Z
Zephyr
Guest
Ephesians 4:1-3
What went wrong? Well, my perception is there seems to be a breakdown of trust in the Body Of Christ. How did that happen? It would seem that most Christians didn’t recognize their enemy. Them enemy, of course is satan, and satan’s own name is Hebrew for “accuser”. Americans are under enormous pressure to be a success in everything all the time. Nobody wants to get caught looking like they got it wrong, and this is probably even more intense at church. Unable or unwilling to read the Bible for themselves, many Christians place enormous pressure on Pastors and Prayer Leaders and others trying to serve their churches to “get it right” the first time every time, almost as if some people expect someone else to work out their Salvation for them.
Far from being helpful, this sort of thing is extremely harmful. If someone has never tried to work through difficulty, with only prayer and Scripture to lean on, they wouldn’t understand that these things can and often do take time. Sometimes God even allows for getting it wrong. Yes getting it wrong. Because that is when we learn where our weaknesses are, and where the mistakes are. Someone who has “never made a mistake” is either bluffing or so arrogant they never saw where they went wrong. The rest of us build on our mistakes, becoming stronger, smarter, and most importantly, more compassionate towards others.
Galatians 5:14-15
Encouraging one another, on the other hand, is very important. Scripture only really makes sense when you start trying to live by it. That is when Scripture comes vividly alive.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
1 Corinthians 14:12
So indeed, it is better to help one another. In fact, it is God’s will that we encourage one another, which is exactly why encouragement is listed among the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
That being said, we want to be careful what we are encouraging others around us to actually do. Remember, we wish to be careful to steer others towards Jesus Christ, not away from Him. So we would be wise to place our trust in people who are strong in Scripture, as well as experienced in working with the Lord Himself. It can take a little practice to learn to tell the difference, but you are looking for the kind of people who admit their mistakes as well as giving the Lord lots of credit for getting them where they are now. People who just boast of their own accomplishments are fun to listen to, and may look impressive, but if you don’t have their special strengths and talents, what they have to offer might not be much help. If someone offers you Scripture, however, as well as telling you how they sought the Lord in prayer, and how it was that He helped them overcome, now they are steering you in a direction that you too can go. After all, we can all go straight to our Savior for answers and provision, as well we should.
Now, when discussing a difficult problem, it would be destructive to say its not possible to do any better than that, so just give up. Unfortunately a lot of church people are doing exactly that! That’s really a shame too, because that is exactly the opposite of what Scripture proclaims. Its also defeating. For all that, its probably the easy way out. But “overcome” is a powerful word, and the strong things are usually something we must strive for. So if we wish to see encouraging working as a Gift of the Holy Spirit, we are probably going to have to do some striving, since if we didn’t have to strive, encouraging wouldn’t be a Gift, now would it.
I once explained to a woman who was struggling with cancer that if she had been praying for something, and she knew she was right to pray for it, and she wasn’t getting the answer she honestly needed, then Jesus must be asking something of her. Her faith was strong enough to accept that, and she was greatly encouraged by that insight. I got that insight from striving for my own faith, which is where all my insights come from. I honestly believe faith is worth fighting for. It is.
In Christ, Z
What went wrong? Well, my perception is there seems to be a breakdown of trust in the Body Of Christ. How did that happen? It would seem that most Christians didn’t recognize their enemy. Them enemy, of course is satan, and satan’s own name is Hebrew for “accuser”. Americans are under enormous pressure to be a success in everything all the time. Nobody wants to get caught looking like they got it wrong, and this is probably even more intense at church. Unable or unwilling to read the Bible for themselves, many Christians place enormous pressure on Pastors and Prayer Leaders and others trying to serve their churches to “get it right” the first time every time, almost as if some people expect someone else to work out their Salvation for them.
Far from being helpful, this sort of thing is extremely harmful. If someone has never tried to work through difficulty, with only prayer and Scripture to lean on, they wouldn’t understand that these things can and often do take time. Sometimes God even allows for getting it wrong. Yes getting it wrong. Because that is when we learn where our weaknesses are, and where the mistakes are. Someone who has “never made a mistake” is either bluffing or so arrogant they never saw where they went wrong. The rest of us build on our mistakes, becoming stronger, smarter, and most importantly, more compassionate towards others.
Galatians 5:14-15
Encouraging one another, on the other hand, is very important. Scripture only really makes sense when you start trying to live by it. That is when Scripture comes vividly alive.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
1 Corinthians 14:12
So indeed, it is better to help one another. In fact, it is God’s will that we encourage one another, which is exactly why encouragement is listed among the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
That being said, we want to be careful what we are encouraging others around us to actually do. Remember, we wish to be careful to steer others towards Jesus Christ, not away from Him. So we would be wise to place our trust in people who are strong in Scripture, as well as experienced in working with the Lord Himself. It can take a little practice to learn to tell the difference, but you are looking for the kind of people who admit their mistakes as well as giving the Lord lots of credit for getting them where they are now. People who just boast of their own accomplishments are fun to listen to, and may look impressive, but if you don’t have their special strengths and talents, what they have to offer might not be much help. If someone offers you Scripture, however, as well as telling you how they sought the Lord in prayer, and how it was that He helped them overcome, now they are steering you in a direction that you too can go. After all, we can all go straight to our Savior for answers and provision, as well we should.
Now, when discussing a difficult problem, it would be destructive to say its not possible to do any better than that, so just give up. Unfortunately a lot of church people are doing exactly that! That’s really a shame too, because that is exactly the opposite of what Scripture proclaims. Its also defeating. For all that, its probably the easy way out. But “overcome” is a powerful word, and the strong things are usually something we must strive for. So if we wish to see encouraging working as a Gift of the Holy Spirit, we are probably going to have to do some striving, since if we didn’t have to strive, encouraging wouldn’t be a Gift, now would it.
I once explained to a woman who was struggling with cancer that if she had been praying for something, and she knew she was right to pray for it, and she wasn’t getting the answer she honestly needed, then Jesus must be asking something of her. Her faith was strong enough to accept that, and she was greatly encouraged by that insight. I got that insight from striving for my own faith, which is where all my insights come from. I honestly believe faith is worth fighting for. It is.
In Christ, Z
