Judge Not? Judging like Jesus..

Judging like Jesus!

Been meditating on the concept of how Jesus judges. Watched the movie, ‘The Shack’ recently, and it got me to thinking. I remember one scene in the movie, where God the Father (appearing as a wonderful black woman) was asked “Why don’t you judge them?”

With raised eyebrows she said: “Judge?”

The overwhelming theme of the movie is how incredibly complex human lives are, and how far God will go in love to reach out and heal and redeem shattered people.

Clearly God is love, and hates evil, yet operates in love above and beyond all evil.

Got to thinking about some Scriptures.

Remember the woman caught in adultery?

Let’s look at it together:

John 8:

Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.

² And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.

³ And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

⁴ They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

⁵ Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

⁶ This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

⁷ So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

⁸ And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

⁹ And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

¹⁰ When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

John 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
12 ¶ Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

We see in this reading, that Jesus was called to judge in the case of the woman caught in adultery. Many have commented on His great mercy towards the woman, and the wisdom of His judgement on her behalf, standing against the corrupted judgement of the religious leaders of the day. Obviously, for adultery to have occurred, there had to be two participants, and the man was conspicuously absent from this mock trial and potential stoning.

Yet, Jesus was able to render true judgement in this case, and in His judgement, I believe there was grace imparted to the woman, power from God, to empower her to be able to do, what He told her to do: Go, and sin no more.

Yet, today as I meditated upon the Word, seeking the will of our Father for my life, I see something here that I suspected for many times, and that is the relationship between personal holiness and purity of heart, and the power of God displayed.

Normally, judgement is rendered out of the mouth of two or three witnesses. The question logically might be: How do we know if the witnesses are telling the truth? Secondly, what do we do if the society has become so corrupt, that no honest witnesses can be found?

Jesus heart was revealed in His relationship with our Father, in this:

John 2:24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

Jesus walk with our Father, was from birth to the cross, in absolute purity, and sinless perfection.

I believe that we are called to walk this way also.

The question is how do we get there, and how do we judge or make decisions?

What about these verses?

Matt 7:1 ¶ Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Here we see a direct commandment not to judge people.

Joh 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Joh 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

How on earth, are we supposed to do that?

Answer? This is only possible by correctly applying the Word of God, and accurately hearing the voice of Jesus in the earth, the Holy Spirit!

Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.

In all of these Scriptures, we see that we are forbidden to judge other people, yet what about these verses:

Joh 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

Does Jesus still have authority to judge? Surely.

Question is, as His representatives and ambassadors in the earth, how do we judge?

1 Cor 4:1 ¶ Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

I believe there is a place in obedience to the Holy Spirit, whereby Jesus reveals to us, as leaders, His judgments and decrees in the earth, and that these must be received by direct revelation from the heart and lips of our Father in heaven.

The challenge is what to do with what He shows us?

Are we to pray, prophesy, preach, confront?

This takes wisdom, because sometimes, because He loves us, He simply shows us things, to protect or bring understanding to us, and our families.

Sometimes the best I can do in these situations, where others are set in THEIR ways to do against the revealed will of God, is to quietly walk away and remove myself from them.

I have learned to seek purity of heart and motive.

Why?

Mt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

I, like you, need to see God, clearly, so that I might know the will of the Father. Only when I see and hear Him, can I honestly obey, with a right motive, and judge correctly. He is Lord, I am not, I am nothing but a steward over His work, His Creation. Yet, there are times, when I must stand bold against sin, sickness, demons, and the constructs of the agendas of men and their worldly agendas.

Our job is always to endeavor to obey Him, no matter what!

2Co 10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

As we obey, we will see more and more power of God manifest in the earth:

Ac 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

As a witness, I need to see something: either His plan, purpose, presence or revealed will in a situation, or perhaps to an event that He performed, a sign, wonder, miracle, that I can testify about. When I witness the Holy Spirit bears witness, and He graciously shows up in my life, as I obey Him!

This, and this alone allows me to judge situations, people, and even governments!

When this happens, I can take His authority, and war for His will in the earth, declaring His decrees and watching as He establishes these in power, as I believe His Word!

