Faith in the News Christian News
What are 3 do’s and don’ts for the Christian? What ones would you include?
Do Forgive Others
The Body of Christ is different from the world for the most part. We don’t hold grudges, we hold hands. Ephesians 4:32 says “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Paul equates our forgiveness of others in the way that God, in Christ, forgave us! The root word of “forgive” means to “untie” or “to release” like in releasing a debt. No wonder not forgiving is like tying your stomach in a knot.so why not “untie it” by releasing their debt as God did ours? Didn’t Christ release us from a huge debt? It also means to send away or to give away (as in fore-give). Do forgive others.since we have been forgiven.
Do Pray for Others
This might be the single most overlooked command in the Bible. I covet the prayers of the saints. I do a lot of travel as a bi-vocational pastor.one day I traveled over 800 miles, 17 hours and had several close calls at night! Close calls with deer, with thunderstorm-soaking downpours, with a sleepy trucker.and so on. Later that week I had a church member come up to me and say “I prayed for you pastor the other night.” That reminds me that we ought to be praying for one another consistently. Paul wrote “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil 4:6) and surly part of that “everything” is to be praying for one another.
Do Love One Another
Jesus didn’t hope that we would, didn’t suggest that we would but commanded that we would love one another. Jesus command His disciples and He commands us “that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). There are 4 different types of love mentioned in the Bible but this love Jesus mentioned is “agapaō,” sometimes called “agape” and this is the highest form of love there is and the same love God displayed on the cross by Jesus’ death. There is no higher love in all the universe.
Don’t Rob God
This is not about money and robbing God by tithes and offerings but robbing God of His due glory. I get a lot of negative feedback but I also get a lot of positive feedback but I must be like the moon. The moon is beautiful at night but it is not giving its own light but reflects the sun’s light so in this way, if we reflect God’s love in our words and deeds, we must deflect the glory and redirect it to where the True Source is.the Son of God. God declares “I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other” (Isaiah 42:8). He repeats this is verse 11. When God repeats anything, it must be important. Give Him what He truly deserves anyway..give Him the credit for any good you do..for all glory deservedly belongs to Him. How can the moon brag?
Don’t Gossip
This is one the most destructive things that believers can do. It is nothing short of assassinating someone’s character. Gossiping is very close to slandering someone’s good name. Too often we make prayer requests out of gossip. The next time someone comes to you and gossips about another do this: “Say, this sounds serious. Let’s you and I go to that person right now and talk to them about this and see if we can help them” or “Wow, that’s terrible, I will go to them right now and ask if I can help them in some way.” To stop gossip, rebuke the gossiper, offer to take them with you to speak in person about the one they are gossiping about or say “No, I don’t want to hear that.that’s none of my business.and I don’t’ think it’s yours either.” Harsh? No, it’s necessary.
Don’t Grumble
Years before I was called into the ministry I remember going out to eat with some of the church members to a restaurant but instead of having the daily special they had “roast pastor.” That is, right after the sermon, they started dissing on the pastor. Another time it was the worship leader. Grumbling against a church leader or anyone in the church is serious business to God because it is essentially grumbling against Him for even members of the church are parts of the Body of Christ. I remember the story of Korah in the Old Testament (Numb 16). Read about that account. That didn’t end well.
May God richly bless you,
Pastor Jack Wellman
[ssba]Image source: CC BY Surian Soosay
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