2018 Encouragement

2018 Encouragement

As 2017 comes to a close I would like to share these verses with you.

Philippians 3:13-14

 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Isa 43:25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

Psa 51:9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

2017 is done its over, In our Christian walk as an adopted child of God we had failures in 2017 some may have been extreme some not so extreme yet they missed the mark, they were and are sin. What have you  done about those sins? Hopefully you have asked forgiveness for them. If you haven’t they will drag on you like an anchor on a ship and will imped you forward movement or you continual growth in your relationship with the Lord our Savior . Start 2018 by seeking  forgiveness of your sins. The hardest part of forgiveness for me anyways and I would also feel others feel the same way is forgiving yourself.  Paul tells us in Philippians 3:13-14 the past is done, you cant dwell on it continue to press forward towards the goal to which you have been called, that call that comes from God in Christ Jesus. Isa 43:25 tells us that God blots out your sins and remembers them no more for his own sake. It’s like they never even happened in Gods mind. In our human minds we almost never forget our failures, but we can certainty not dwell on them don’t bring them back up. Once they are forgiven then the issue is resolved. I need to add this  there are consequences of our actions and those may be a constant reminder of our failures, still you need to move forward relying on Gods strength to bear us thru the times we may start dwelling on the past. Like Paul put it straining forward towards our upward call. The Psalmist  in Psa 51:9 ask God to blot out his iniquity’s and to create a clean heart  and a renewed stead fastness spirit with in him. Not only do we seek forgiveness but a cleansed heart and steadfast spirit towards God.

Meditate on Gods Word on Gods precepts   Psa 119:15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.  God never said it would be easy to follow him the road to destruction is wide and the road to eternity with Christ is narrow. In this society it gets harder to keep Gods moral and just laws for society says its right to do what God say’s is wrong. Society is becoming a woe. In Isaiah it say’s “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” It doesn’t seem to matter much who our worldly leaders are, you cant legislate morality. Duet 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”  

Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

In closing start the new year with a refreshed heart for Gods word seeking forgiveness for un-repented sins, seeking to strengthen your relationship with God, dwelling on his Word, make your walk with the Lord intentional  make it a habit.

May this next year be a year of growth in your relationship with God, a year that your study habits grow and your understanding flourishes, may your prayer life blossom into a want to talk to God instead  of waiting for a need, May you grow stronger   being part of the world but not acting like the world.
May you be encourage that you are being knit together to reach full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of Gods mystery, which is in Christ. (Col2:2)

I look forward to what God has instore for me this next year , my family ,my friends, and the body of Christ I’m part of.

 May we all walk in the strength of the Lord

God Bless 

Observations about Christmas events video

A diffrent look at the event leading to Jesus's birth from Russell A Kujawski on Vimeo.

Observations about Christmas Events

Observations On The Events Leading To Jesus Birth

By Russ Kujawski 12/17/2017

Who doesn’t know the event Of Jesus’s birth? Almost everyone knows some portion or variation of the events leading up to Jesus’s birth. This study isn’t going to go thru all the events of Jesus’s birth. I’m going to point out some interesting observations and correct some  I believe to be miss-conceptions .

The date of Jesu’s birth was not Dec 25^th. Luke 2:8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. This is kind of important in that it was probably to cold to keep the sheep out at night during this time of year. There are many observations made on this a simple study will give a wide range of reasons Dec isn’t the birth date of Jesus. Most put the date from late summer to early winter. If it was truly important God would have given us more detail on it.

In Luke 1:5 and following we are told of a priest named Zechariah of the priestly order of Abijah, He had a wife named Elizabeth. They are both righteous and walk blameless in Gods commands and statutes. His wife  hadn’t had any children, when Zachariah entered the temple and angel appeared to him and said your prayers have been heard and Elizabeth will have  a child. Old Zac questioned it because they were both old. And he was made mute until the birth of the child. Now time to get into some things not normally taught.

Angel Gabriel speaks to Mary

·         Luke 1:26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, Some may wonder in the sixth month of what?

·         This is the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy keeping in Context Luke 1:36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

·         The angel Gabriel told Mary she would conceive a child Luke 1:31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.  Mary say’s how can it be for she is a virgin? The angel tells her the  power of the Most High will overshadow you. You will have a son and he will be called holy the Son of God.