You can too!

Let’s Pray:

“Father, I believe that all judgement still belongs to Jesus. He is Lord, and I am His. Jesus, show me your will for my life, my family, my church, my community, my state, and my country. In every area these are not in alignment with your will and your Word, anoint me to arise in violent faith, and to blast every enemy, and to establish your kingdom through your Word declared. Thank you for signs, wonders and miracles establishing your Word in the earth. Amen’

https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/08/06/the-purpose-of-this-blog/

You’re not in a Church, you are in a bar!

A Critical Spirit

Church Bar in Dublin, Ireland

Tim Hawkins, the comedian, makes the joke that, if you go to a church where others do not judge you, you’re really in a bar, not a church.

So many women will not set foot in a church because they are sure that they will be judged (criticized). Some women are even called to ministry but would rather hide in the woods than take their place because of other women judging.

 

You can go to church and enjoy it, even if you are a pastor’s wife or a pastor yourself. You cannot worry what people think. Not your responsibility. When you see someone, try to think of something positive about them, even if you don’t like the way they dress, make a decision to love and empower them anyway.

Church must be a place of love, acceptance and forgiveness, where wounded people can find wholeness….

Karen

Let’s Pray:

‘Father, please forgive us for our pride, and harsh, judgmental attitudes. Deliver us that we might truly love and see the broken through Your eyes, that they might be healed, empowered, and helped to become more like Jesus. In Your name I pray Lord Jesus, Amen!’

The Weighter Matters of Life…

Matt 23:23  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

As I read this passage of Scripture, the words: ‘Weightier Matters’ jumped off the page at me, making me think carefully about the weightier matters of life. So, I looked up this verse in several other versions.

Matthew 23:23

Amplified Bible (AMP)

23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you give a tenth of your mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected and omitted the weightier (more important) matters of the Law—right and justice and mercy and fidelity. These you ought [particularly] to have done, without neglecting the others.

Matthew 23:23

The Message (MSG)

23-24 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that’s wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons?

Justice, Mercy and Faith!

What a topic! In this land of the free and home of the brave, where we strive for freedom, liberty, and justice for all.

If we can’t get it right in the church house, there is no hope for the White House!

 

1 Peter 4:17

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Let’s look at Websters simple definition of ‘Justice’

Simple Definition of justice

Popularity: Top 1% of lookups

• : the process or result of using laws to fairly judge and punish crimes and criminals

• : a judge in a court of law

• Justice —used as a title for a judge (such as a judge of the U.S. Supreme

Full Definition of justice

1. 1a :  the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishmentsb :  judgec :  the administration of law; especially :  the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity

2. 2a :  the quality of being just, impartial, or fairb (1) :  the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action (2) :  conformity to this principle or ideal :  righteousnessc :  the quality of conforming to law

3. 3:  conformity to truth, fact, or reason :  correctness

I am not an attorney, legislator, nor judge, yet, as a man of God, determined to walk in holiness and integrity, I am required to look at justice, mercy, and faith.

We see lady justice with scales in one hand and a sword in the other.

How well I knew it all after finishing Bible school, full of the Word of God, determined to make a difference in our generation, a man on fire for Jesus, filled with spiritual power, loving my enemies, walking by faith, knowing that the Word of God held every answer to humanities needs, for is it not written:

2 Peter 1:2  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

I still believe that, that Jesus is the answer, and that through His promises, we can overcome any difficulty this world throws at us, for

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1Jo 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

That if we walk in love, and stand bold in faith, we will see victory in this life, in every arena!

Then, I realized that not everyone sees it that way. Some people, are not ever going to see it, and receive the love of God, or decide to walk in faith.

God gave people free will, and it has amazed me over the years, how strongly people will hold on to their will over the will of God!

The United States has three branches of government, while the kingdom of God only has two:

The political government of the country, and the authority of God invested in His church.

Where these two meet, there are some interesting dynamics!

Let’s give a couple examples:

As a pastor, I have performed marriages, and perform marriage counselling for church members. Yet, what about the divorcee? What does a child custody agreement need to look like?

