Speaking the Truth as a Disciple of the Lord 1

What is a Disciple of Lord?
A disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ.  Jesus says: "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me.  If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it.  But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.  And how do you benefit it you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process?  Is anything worth more than your soul?  For I, the Son of Man, will come in the glory of my Father with his angels and will judge all people according to their deeds."  Matthew 16:24-27

Readers forget Jesus hadn't gone to the cross yet so this concept of carrying your cross meant to Jesus listeners "that the person carrying the cross was going to die."  They were on a death march to be crucified on the cross in which they carried.

Notice Jesus' words "You must put aside your selfish ambition, and shoulder your cross and follow me."   We as Christians know to put aside our selfish ambition is to deny what our flesh wants us to do and do what Christ has called us to do.

A person who isn't a Christ follower lives according to the flesh instead of the Spirit.  A person who shoulders their cross not only identifies with Christ but gains greater understanding and power to live according to the Spirit.  Life doesn't become some pointless cycle but a journey- to experience all that God has planned for us.

A disciple of Jesus Christ never forgets to see their "need" for Jesus Christ in every moment of their day of their lives.  They submit to God's authority and majesty and follow humbly behind God.  I say "behind" God because he prepares the way for us.  And we forget who we are called to be in Christ if we get lost in ourselves and try to control the direction of our life with our own selfish wants and ambitions.  We lose the power of God to work in our life because we are trusting ourselves and not God.

Having this "cross" illustration helps me understand that as we grow a deeper trust in God/ Jesus Christ and mature in his love - we don't just lose our life but gain a deeper relationship with God.  And having this relationship with him will supernaturally let us glorify him because we will be "in" him.

Don't Lie, Speak the Truth.
Pardon my redundancy.  I am going to repeat some things I posted in the last posts as God is continuing to build and expound upon these words he has given.

“Therefore putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.   Be an angry and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.  Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.” Ephesians 4:25-28

Telling the truth to your neighbor can be tough, it's even tougher if we are going about it in the wrong way.   Even telling another Christian what they are doing is wrong can be rough.

Note: Take careful care approaching and addressing those still young in Christ especially in "clothing".   Sometimes those young in Christ need to see what is appropriate and what is not by what is modeled by their peers.  (I am not talking about dressing in suit and tie or dress down to your ankles.   I dress in cargo shorts, t-shirt and flip flops.)  If what is inappropriate continues - those close to that individual and even a leader need to gently encourage them to find something more appropriate in their wardrobe.  Maybe even a good shopping opportunity!  

Reasons Why We Don't Want to Speak the Truth to Someone:
1. We don’t want to hurt their feelings.  
2.  Out of fear of conflict.
3.  Afraid to lose them as a friend.
4.  Afraid their heart won’t be receptive to what we need to tell them.
5.  What we say will have little or no affect.   They simply don't care.
6.  Because we really don't care all that much for them.... if that is true, check your spiritual vitals with God. 

Three things come to mind in speaking the truth with your neighbor.   They are a doctor, Jesus' approach to the woman at the well and Queen Esther.

A doctor would not tell a patient that they didn’t have cancer or some other kind of sickness out of some fear of how they might react.   A doctor would tell them the truth - of course a good bedside manner would certainly help and that is where Jesus and Esther come to mind.

How is Your Bedside Manner?

Jesus/God the great physician, how did Jesus approach the Samaritan woman at the well? (John 4)
He was humble.  He related to her water situation and how Jews and Samaritans worshiped the same God and then he presented the truth about himself and her life.

How did Queen Esther deliver the bad news to her husband, King Xerxes, that the man he trusted, Haman, was going to kill the Jews, which also meant he could kill her family and her?   What were the things she did to earn the king’s respect and a listening heart? Haman was an evil man and if she allowed anger and fear to get the best of her she wouldn’t be able to function or speak up to save her people or herself. 
 

Esther sought God who knows all hearts.  She prayed, asked for prayer and fasted so she might find favor in the king’s sight when she approached him without invitation.  Granted an audience of the king she wasn't self-righteous but humble.   She wasn’t hasty in her "immediate" request.  She was patient and respectful towards the king and even to Haman.  She showed a genuine interest in the king and what was important to him as king.  She was generous.  The king seeing goodness and godliness in her asked of a request from her “twice”.   Talk about God opening a door so she may plead for her people and herself.   She presented a beautiful banquet of all her goodness and godliness by her actions and she reaped favor for her and her people by the goodness she sowed.  Goodness and godliness she could not have given if she didn't trust God.  She trusted in God which produced godly actions.

When you disciple someone and share the Lord with someone you and I are stimulating something within that person.   How we live and how we deliver the truth to someone will make an enormous difference in how they receive what we are saying.   What we sow is what we reap.

Speak the Truth in humility and love and compassion for that person to whom we speak. Pray for the souls God will have you speak to in this life.  Pray that when you speak, the words will be from the Holy Spirit.   Some will except the truth you speak about God and needing Jesus and some will not but there will be no denying that what you speak is powerful.    We are to love the person but hate the sin.