·         Luke 1:39-40 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. What’s interesting here is Mary arose probably the next day and went to see her relative Elizabeth. Mary was engaged to Joseph. Did she tell him about the encounter with the angel? or that she was pregnant with the Gods child?  I’m going to say no she didn’t. Why because of the verbiage of Matt 1:18. I’ll get to that later on down.

·         Luke 1:44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. When Mary and Elizabeth greeted one another John leaped for joy while still in the womb of Elizabeth for John had been filled with the Holy Spirit from birth{ Luke 1:15b “and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”

·         Luke 1:56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. Here is what is interesting with this verse. There is a good chance Mary was there for the birth of John. Verse 36 tells us Elizabeth is in here sixth month and this verse tells us Mary stayed about 3 months. This would also make John 6 month older than Jesus if Mary conceived right after the angel spoke. Verse 42 would suggest Mary is indeed with child. “and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”  

·         As mentioned above I don’t think Mary told Joseph about the encounter with the angel or that she was carrying Gods child. Lets look at the verbiage of Matt 1:18Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Let me explain something here the narrative in Matthew and Luke about the birth of Jesus is not in chronological order. Each was inspired to write what God wanted us to know. This maybe intentional so we have to study to get the right chain of events. I think she was found to be with child after she returned home. 3 months have passed there would be a baby bump. If she had told Joseph prior to her departure then there probably wouldn’t be a need to say she was found to be with child, there would not have been the thoughts of putting her away quietly, If Joseph had known prior to Mary going to see Elizabeth.

Sign for the shepherds

·         Luke 2:7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Two key factors in understanding my next observations, wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

·         Luke 2: 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” Notice two common things in these verses? Swaddling cloths and manger or most likely a feeding trough. What does verse 12 tell us about the swaddling cloths and the manger? It’s the sign for the shepherds to know when they have found Jesus. Not the star as many plays portray. No doubt the shepherds new  where all the stabiles are located so no need for the star.

Here come the Wise men or Magi

·         Matthew2:1-2 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” These men came from the east the actual location I don’t think we really know. The word for wise men or Magi in the Greek is magos it means wise men 4x or sorcerer2x in the KJV

·          The name given by the Babylonians (Chaldeans), Medes, Persians, and others, to the wise men, teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, augers, soothsayers, sorcerers etc.

·         The oriental wise men (astrologers) who, having discovered by the rising of a remarkable star that the Messiah had just been born, came to Jerusalem to worship him

·         A false prophet and sorcerer

Notice the second definition: astrologers those who studied the stars, and they new what the star meant.

·         Matthew2:3-6 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

The priest and scribes new where he{Jesus} was to be born, they just didn’t know the sign of his birth.

·         Matthew 2:9-10 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

I think this was night travel but what is interesting is the star went before them and came to rest. The star guided them it was moving it stop over the place Jesus was at. Like when God guided the Hebrews in the desert a cloud by day and fire by night.{Exodus 13:22}

·         Matthew 2:11 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

The went into a house not the stable, they were not at the birth. All the plays movies and nativity  those are all creative liberty’s combing 2 different event 1 the shepherds and 2 the wise men into one event. We can surmise Jesus was about 2 years old because of the next set of verse’s. Tradition has it at 3 wise men because of three gifts, the bible doesn’t say how many and in other traditions they are named but again the bible doesn’t say.  The wise men being warned in a dream not to return to Herod they went home their own way. Joseph was also warned in a dream that Herod wanted to kill Jesus, so he and Mary, and Jesus fled to Egypt.

Enter Herod  and Death

·         Matthew 2:16  Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

This is where we get that Jesus was around 2 when the wise men came to see him. Herod all the male children from the age of 2 and below killed. From the information he got from the wise men.

Return to Random Bible thoughts with Russ videos

The return of random bible thoughts with Russ from Russell A Kujawski on Vimeo.

Turn The Other Cheek

Turn The Other Cheek

By Russ Kujawski

11/24/17

This study is based on the Matt 5:39 But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Does this mean we shouldn’t defend ourselves or that we as Christians should be pacifist? This passage comes from Matt 5:1-48 known as the Sermon on the Mount. In that message Jesus spoke on several topics.

