Moving on!

         It’s been awhile…almost three months.  There has been a reason for my absence from blogging. Since the moment I came home graduating, it has been a rollercoaster ride…some fun and some not so fun! 

Unfortunately in the last three months I have seen first-hand as well as experienced heart ache.  If you live life long enough…you have experienced heart ache.  It isn’t fun.   Sadly what I speak occurred between the children of God…the family of Christ; people I am very close with or now, was.  I now know why some people choose not to be a Christian…not because of Christ but because of His people. 

I haven’t blogged because sometimes when people write out of anger, out of emotion…what they write can be harsh, destructive, hateful, or the like. I didn’t want to do that.  Jesus commands me to love God and love people.  I know the first command can be hard but so is that second command.  Jesus tells us to love another.  I have said before that love defines Jesus and it also defines us (Christians).  We are also called to be at peace with another.  But not everyone who is a Christian heeds these words.   They don’t heed it because of pride, arrogance…sin!

Growing up as a preacher’s kid, this is not my first time dealing with heart ache within the church and as a preacher now, it won’t be my last.  It nothing new…look at the warnings Paul wrote to the churches as well as Timothy ( a preacher):

“Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.”

 – Romans 16:17-18

“O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge” which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.”

– 1 Timothy 6:20-21

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

 – Colossians 2:8

“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

- 2 Timothy 4:1

“Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek,  but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.  For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,  on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”

- Romans 2:1-16

Jesus and Peter also warned of this:

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.”

 - Matthew 7:15-20

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

- 2 Peter 2:1-3

As I write this…I have spent much, much time with my Father in heaven.  I have asked for forgiveness and have forgiven those I needed to forgive.   I am moving on.   I will say this last thing:  To all of my Christian family, my brothers and sisters…test every action you make, every thought you have, all of your emotions to that of Scripture.  Be sound in doctrine, in truth; not according to you or anyone else but to that of Jesus…to God’s Word. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”

– Proverbs 3:5-7

“Love* one another!”

-Jesus

*for a better definition of this love (agape) see 1 Corinthians 13