congregación a hablar privadamente con él?. Simplemente dijo “El tal sea echado a Satanás”,  y claro el propósito era salvar su alma. La Iglesia necesita cien por ciento apoyar y comprender con ojos de Dios el propósito y dejar de pensar que esto puede dañar o es muy fuerte. La Iglesia hace mucho más mal que bien cuando no comprende el corte de comunión hacia algún miembro desordenado. Me temo que hay cientos que están en listados en el cuaderno de la condenación por haber sido tolerados y haber encubrido su pecado en las congregaciones donde asistían que jamás le aplicaron la disciplina de Dios.
2. LOS ANCIANOS, EVANGELISTAS O MIEMBROS NO DEBEN DEJARSE LLEVAR POR LAS EMOCIONES. ¡Oh no, pobrecito!. Cuando se hace un corte de comunión injusto la frase aplica perfectamente bien, pero por alguien que se ha opuesto a sujetarse a lo que Dios manda en su palabra la frase queda corta. El aprecio y la cercanía que tenga hacia un hermano no debe de nublar el ejercicio de la disciplina Bíblica. Ese rasgo característico de amistad hace que se toleren muchas cosas: hermanos pensando que los instrumentos musicales son de Dios y por lo tanto no hay pecado alguno en utilizarlos para adorar a Dios, otros influidos por los antis dividiendo la congregación con estas ideas, otros envueltos con el liberalismo, otros más violando el rol que Dios ha establecido para la mujer cristiana en la Iglesia etc… y la lista sigue sin mencionar los problemas morales. Es absurdo pensar que Dios tolera este tipo de cosas y que es mejor dejar todo como está para no causar problemas a nadie para que no se nos vayan de la Iglesia. Que triste es no ser guiados por el E.S de Dios a través de su palabra, porque si realmente ese fuera el caso, las palabras de Jesús en Apocalipsis nos importarían de una manera especial: “Pero tengo unas pocas cosas contra ti: que toleras que esa mujer Jezabel, que se dice profetiza, enseñe y seduzca a mis siervos a fornicar y a comer cosas sacrificadas a los ídolos” (Ap. 2:20). Que triste que el día del juicio final no sea llamado “buen siervo fiel entra en el reposo de tu Señor”, sino  más bien “Apartaos de mi hacedores de mal, nunca os conocí”.
3. NO DEBE HABER CRITICA: Cuando todo se hace bajo el estándar Bíblico no debe de existir critica alguna sobre un proceso de disciplina o un corte de comunión, cuando digo no debe de haber crítica, más bien me refiero a que si la hubiere, es pecado. La critica la murmuración y el chisme son moldes utilizados por el mismo cocinero de siempre, el diablo para crear banquetes a aquellos que desean probar su cuchara.  Dios dice en Romanos 16:17 tan solo un versículo después del ya conocido versículo 16 donde se menciona explícitamente la frase “Iglesia de Cristo”, que hay que señalar y apartarse de aquellos que causen división y tropiezo en contra de la doctrina de Cristo. Como quién dice, para ser la Iglesia verdadera de Cristo del v16 hay que mantenerla pura y sin mancha de aquellos que desean poner tropiezos. Amigos, hermanos eso no es crítica, señalar a alguien que está siguiendo una doctrina diferente a la de la Biblia, no es chisme simplemente, eso se llama seguir la instrucción divina. Pero los miembros “ecumenistas”que desean que solo haya amor y amor en la iglesia y que todo se tolere pero después hablan en criticas en contra de procedimientos bíblicos a estos Dios aborrece y ellos necesitan saber eso. El chisme es uno de los 7 pecados que Dios aborrece en Proverbios 6. ¿Cual es el pecado más cometido por los cristianos? son 3 en realidad los más cometidos: 1-El chisme, 2- El Chisme, 3- ¡EL CHISME!. Jeff Abram lo pone de esta manera: El chisme es aquello que sacrifica el honor de una persona en el altar del diablo.Sin duda alguna para Dios este pecado tendrá su recompensa fuerte en la Eternidad (Ro.1:32). Hay que proceder en amor a la hora de hacer un corte de comunión buscando la salvación del alma, ¡Pero hay que proceder!.
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Hurt Feelings?

What Happens When You Get Offended

It happens to any human that lives to be the age of ten. Sooner or later someone is going to hurt your feelings. Maybe they make fun of something you are wearing. Or a group of friends goes out to eat together and you are left out. Or maybe the attacks are much worse. Maybe someone attacks your character or says something about you that is not true. How do we deal with this? What is our normal course of action?

Sooner or later someone is going to hurt your feelings.

Sooner or later someone is going to hurt your feelings.

The honest truth is that Christians do not handle conflict very well. Too often we either do nothing at all, trying to avoid any form of conflict, or our emotions propel us to overreacting. Isn’t it interesting that the church is made up of individuals—many of whom have trouble getting along—and yet our pulpits often remain silent about what to do when you get your feelings hurt? I think many of the “problems” we have in the church today could be fixed or avoided if we would just spend some time discussing hurt feelings.

Here’s what I intend to teach my children regarding getting their feelings hurt.

You will get your feelings hurt. In fact, I’ve probably already been one of the ones to hurt your feelings. Congratulations—welcome to the human race. This is one of those things that you will deal with the rest of your life, because people are not perfect.

The first thing I want you to do the next time you get your feelings hurt is to stop and ask yourself if you are really all that important. Part of the reason our feelings are hurt is because someone offended us—which means we probably have a pretty high view of ourselves. “How dare them do that to me?!” Or, “How dare them say that about me?!” Before you ask questions like that, check yourself—and remind yourself that you are not God or His sinless Son. In fact, what you are is a sinner in need of a spotless sacrifice. Don’t forget that.