·         The Beatitudes Blessed are

·         Salt and Light

·         Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

·         Anger

·         Lust

·         Divorce

·         Oaths

·         Retaliation {this topic of study}

·         Love Your Enemies

Before I try and answer this question about turning the other cheek lets see if any of these other topics interlink or connect.

The Beatitudes

·         Matt 5: 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are the meek. What’s meant by meek? The Greek word is praÿs means: mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness. (by implication) humble:

It doesn’t say weakness it’s talking of character. In case some want to say it’s weakness then let’s look at Jesus as our example for this so-called weakness thought. Jesus cleared the temple on two separate occasions. The first time is mentioned in John 2 it was after the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed the first recorded miracle (John2:1-11). Then Jesus went down to Capernaum Stayed there a few days, as the Passover approached Jesus went to the temple. John2:13-17 tells us what happened. This event is only recorded in John and not in the other Gospels.

First Event of Temple clearing

John2: ¹³ The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. ¹⁵ And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

The second time Jesus clears the temple is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke but not in John. Its recorded after Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Matt 21:1-11 approximately 3 years after the first cleansing. Jesus enters Jerusalem and the people lay their clocks and branches on the road and shout “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 

Matt 21:12

¹² And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. ¹³ He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

What do these verses show about Jesus’s weakness? …….. That he wasn’t weak. What does Jesus say about his own meekness?

Matt 11:29-28

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Other translations use

·         KJV, NKJV: “meek and lowly in heart”

·         NLT: “humble and gentle at heart”

·         NIV, NASB: “gentle and humble”

·         CSB:” lowly and humble in heart”

·         ASV:” meek and lowly in heart”

Meek, humble, lowly, and gentle these are all synominis with each other it’s a characteristic of a person it’s a characteristic of Jesus. Like the moon reflects the sun, we are to reflect the characteristics of the Son {Jesus the son of God} not only his meekness but his, strengths also his zeal, his boldness, his compassion, his love. The list could go on and on. What we can see is meekness IS NOT WEAKNESS!!  When I start speaking on turning the other cheek I’ll tie meekness and the following topics in then.

Merciful

Mat 5:7“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Mercy it’s something we as Christians should practice it’s one of the characteristics of Jesus it’s what God shows us. God is the God of mercies 2Co 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, as a bible believing Christian we have removed the old self the old nature and have put on the new self the new nature that is being made in the knowledge of our creator Jesus (Colossians3:9-10). As we grow in the knowledge, and become more like the image of Jesus, we reflect his characteristics as mentioned above we show mercy to others and in return God shows mercy to us. Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. If I may russaphrase this “whoever shows mercy to those in need, God will give back to you for the mercy you have shown.”

Acts of Mercy

Matthew 25:34-40

34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 

Mercy and compassion are very closely related I don’t think you can have mercy without having compassion nor can you have compassion without having mercy.

Peacemakers

Mat 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Interesting the word “peacemakers” only appears once in all the best translations (James 3:18 the NIV substitutes peacemakers for righteousness. NIV is not in the list of best translations) Verses about peace

·         Colo 3: 15” Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Prior to this verse it speaks of being Chosen, Holy, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiving one another as God has forgiven, above all love which binds everything together in harmony. In this section of scripture, the context is speaking of fellow believers in Christ, followers of Christ. As Christians we are to make peace with each other. When there is true forgiveness amongst followers, then peace is made you are a peacemaker.

·           Hebrews 12: 14 “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”  In verse 12 it starts with “therefore” looking at the verses it speaks a lot about discipline.

·         Hebrews 12:10 For they {earthly fathers} disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he{God} disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Can you be a true peacemaker if you don’t have righteousness. {I’ll be doing a in-depth study of Hebrews 12 later}

·         Speaking of righteousness and peace. James 3:” And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” Being trained in the peaceful fruit of righteousness, sowing peace in righteousness you will reap a harvest as a peacemaker. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.

