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7:1-6
Unfair criticism
Do you remember what I told you about motives? It is easy to pretend to
be good when your motives are completely the opposite, and it is easy to misread
someone's motives - they may look as if they are doing something wrong when in
fact they are completely OK. It is dangerous to make assumptions without knowing
what is going on in the other person's heart.
So don't be critical of other Christians, unless you know for sure that
they are doing something wrong. That is my advice to you - avoid making a thing
of personal differences, and keep your nose out of other Christian's lives.
Be warned! If you persist in being a busy-body, God will hear your
criticism, and in His own time, and with His own methods, He will turn things
round in your life and give you the same sort of treatment. And believe me, it
won't be enjoyable!
You may, in all sincerity, go up to some Christian and offer to help them
with their supposed - as you see it - sinful behaviour, but the danger is that
you may be practising the very same thing, or something similar in your own
life. That would make you appear rather foolish. Fancy trying to fix someone
else's life, when your own life needs a major overhaul!
So don't be unscrupulous, or nit-picking, or over-pious, or
'holier-than-thou'. Let other Christians get on with their lives, and remember
that you, and they, all walk as individuals before God. It is to Him that you
all must ultimately answer.
The first priority thing in your life is to sort yourself out. Cleanse
your heart of sin, bring your mind into obedience to God, swing everything into
line with the Bible . . . and when you have done this, then maybe you have some
right to be critical, but not before.
(All this has nothing to do with Church discipline, which is a completely
different matter - 1Cor.6:1-8, or discerning correct Christian behaviour and
doctrine - Matt.18:7, 1Cor. 5:9-13, Matt.7:15-20, 1Cor.14:29, 1John 4:1,
2Cor.6:4, 1Tim.3:1-13, 1Thess.5:14)
Having said this, I am not saying that you should be undiscerning enough
to treat all people the same. You should know the difference between committed
Christians and godless unbelievers. In some cases you must be critical of who
you share what with. Don't treat ungodly people with the same generosity, when
it comes to teaching Bible truths, as you would a genuine seeker after truth. It
would be like throwing jewelry to pigs! Stay away from some people. To approach
them with the Bible would be like running into the cave of a wild bear, or lying
down in front of a pack of wolves.
7:7-12
Asking, seeking, knocking
Now I want to teach you something about persistence and determination. If
you had a child who asked you once - just once - for something, you would think
the child was not all that concerned about it, but if the child asked you over
and over again, day and night, you would know that that child had a very real
desire to have it.
This is the kind of persistence you must have when you come to God for
things. Once you have met the conditions for successful prayer, you must keep at
it! Ask and ask, call and call, keep coming with the same requests, until you
get whatever it is you need.
Think it from the human point of view. Most parents give things to their
children without being asked. That is the normal way with a good parent. But
sometimes children want things which their parents don't automatically provide.
For example, a human child may ask for something material, like a slice of
bread. What parent in his or her right mind would give that child a brick, or a
slab of rock instead? Humans, though capable of doing good things, are nowhere
near as good as God, but they know how to give good things rather than bad or
useless when they are asked. Its the same with God - He loves to give what is
wise, and good, and appropriate to those who call on Him for things.
(The conditions for successful prayer : have no unconfessed sin - Ps.
66:18, have faith/confidence - James 1:6-8, be in conformity to God's will -
1John 5:14, be persistent - Luke 18:1-8, be sincere - Heb. 10:22)
Now lets be logical . . . God is good, and God is wise enough to give the
right things when you ask. He is active too, intervening in our lives to do
things whenever He sees a need. In the same way, we should be like that - always
looking for ways to do good to others. In fact, if you break the whole Old
Testament Law down to a few simple formulae, you will find that it is all
summarised as : Take the initiative
and actively pursue the doing of good to other people, using as your guide what
you would like to receive from them. This means avoiding the passive approach to
life - not hurting others, and not sinning, and the 'live and let live'
attitude, which ends in lethargy and complacency.
7:13,14
The two ways
Right through your life you will have to make choices. For every choice
you make, God will hold you personally responsible for the consequences. This is
a universal law, which all thinking people are bound by.
It is like having two gates to go through - one wide, and the other thin.
If you choose the wide gate, which represents the indulgent, worldly, sinful
lifestyle, and rejection of God's Word, you will end up destroyed. The wide gate
is the choice you make and the road it opens on to is the consequence of your
choice.