Second, do your best to treat the offending person the way you would want to be treated. In Matthew 7:12, Jesus commanded, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” This is a tough one, because if you feel hurt your normal tendency may be to lash out or punish the offender. Treat them how you would want to be treated. Because the reality is you may not know the entire situation. How many times are people wrestling with things (e.g., sickness, death of a loved one, stress at work, etc.) and you have little to no knowledge of it. Yes, they may have hurt your feelings—but you just be the recipient of something that is even more troubling in their life. It doesn’t excuse their behavior, but hopefully you might be able to better understand and be more compassionate.

Third, follow Biblical principles. The Bible has advice to both those who are offended and those who offend. In Matthew 18:15 Jesus admonishes, “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.” So have the courage to talk to them. Likewise, in Matthew 5:23-24 we read, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” Sadly, when someone hurts us we expect them to do what Scripture says and come to us, but rarely do we go to them as Jesus recorded in Matthew 18. Both parties have a responsibility. Part of the reason I wanted you to first ask yourself if you were that important is to check your pride. Pride has stopped more relationships from healing than probably any other issue. Swallow your pride and talk to the person. You might be surprised at how quickly something can be cleared up when you just sit down and talk.

Lastly, remember these are just your feelings. The Bible records in Jeremiah 17:19 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?” Some people want to “speak their mind” when their feelings get hurt. However, what you should be doing is speaking the mind of Christ. At the end of the day God is what matters. Do not allow your hurt feelings to slow you down from your ultimate purpose. Satan would love for Christians to be caught up in petty feuds over hurt feelings. This one is a tough one—and you will have to constantly be working on it. Just remember when you lay your head on your pillow that even if all your friends make fun of you, there is still a God in heaven who loves you!

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Repent or No Forgiveness

Repent or No Forgiveness

Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…

Acts 3:19-20a

What does it mean to repent?

What does it mean to repent?

 

What does it mean to repent?  The word is translated from the Greek word metanoeo, which literally means “to change one’s mind.”  To illustrate, if you and I get in a car to head to McDonald’s, and on the way we see Taco Bell and decide we’d rather have a taco than a Big Mac, and so we pull into Taco Bell instead of going to McDonald’s.  Guess what we’ve just done?  We’ve repented of McDonald’s…that is, we changed our minds about McDonald’s.  Not only that, but our actions also changed as a direct, unavoidable result of changing our minds.  We decided to go to Taco Bell instead of McDonald’s, and our actions followed suit.

God wants us to repent of sins.  He wants us to change our minds about our sin.  He wants us to stop glorying in our sin and letting it reign in our lives (Rom. 6:17-18).  He wants us to start having the same sorrow over our sins that he has, which in turn will lead to our repentance, and thus to our salvation (2 Cor. 7:9-10).  That’s why we are told to repent before being baptized in order that our sins will be forgiven (Acts 2:38).  In baptism we die to our old selves, are buried with Christ, and rise to a new life (Rom. 6:3-5).  How can any of that happen without repentance first?

Repentance is so much more than simply acknowledging that we’ve sinned, although that certainly is part of it (1 John 1:7-9).  The Bible speaks of “bearing fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matt. 3:8; Acts 26:20).  We show that we’ve truly changed our minds about our sin through our actions, and the Bible talks about what actions show a mind changed from the carnal to the spiritual.  Actions which manifest the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) rather than the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21) show whether repentance has truly taken place, and it is our actions which show the true condition of our heart (Mark 7:20-22).

Repentance…without it none of us will be forgiven.

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What Made the Difference?

What Made the Difference?

Have you ever thought about how small the Bible was which was read by the man after God’s own heart? He had access to those first five books, the books of Moses. Perhaps he had access to the book of Job. He would have known of the books of Joshua and Judges. The book of Ruth was more than a record of a woman from Moab—it was a story about his own great-grandmother. There were thirty other Old Testament books which would eventually complete the revelation God gave the Jews, but David never had access to them. Only nine books—yet, the truths contained in them were enough to change the shepherd boy into being a man after God’s own heart.

“His delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night.

“His delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night.

God knew the importance of the Bible in changing rebellious hearts and making them like His own heart. Listen to the words God gave to David (and to all the kings) hundreds of years before Israel had a king. “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and shall read it all the days of his life…that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren that he may not turn aside from the commandment…” (Deut. 17:18-20). There was enough in those first five books (those which Moses described as being the one the Levites had in Moses’ day) to change the heart of any man. Yet, hearts were rarely changed. How could this be? What was the difference in the heart of David and the hearts of almost all of the other kings? What was the difference between him and those high officials who crucified Jesus?

It was not that godly men read the Bible, and the ungodly leaders did not read the Bible. James, the Lord’s brother, said, “For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath” (Acts 15:21). The ungodly Jewish leaders knew the Sabbath, the law, circumcision, punishment for adulterous women and washing of hands. The Jews preached Moses and read the law, but it only changed the heart of a few of them. Why?

Hear the words of the man whose heart was like God’s heart. “His delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night…My voice shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up…In fear I shall worship toward Your holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness…Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight…Lead me in Your truth and teach me…” (Psa. 1:2; 5:2, 7-8; 19:14; 25:5).

What was the difference? When David read the Bible, he longed for it to change him. There is a vast difference in reading the Bible every day and reading it like David did!

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