Salt and Light

Matt 5: 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

From Christianity.com on Salt and Light

·         Salt, has vital purpose which is probably what the Lord had in mind-it stops decay. When Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth", He meant that all of His disciples were to serve as preservatives, stopping the moral decay in our sin infected world. The disciples would have been intimately familiar with this function of salt. Without refrigeration, the fish that they caught would quickly spoil and rot unless they were packed in salt. Once salted, the fish could be safely stored and then used when needed. The spiritual health and strength of the Christian is to counteract the corruption that is in the world. Christians, as salt, are to inhibit sin's power to destroy lives. This in turn creates opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed and received.

·         We have been given a wonderful privilege to be the salt of the earth, but Jesus gave us a warning. The second half of Matthew 5:13 states: "But if salt loses its taste, how would its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men". Jesus did not say that we can lose our salvation; He said that we can lose our saltiness. When salt is contaminated it becomes corrosive and poisonous, so it has to be thrown on the road. If we have allowed disobedience, carelessness and indifference to rule our lives, we have become contaminated salt and have lost our saltiness. We need to confess our sin and let the Lord restore us to the purpose for which we were called.

Light

·         In Matthew 5:14, Jesus tells His disciples, "You are the light of the world". As "salt", the Christian is to counteract the power of sin. As "light" we are to illuminate or make visible. Our lives are to be an on-going witness to the reality of Christ's presence in our lives. When we worship God with pure hearts, when we love others as ourselves, and when we do good without growing weary, we are lights shining. It is important, however to know that it is not our light, but the reflection of the Light of the world, Jesus Christ Himself, that people will see in us.

·         In Philippians 2:15, the apostle Paul says, "Believers, you are to shine as light in the world". The Greek word used here is very similar to the word for the beacon that a lighthouse emits. That beacon is bright and unmistakable in its purpose. It warns of danger. It directs to safe harbor. It provides hope for those who have lost hope. Every day we are surrounded by people groping around in the darkness, separated from the God who loves them. God uses His children, like beacons from a lighthouse, to show the way to Him.

·         Either we are "salt" and "light" by the grace of God, or we are willfully disobeying the One who saved us for such a time as this. If we are being "salt" and "light" then we can expect fruit from our faithfulness.

Anger

·         Matt 5: 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother[c] will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Foot Note:

[C] Some manuscripts insert without cause

Side note to foot note: KJV, NKJV, YLT, DBY, HNB, say “without cause” and the   Geneva 1599 use’s “unadvisedly”. Although I’m not a fan of some of these translations I do feel that the phrase “without cause” is indeed appropriate to be in scripture. Without that phrase it sounds like all anger is wrong. If the anger is justifiable or non-justifiable is what needs to be determined, then it can be determined if it’s liable for judgment. I like how the Complete Jewish Bible puts Matt 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother will be subject to judgment.

 Sounds like to me if anyone continues to feed anger (nurses anger) towards his brother will be subject to judgement. In the ESV the word anger appears 94 times and the word angry appears 269 times. A lot is said about anger. Here are a few verses about anger.

·         Eph 4:26-27

“26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.”

This verse is under the subtitle “The New Life” in the ESV prior to this verse scripture talks about not walking as the gentiles do, putting away worldly practices, taking off the old self v 22{old nature} and putting on the new self v24 {new nature} created in the likeness of God. V25 the word “therefore” indicates because of everything before this verse put away false hood, speak truth, we are members one of another. V26 “be angry and do not sin”.  If all anger is sin, then how can you be angry and not sin? The anger needs to be justifiable. With your anger justifiable and you don’t deal with it be fore you go to bed. The results of not can be devastating. V27 and give no opportunity to the devil. Justifiable anger can turn into non-justifiable anger when allowed to fester, when that happens you give the devil an opportunity, a place to make his stand against you.

·         Mark 3: 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. Jesus was angry with the Pharisees not only angry but grieved. At their harness of heart. Wanting to trap him for doing good on the Sabbath. Pharisees practiced righteousness externally - they were more concerned with the outward appearance than the inward feeling. They were a group that held to the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the dead, and punishment in future life. They believed that punishment was based upon how one behaved in this life. Not all anger is sin, it’s how you deal with the anger that may or may not be sin.