Are you a thief?

“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were seal for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.  And be kind to one another tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:28-30

Are you a thief and don’t know it? A thief is one who steals. A thief doesn’t do what is good… he steals what is good.  God says, “You must not steal.”  
         

After God made me take a real good look at this passage, it made want to watch my mouth even more and want to speak only good things about others and into and over people’s lives.   I would easily robe someone of right thinking and stimulate negatively by what I said or did or even stood around and agreed to.
 

You know that saying “If you have nothing good to say…say nothing at all”?

It’s easy to say nothing at all.  It’s easy to complain.  It's easy to drop connotation.   It’s more difficult to find something good to say.   It’s more difficult to look out for people’s best interests instead of our own.

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

This is very important! Think about it! Does what you say tear down or build up.   Does it give God glory or does it not.   Those who don't know any different will follow in your negative opinion and follow you in your sin.  Follow you in presumption and opinion instead of fact. How about when you  give hurtful information that doesn't need to be heard about what others think of them?  That is not building up.  What we sow will either steal from or gift the receiver of our actions.  People's minds who aren't constantly seeking and submitted to the Lord will meditate and feed off your words and actions- so what actions and words are you feeding them to build them up in the knowledge and glory of the Lord? 

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7

Not only is our negative actions a total disregard for God's word but it is a sign of doubt and unbelief.  It is proof the word is not in our heart only in our mind.  If we knew better we would see we were not just disobeying God's word but treating the blood of Christ, which saved us from hell, as if it were common and unholy.  God's blood!  That should really make us shudder.
 

You and I cannot please God unless we have faith.  What we speak will determine what we believe in our heart.     Do we really believe God’s word when we murmur and complain and speak negatives about others?   Don’t let Satan put those negative things into your mind and you speak them without thinking.  Speak them not understanding the consequences.  Speak them not realizing what it will do to the person to whom we speak.  Satan is the thief you are not.  He is the destroyer you are not.  You are to be a child of God who refuses to let the world corrupt you.   That is what you were called to be and he (God) has given you, as the body of Christ, the power be that as you submit to his authority and love.

A righteous person lives by faith.  We are to trust God and walk humbly with God and live in the truth, the way and the light.  Curses and blessings are not right to come out of same mouth.   We are to walk in and pay attention and take heed of what the Spirit is saying.  We are the body of Christ not the body of some other identity.  We are to act differently then the world.  We are to draw from God’s unlimited resources to do what is right because what is in the vine should come and bear good fruit on its branches. We should be mindful of the present and the future.

What do you say to or about your siblings in Christ?  What do you say to your neighbor? 

Do you say and stand up for what is right or do we fall into the flesh?  Do we have fear your neighbor's response more then we fear God?  If no stands up for what is right who will?

We are to tell our brothers and sisters the truth especially if they are not being reverent towards what God's word says..  We are to humbly tell our neighbors the truth   We are to speak good things over people and into people’s lives.  We are our brother’s keeper, liability partner and we are to speak and warn each other of the righteousness we are to live not as religious sand paper full of abrasiveness but in love and humility. 
 

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.  Bear one another burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. “ Galatians 6:1-3

What are we stimulating in those around us.  Are we edifying and imparting grace?  The same grace God has given us?

Renewed Out of the Status Quo

“You are the salt of the earth.  But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?  Can you make it useful again?  It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.   You are a light of the world- like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see.” Matthew 5:13-14

You know how some people need their coffee in the morning.  I need God’s Spirit to renew me every day.  It’s like opening the windows first thing in the morning and letting God’s Spirit to blow out all the stuffy stench.   God’s guided word in the morning is a breakfast that isn’t too heavy and isn’t too light but keeps me going and focused throughout the day.   For me just living in the status quo is no encouragement at all.  I might as well be an electric car trying to fill up at a gas pump.

We only draw the warmth, goodness and boldness of God when we are in God’s light not the status quo of the world.  The moon would not be visible at night if it wasn't in the path of the sun's light would it?  We have to determine what we are going to stand in.  Is it going to be God's love, mercy, and power or darkness?

Jesus says:

“If you are thirsty, come to me!  If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within.” John 7:38

Obviously if we aren't trusting Jesus then the water of the Holy Spirit isn't going to flow out from within.

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”  Luke 6:45
  
Belief/Faith, not doubt, keep the lights on in the glowing city.   When we humble ourselves and put God first and he lifts up our soul.
 

We look and anticipate God to direct our heart.  (After all he is the author and perfecter of our faith.)   Then as we receive, our hearts will be keeled and steered by God even in the dark storms of life.  Our hearts, knowing his heart, won’t want to turn wayward to useless things and ventures because they will be secure and satisfied in God with a healthy dose of respect.  We will know God’s heart and we will be all that God wants us to be.