But the thin gate is also a choice. It represents the tougher life of the
Christian, with its self-discipline, abstinence, and endless difficulties, but
the consequence of taking this harder, more difficult path is everlasting life.
The choice is yours, and if you are unhappy with the results when the
repercussions of your choices are worked out, you cannot blame God for them. He
gave you the opportunity to either make a success or a mess of your life, but He
never forced you to into the choices.
7:15-20
Discerning true from false
Now if someone came to you and said "I am a Christian", how
would you know if this was the truth or not? You must be able to tell the
difference between true Christians and false ones, otherwise your Christian
fellowship groups will be decimated by charlatans and deceivers.
Take a hint from the world of Nature : false Christians are like wolves
wearing sheep's clothing, or thorn bushes with grapes tied to them, or thistles
with peaches balanced on their spines. Your first impression of them may be
good, but if you look a little closer, you will find the sharp teeth of a wolf!
There are two ways of telling whether someone is a true Christian : one
way is to see if what they believe is in line with what the Bible teaches, and
the second way is to see if their lifestyle is consistently Christian. So check
them doctrinally, and personally.
There are many people about who call themselves Christians (such as the
Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists, Roman Catholics and others)
but they all fail when it comes to either their doctrines or their lifestyle, or
both. They may claim to believe the truth, but they have either added to, or
distorted, or taken away from what the Bible teaches . . . very dangerous people
when it comes to new or uninstructed Christians.
Eventually, when the Age is finished, God will remove the false from the
true, but for now it is up to you to discern things correctly. You have no
excuse for being sucked in because you have the Bible, and me as your guide, so
be on your guard, and watch out!
7:21-23
False Christians
Now I must explain something about miracles. What are they? They are
supernatural events. A miracle shows that some supernatural power is at work,
and there are two sources from which this power may come ; one is directly, from
the true God, and the other is indirectly, through Satan.
Now as I was saying about sheep in wolves clothing, and other deceptions,
you ought to be aware of the fact that some people who claim to be Christians
are not, but to help the illusion, they produce miracles. They draw on Satan's
supernatural power to produce 'proof' that they are working for God, so here is
where you must check them doctrinally. You will find that all such
'miracle-workers' are not in line with the Bible in many essential areas.
On judgement day, these (often very sincere) workers of miracles will
stand before the throne and plead their case. They will say "But look at
what we did! We were great teachers for you, and we practised exorcism in your
name, and we displayed wonders and
miracles! We called you Lord, and we drew many people to you by our
ministry!"
But none of these things will be sufficient, because the essence of being
a Christian is not miracle-working; it is a personal fellowship with Me. (John
3:3 and 6:29) I never knew (Greek =
ginosko = got to know) these people, despite all they did and said. They were
working by themselves like one-man armies, marching completely out of step, and
doing battle in ways and places I had nothing to do with. And despite all the
good results they had, they were never mine.
7:24-27
Building a strong Christian life
Now, one more illustration before I close. I want you to imagine two men,
each intent on building a good house.
Both men hear the instructions on how to build a good house, but one of
the men isn't interested in doing what he is told. Instead he goes off to the
nearest riverbed and nails together a flimsy structure on the shingle. All goes
well for him, for a while, but eventually the rains come, and soon he and his
house are swept away by the swollen, turbulent river. I tell you, he looks a
real fool as he goes sailing by in the mud and rubbish!
The other man acts in strict obedience to what he hears. He trusts the
Master Builder and follows His instructions to the letter. While many people
think that this man is foolish to take so much time and trouble - digging
foundations, anchoring piles to subterranean stone, reinforcing everything
beyond its apparent requirements - but when the inevitable storm came, the wiser
man's house withstood the elements with ease.
In the same way, you, my disciples, can be either wise or foolish. I am
giving you instructions on how to build a strong Christian life. If you obey me,
your life will stand up to the storms of life, but if you think you can get
along without Me, your life will be a chaotic mess."
7:28,29
The effect of Jesus' teaching
The teaching session was finished. The disciples were silent, and the
people who had crept nearer to listen were amazed. Something powerful and
awesome had struck them. This was no ordinary rabbi, giving his customary
dissertation on the Talmud, or some wise comments on the Old testament. This man
Jesus was speaking with authority far beyond his training or years! Lawgiver,
Teacher and Judge - they knew he was all three, and they recognised that they
were in the presence of a revolutionary.