Recently I was in a chatroom speaking with some friends and someone asked me if I had ever heard of Perry Stone. I answered “Of course, I had heard of Perry Stone, and I found some of his teachings questionable—as I do many pastors. The admin in the chatroom said “Well…every time you open your mouth randers33 we question you and your teachings. Why, just a few weeks ago, I heard someone say you were in a lesbian relationship.” Then Chainbreaker got up on the mic and told the entire room “You need to realize that randers33 is a liar and fraud.”
I sat there stunned, why would these people attack me? I put the room on ignore. Since I couldn’t hear them they chose to sit there and hurl insults at me. So another in the room pulled me aside and said “Randers33, is it true? Are you a lesbian? And what MetisHebrew says, “Did you really have dinner with Princess Diana? And what about Tom Dooley? Did you lie about that?”
If I hadn’t been so upset by the lies, I would have probably thought the question about Diana was comical. Here were 3 so called upstanding Christians attacking someone because they have no love in their hearts for the truth. I answered the lady. “No, I am not a lesbian. I have dated several guys in my life, none that I would marry. I had a very close female friend, as most girls do, that I took day trips with and such, but that doesn’t mean we were amorous.” I am not a fraud, Tom Dula is my 1st Cousin 6 times removed. And as the Diana story, let me tell you what really happened…”
Before bed, I laid down and I prayed for Troy (His_Kid_1), MetisHebrew and Jesus-is-a-chainbreaker. I prayed that God would give them whatever peace they needed in their lives. Because all I can think is that they are so unhappy that they have to make others unhappy. And I thought about bearing false witness, and how even though the tongue is so small it can do major damage. Rev. Rhonda Feurtado, of the Louisiana Conference, UMC says in her sermon “Your Nail”
Small as it is, the tongue is one of the most powerful organs in the human body. With it we can do great good – defending other people, encouraging other people, speaking words of comfort and hope to them. The tongue can also be one of the most dangerous weapons w eposes. Without touching other people physically, we have do great damage to them and hurt them very much by the way we talk about them - by betraying, slandering, or lying about them. Even when silent, the tongue and be an instrument of evil – if we fail to speak up to defend someone when others are talking about them or when words are needed and we can make a difference.
When I woke up this morning, I immediately started thinking about the Rich man and Lazarus. I thought about what kinds of things this rich man may have said about Lazarus when he saw him begging at the gate of the city. Did he mock Lazarus? Did he make up stories about Lazarus? Did he bear false witness against Lazarus? It’s quite possible he did all of these things. I think that the rich man probably fulfilled Proverbs 19:5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.
If we look at Luke 16:19-31 we see that the Rich man gained good here on earth, and those that were bearing false witness against me, have received good here on earth, but it’s meaningless if their treasures are stored up here on earth. What will they have in eternity? And Lazarus? He got bad things in life here on earth, but his treasures were stored up in heaven.
Suddenly it was clear to me, living as you belong to Christ stands opposed to worldly living. The world values wealth and possessions, while real Christian living obeys God’s Word instead of the world’s worth.
I really like like Trent Butler puts it in the Holman NT Commentary: Luke.
Kingdom living starts in this world. Members of the kingdom must live with the same resources and challenges as the secular person. Too often secular people outsmart kingdom people in their use of the world’s resources to get ahead, plan ahead, and influence other people. Kingdom people also need to use the world’s resources with acumen and wisdom. Kingdom people have a clearer vision of the future; they point toward eternity, not just toward tomorrow. Thus, kingdom living means using the world’s resources to help those kingdom people Jesus consistently pointed to—poor, lame, blind, crippled. Using world resources generously to help Jesus’ people is wise planning for the future. It leads to meeting those people who are waiting to greet us in heaven.
Kingdom people are single-minded people. They do not hold to both the world and the kingdom. They know no one can be a slave who obeys two masters. Nor do they need to justify their kingdom existence before other people. God justifies. People do not. What people see as justification, God sees as detestable, reprehensible.
Kingdom people live out of new resources the world does not have, even the world of the religious and pious. Kingdom people have entered Jesus’ kingdom, something new beyond the authority and life of Moses and the prophets. They do not destroy the old authority. They fill it full. They may interpret the law in stricter terms than even the Pharisees and rabbis.
Kingdom living often means earthly poverty and suffering. It means being ignored by those who are enjoying the world’s blessings and comforts. This enjoyment is temporary. Death soon comes and cuts it off. Then you must face eternity. What will you face? Life on Abraham’s side or life in torment in Hades? The question is, Have you truly believed the law and the prophets? Have you seen that they point to Jesus and his kingdom? Have you entered eternity as a kingdom person or as a self-justifying legalist? Must you have a great sign from God to believe the true purpose of Scripture? Or will you humbly believe with those like Lazarus? Kingdom living is living Christ’s way. Are you living the kingdom way today?”(1)As it is, I have learned that someday, some folks are going to be in for a rude awakening, they are going to say "Lord, Lord!" And Jesus is going to look at them, and tell them, "Depart, I never knew you."
1. Trent C. Butler, Luke, vol. 3, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 268–269.
No comments:
Post a Comment