Love Your Enemies

·         Matt 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you,” Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Just going to touch on verse 44 how do you show love to your enemies? By praying for them. Jesus prayed for all those whom were given to him for they are the fathers{God}

·         John 17:9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

·         Mat 19:13 “Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people”, Jesus didn’t pray for the world in this case in John 17:9 yet in Luke 23:34 Jesus did pray "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Those who were crucifying him are his enemies and he prayed for them to be forgiven. We should be doing the same. By praying for our enemies, we are showing love to are enemies.

Going thru all these different subjects in the sermon on the mount, how do they tie in to “turning the other check.”

·         Meekness: by not responding in kind to the slap on the cheek isn’t showing weakness as much as it’s showing a gentle spirt as Christians we are to be self-controlled via the spirit.

·         Mercy: by not responding in kind, slap for slap you are showing mercy. With holding what is probably deserved.

·         Peacemaker: by not responding in kind you are defusing the situation and making peace of sorts.

·         Salt: by not responding you are spreading the preservative, keeping the situation from getting worse.

·         Light: by not responding you are shining the beacon of light for waring of the danger to follow by responding

·         Anger: by not responding you are not letting the situation become an unjust anger on your part.

·         Love you enemies: by not responding your showing a love for your enemy.

1 Cor 13 is known as the Love chapter verse 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. With out Love there is no way you can turn the other cheek.

All this said just to try and clarify what does it mean to “turn the other cheek.”

  “But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”

Before I look at what this verse say’s, let see what it doesn’t say.

·         Are we as Christians suppose to be pacifist?  No is the correct answer. Look at the answer John give the soldiers in Luke 3: 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

In the context of this verse John is baptizing out in the wilderness, Crowds were coming to him to be baptized and they were asking what they needed to do. In the crowds are various people types including tax collectors and soldiers. He told the crowds to share what they have. “if you have 2 and someone has non-give them one of your two”. To tax collectors he said, “collect no more than what your authorized to collect” to the soldier he said, “do not extort money from the people, be content with what you have”. Notice he didn’t tell the crowds to keep all they have and not help others, he didn’t tell the tax collector to stop collecting taxes, and he didn’t tell the soldier to stop serving in the military. The military is vital to the security of any country.

How about Jesus’s response to Pilate in John 18:36?

·          Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” When Jesus says that if his kingdom were of this world his servants would be fighting, he implies that it is right for kingdoms of this world to fight when the cause is just, and circumstances require it, when necessary to counter evil and destruction.

What’s Scripture say about self-defense?

·         John 2: 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. Jesus made a weapon when he cleared the temple in the book of John. A whip is considered a self-defense weapon. Jesus had a whip to defend himself as he chased out the temple slim. He was draining the swamp.

Side note: the temple clearing in Matthew Luke and Mark do not mention any weapons. These are also two different events. As shown in the part about Meekness above.

·         Luke 22: 36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.

Un like the first time Jesus sent his disciples out in Mark 6: 7” And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—” but in Luke he tells them to arm themselves and take a money bag. Why a sword for self-defense, it’s not to long after this that Jesus will be delivered up to Pilate and crucified.  If I’m understanding the Greek right the word for sword means a large knife or small dagger something that is cancelable yet readably accessible. There are many verses on defending yourself, your family, and your country. Exodus 22 has a lot to say about self-defense.

You can see that turn the other cheek doesn’t mean you should be a pacifist, nor does it mean don’t defend yourself. What does turn the other cheek mean.

But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

·         Ok so here are some key points in this verse.  Do not resist the one who is evil. We resist the devil that goes without saying That’s basically what the armor of God is for. But why does it say “don’t resist?” Let’s look at the rest of the verse.

·         But if anyone SLAPS you on the RIGHT cheek turn to him the other also. These two words are key to understanding this verse. In speaking with my pastor and a little research it is clear that this is not talking about defending yourself when someone assaults you or invades your home as I mentioned above. What is clear is this is an INSULT. This is a righthanded backhand across the right cheek. This was considered a grave insult. Nothing more. We are not to respond to insults with insults. We don’t resist evil by not responding insult for insult. 1 Peter 3: Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. The Greek word for reviling is loidoria it means: insult, reviling. Here is how the NASB puts it: not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. What does Matt 5:11 say ““Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.” (NASB) You may not feel blessed at the time, but you are.