Or how about our outreach to folks struggling with an addiction? People broken, battered and abused by their helplessness to stop the insatiable cravings for their drug of choice?

Let me tell a story:

Several years ago, a community that I pastored in had a drug problem. It was a government housing project, and one night in a drug raid, they arrested 70 people ! Shut down 7 crack houses in a day! Glory to God right?

Yet, God directed me to open an alcohol drug program for those hopelessly addicted, and suddenly our life became interesting!

I promised to love and walk with the 22 addicts that joined my program, through whatever they got themselves into, on one condition: It was a 26 lesson course, and they had to be willing to take the next lesson.

This meant that I had to mediate unpaid drug debts, go to hospitals to visit sick or overdosed folks, attend family court with those who had children, and regularly go to the local jails and prisons to visit folks.

Some of these court sessions were brutal, yet enlightening, sometimes comical. Listen to this story I read:

Supreme Court Justice Horace Gray once informed a man who had appeared before him in a lower court and had escaped conviction on a technicality, “I know that you are guilty and you know it, and I wish you to remember that one day you will stand before a better and wiser Judge, and that there you will be dealt with according to justice and not according to law.” Surprised while burgling a house in Antwerp, Belgium, the thief fled out the back door, clambered over a nine-foot wall, dropped down the other side, and found himself in the city prison.

Oops: The Book of Blunders, 1980

As a pastor, I always stood in love, with the person in my care, but as a man of God, I could never lie, nor agree with sinful choices they had made.

Sometimes the courts had mercy, other times folks went to jail, but here I stood, in love, mercy, and faith believing the best for the addict, while the courts read the muck and mire they had been involved in.

Brokeness and tears were my portion during that season, crying out to God for mercy, and deliverance for these suffering souls, and by His grace, 21 of the 22 folks who went through the program, remain alcohol and drug free 10 years later.

This whole season was not a formula, but a living vital relationship, with Holy Spirit, seeking Him for wisdom as to how to help people, and for the judges to know what to do also.

Love with skin on. 

John 1:14

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth

How easy it would have been to become cold, clinical, detached, and to say to those broken people: well, you did the crime, now do the time!

This appears to be the position of these religious leaders in Jesus day. They knew the letter of the law, but had not experienced God personally, so that their example had become cold, sterile, lifeless, devoid of love and power. How easy it is for us in care-giving positions to become this way!

Doctors, nurses, counselors, health care, senior care, we must break before Him, often daily, or quietly die inside…

If you have died inside, here’s good news:

Ezekiel 36:26

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heartout of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Pray for tears, that He again break your heart with the things that are breaking His.

Thank God for the eternal standard of the Word of God, and His holiness that we all seek to emulate! Holiness is simply another word for LOVE…

Yet, without love, we are clanging gongs, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 1 Cor 13:1

Freedom, Liberty and Justice for all:

Jesus said, knowing Him, and Him alone will produce true freedom: Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Then there is a walk of faith, and intimacy with God, where the Holy Spirit is given preeminance, that will produce liberty: 2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Yet, mercy is what we all need, forgiveness at the feet of a holy God, Ro 15:9  And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. Jas 2:13  For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

I read this story about Napoleon that touched me:

A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death.

“But I don’t ask for justice,” the mother explained. “I plead for mercy.”

“But your son does not deserve mercy,” Napoleon replied.

“Sir,” the woman cried, “it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for.”

“Well, then,” the emperor said, “I will have mercy.” And he spared the woman’s son.

Luis Palau, Experiencing God’s Forgiveness, Multnomah Press, 1984.

Let’s Pray:

‘Father, we recognize that people make wrong choices. That there are sure consequences to those choices. Father, for those of us in leadership, empower us to do what we must, to restrain evil in our generation, always operating in your love for people. Have mercy on us today, and give us courage, wisdom, and strength to continue to care, love, and pursue you and your holiness, and purity of heart before you, as we continue to trust and obey you, that the strong muscles of our faith, break every chain that would attempt to hold us back from the destiny you have created us to walk out, in your name I pray, Lord Jesus, Amen’