Judging And Being Christian 2

Before I re-dedicated my life to Jesus I faced a lot of harsh judgment from people around me. I was basically wrong for doing anything, you know. When I moved from church to church I was told that I am looking for men, when I struggled in sin, only a few truly saved people associated themselves with me. Therefore, this led me into sinning more. I didn’t think that I was strong enough to keep up with the laws that people bashed on me, when they looked down on me because of my sin, I thought, why not? I might as well continue sinning because I will never be like them. I was so desperate for the Lord even while living in sin, so I read my bible. I would commit fornication in the afternoon, and then later in the evening I would read my Bible. I had to find God somewhere and I saw Him in His word. As a Christian writer it’s not easy for me to say this, but if you’re Christian, don’t believe everything you read but the Bible. 

Pastor At has been preaching about the love of God, oh how tangible and real this love is! He centralizes his sermons on Mary Magdalene, the woman caught in adultery which is a reminder of the state I was once in. When the Pharisees caught the woman in the act of adultery, the first thing they did was judge her. Firstly, she wasn’t saved yet the “righteous” Pharisees judged her. How do you judge somebody who does not know salvation? How do you judge the willful sinners in the world who have never known about the love of God? Paul says in 1Corinthians5:12, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.” When the Pharisees brought Mary Magdalene to Jesus, they expected him to react as they did. See, this is why people should read their own Bibles and get a revelation of who Jesus really is. He told them that those without sin blah blah blah, you know the whole story. And after they had disappeared one by one, He loved that woman. He did not remind her of her sin, in fact the love he showed her was greater than her sin. After the woman experienced God's love,that's when Jesus said, “Go, and sin no more.” (People go around telling people to “go and sin no more” without telling them about the love of God first. If you want to conquer sin, you must be established in the love of God!” Pastor At). 

“It is the kindness of God that led me to repentance.”~ Romans2:4

Righteous Judgment?

I have no idea what that is but really, it is not in my place to judge anyone. If the Lord leads me to judge somebody then it’s cool, but I cannot just go out there and start judging people. I don’t condemn those who do it, probably it’s their calling, I don’t know, but I know how it feels like to be judged when you are bound by the Devil. We often don’t understand why people behave in the manner they do and the first thing we want to do is attack them, and tell them how they’re going to burn in hell. Which is true of course, but before we deal with people’s sins we should deal with their inner man, their souls where their emotions are. I like what Watchman Nee says in his book, “The Normal Christian Life”, “Adam did not come into the world and murdered, there was a problem in his soul that felt a need to separate from God.” I’d like to think righteous judgment is one that only comes from God. Jesus says in John 5:30, “By myself I can do nothing, I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” Now that is what I’d like to call righteous judgment. Many people go around judging others because they want to prove their spirituality, they want to show people how victorious they are over sin, they want to diminish other people’s ministries, they judge by hearing stories from others yet they don’t even read the Bible for themselves, and they call it righteous judgment. Jesus said that he judges only according to what he hears from the Father and he doesn’t seek to please himself, so before you judge others, ask yourself if that judgment really comes from God, or is it just to make you feel better about yourself.

Indeed, those who sin will face judgment.

As far as I am concerned, we are called to go throughout the world and preach the gospel not go throughout the world and judge others. Our job is not to go out and preach what we feel or the offense we take in other people’s sin, we are to go into the world and preach the gospel. Everybody has a choice. Just as Adam had a choice in the Garden of Eden not to eat the forbidden fruit, everyone whom we preach to has a choice to believe or reject the gospel. Unfortunately, Adams choice led him to damnation, and those who don’t believe the gospel will always experience damnation. Zac Poonen puts it so clearly in one of his books,(These are not his exact words) “There exists both evil and good on earth, simply because God is seeking to win us over again to His kingdom. In heaven there is no evil and those who want to continue living in their evil ways will not enter heaven because evil cannot be part of God’s sanctuary. If God allowed his only Son to experience hell on the cross for mankind’s sin, then surely he will let those who sin go to hell. They will get what they want, a life without God, a life where there is no goodness, a life that’s all about evil.” Having such an understanding will cause you to preach the gospel with the compassion that Jesus had towards sinners because you are not trying to prove anything, but simply desiring that unsaved people will come to a realization that Jesus is the only True God who desires to save people from eternal damnation.

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sin is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and a raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.~ Hebrews10:26-27

A plea to be reconciled to God

Christians still participating in sin need no one to judge them because they know what they’re doing is not right. If God could talk to you about your sins surely He will talk to another person too. After I lost a couple of kilograms I wore revealing clothes because I wanted to show off the figure I never had. I sensed a lot of judgment from people around me but I didn’t stop dressing how I wanted to dress because I did not understand why it was wrong until one day I was getting dressed and realized that this is not how a woman who desires to preach the gospel should dress. That’s when I said, “Lord, teach me how to dress for my body.” The Holy Spirit has never spoken to me about other people’s sins but my own sins hence I cannot go around judging others but myself. As much as the Lord spoke to me a year ago, He will also speak to the other person. My job is to just expose the works of darkness and bring into light the testimony of what the Lord has already done for us. 

We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God! ~2Corinthians5:20

This is the message we should preach, reconciliation. Clearly you see that your sins are not helping you with anything, won’t you be reconciled to God? Yes, you are sleeping around, you are having one abortion after the next, no one has the right to judge you, but won’t you just be reconciled to God and experience His goodness?

If no one judges me, then why can’t I just live my life and do what I wanna do?

Let me take you back to the time my pregnant housemate was smoking and drinking. What she was doing was not right so I just reacted in a way that a normal person would-shock. Jesus says that anyone who hears his words and do not believe them; he does not judge him because he did not come to judge the world but to save it. Yet he also says in Mathew7:26, “but everyone who hears these words and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against his house, and it fell with a great crash.” So Jesus doesn’t judge those who don’t do right but he warns them of the consequence of their actions. My pregnant housemate might give birth to a disabled, dyslexic, ill, child and spend a lot of money on medication which could have been prevented, because of the choice she made. 

The time is now!!!

See that no one is sexual immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected, Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done. ~ Hebrews12:16-17. 

I know one woman who was extremely promiscuous when we were young. She would knock on our window in the early hours of the morning asking us to open for her when she had been with her boyfriends. As young as we were she would be so open about her sexual life and the many partners she had. She is now in her late thirties and  married but that didn't even change her behavior. Because of her promiscuity I believe, she cannot bear children. She now goes to church and is pleading with the Lord to give her a baby, but the doctors say her womb is completely closed. Now I’m not saying that her womb being closed is something too hard for God, but perhaps it’s too late? Perhaps like Esau, she is seeking the blessing with tears, but she cannot change what she has done? Now is the time to hearken to God’s voice. I am not here to judge you for your sins but to tell you that there are consequences to your sins. Those who have ears let them hear.

God will judge the adulterer and all the sexual immoral people. ~ Hebrews13:4