·         Proverbs 12: The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.

Final Thoughts:

I went through some of the sermon on the mount. I picked those verses because I believe they show Christ character, Meek, Merciful, Peacemaker, Salt and Light, Love your enemies, and yes Anger. Because we are in the image of Christ as a Christian how we respond to different situations reflect Christ in us. By turning the other cheek, we are showing the various characteristics in us that we as Christians share with Christ. We as Bible believing Christians don’t need to respond evil for evil or insult for insult. I’m preaching to the choir here I myself will make an intentional effort to not respond in a manner that does not reflect who I’m am in Christ. There is a program out there called “Intentional Living” my question to you are you being intentional?

2 Cellos

Christians Judging Christians

Judging fellow believers

By Russ Kujawski 11/17/17

This subject is controversial on one hand, not spoke about often on the other hand, it may require you to take action against a friend who is living sinful life, it may require you to evaluate your own life to judge yourself for sin you may be living in. Some will think I’m being legalistic, because its condemning to them. I’m writing this looking up verses and trying to keep things in context. I’m not using much as far as commentary’s just reading scripture and letting it speak for itself. The Bible is its best commentary for its self. Comparing scripture with scripture. I do often lookup key words to see the varies meanings.

I’ll be looking at several verses about judging fellow Christians as a Christian and why we should do this and our responsibility to do this.  Like the word “works” don’t get caught up in the word “Judging or Judgment”. If it makes you feel better use the word “discern or discernment”.

Have you ever heard Christians and non-Christians say, “you can’t judge me”?

For the non-Christian they are right as a Christian we can’t judge them.

1 Corinthians 5:12-13 

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? {non-Christians} Is it not those inside the church {Christians} whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” {the word purge is a verb its saying take action and “remove” the evil from you} remove those who are living in, or walking in sin and not willing to repent and restore their relationship first with Christ then with the Body of Christ.

1 Cor 5:11 informs us as to who we are judging it’s those with in the church.

“But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

This verse makes it clear, if someone identifies as a brother and I’ll also add sister in Christ and they are living in sin, I would like to say I think this is talking of a lifestyle of sin, a continual sin. Christians fail (sin) probably every day in some form or another. I don’t think this is talking about that. This is about lifestyle of sin, living in undealt with sin, and claiming to be a Christian. {brother, sister in Christ}

Sin is a cancer to the Christian, if undealt with through repentance then it will spread. it not only hardens the heart of the believer but potentially lead to loss of eternal life. (If one can lose their salvation) It can spread though out the body of brothers and sisters who gather together.

 1Co 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?

1Co 5:7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

When sin is not dealt with it can and probably does cause division in a church and possibly death to a congregation. As part of the body of Christ we should desire multiplication of the church, not division. A little yeast makes the whole lump of dough grow. Sin is like that when not dealt with it will spread, it will grow.

As a Christian are we to judge those who call themselves Christians and are in sin?

The answer is a resounding YES! It’s our responsibility!  There are many verses as to our responsibilities to each other. Here are 7 verses and my commentary on them.

1.     John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.   Isn’t Part of loving one another approaching a brother or sister in Christ who is in sin? Yes, it is. Part of loving one another is keeping in touch beyond the church building on Sundays. I my self-need to practice that better. As Christ love the church. Think Christ would keep silent? No he would point out your sin and direct you towards repentance.

2.      Rom 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.  Brotherly love out do one another with honor. Is there any honor in seeing someone in sin and doing nothing? No, you’re dishonoring them, by not doing something to help them deal with their sin. In fact, your saying “you’re not worth my time” This will probably sound harsh or maybe legalistic. The Church does a good job at showing brotherly love to each other, but I think when someone is in dealt with sin. The church has a kind of hands off approach to dealing with the sinner. Now I’m speaking in generality’s here the church as a whole not any one particular organization. Although moving someone in sin from one job to another within the church doesn’t deal with the sin. Only hides it. If the sin isn’t dealt with. Approach the one in sin and show love and honor.

3.     Rom 15:5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,. Live in harmony by approaching a brother in sin may disrupt that harmony, I would say the harmony is already disrupted. The God of encouragement and endurance will grant you the same to bring harmony back to a brother in accordance with Christ.

4.     Gal 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. As Christians we have the freedom to live in the flesh or the spirit. As scripture say’s “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?” {Romans 6:1-2} as a Christian you have the freedom to live in sin by doing so you weaken, my I say destroy your ability to serve God properly to be a witness to the world. The chains of sin weight you down and restrict you. If you have died to sin, then living in sin is bondage to sin. Yet being a Christian, you are part of a Godly family that supports, and serves one another. Sometimes that service /support requires judgment. As a brother in Christ It’s my obligation as well as other followers of Christ to discern {Judge} that the brother or sister in Christ is living in sin when they are showing evidence of an un-righteous walk. Let me be clear I’m not saying we analyze every action of our brother or sister, that I feel would then be truly judgmental, legalistic in a negative way. Our judgement done in the proper way would be in love to restore them to a proper walk with Christ, and fellowship with others in the Body of Christ.

5.     1Co 12:25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. As Christians we are all part of the same body in Christ. Maybe you visit someone in the hospital or bring a meal to someone that’s homebound, teach Sunday school or lead worship on Sundays. If you are living in sin, then the body has a cancer {a division in the body} and it needs to be dealt with. Sin is service limiting. We are to care for one another part of that caring would be approaching someone in sin to remove the cancer from the body{sin} by restoring them. 1Jo 5:16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. {side note: sin leading to death I think is unforgiven sin. A discussion for the green folder}

Let’s look at the guide lines for Judgement of a Brother or sister in Christ.

Side note: read the whole thing before speaking about planks

Matthew 18:15-17 

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

·        A few things here in this verse on judgment. This verse says “if a brother sins against you “the word brother is meaning a believer in Christ anyone who is a follower of Christ, anyone who is a member of the body of Christ. Male or female this is referring to believers.

·        Next “sins against you” this is making it personnel. The bigger picture is “if any believer is in sin” Because we are one unit in Christ that is we are the body of Christ as stated in 1Cor 12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. Romans 12:5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. As we are one body in Christ we are also members of each other, so with this in mind to sin against any one person who is a believer in Christ you are sinning against the whole body. Sin has a deep impact, it’s a cancerous cell that can spread like fire when undealt with.

·        “go and tell him his fault” tell him his fault how do you determine it’s a fault?  By judgement! you pass judgement. I’m not speaking of the kind of judgement that condemns someone to hell. Only God can do that, only God can determine the heart of a person. We can judge if the actions are sin, if you know the scriptures if you pray and seek the Holy Spirit ‘s guidance, seek council from another believer. Then you can see if its sin. I’ll say this again “Like the word “works” don’t get caught up in the word “Judging or judgement”. If it makes you feel better use the word “discernment”. Here are a few other words that can be used to make it sound nicer: perceived, reckoning, prudence, reason, logic, and the last one gumption. They all are synonyms for judgement. You can’t tell someone their fault without determining that it is a fault that it is a sin, without passing some form of Judgment. {I’ll talk about the speck log conundrum a little further down in the study in Matthew 7.)

·        “he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.” When the offender refuses to listen to you then take others with you to approach the offender (sinner) to try and get reconciliation between them and Christ, the Body of Christ and the two people. Reconciliation is the end goal along with that reconciliation is repentance and forgiveness. I think the two or three others would probably be someone who is sum what familiar of the situation. They become witnesses of the situation, and also there is extra wisdom to draw on for reconciliation.

·        “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church”  If you and probably the pastor and maybe an elder or two have gone the person in sin (the cancer) and they don’t listen  then bring it to the body of Christ so the cancer can either be eradicated from the one in sin or be removed from the church body I know that sounds unloving kicking them out of the church but to quote from a song from my child hood “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch girl” And scripture say’s to remove them. 1Co 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals or sin in the body spreads to the rest of the body

·        “. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” When the person refuses to listen, and does not have reconciliation and again that’s the end goal, (repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation the word my pastor uses RESTORATION) remove them from the body of believers, the body of Christ. As I stated above we are of one body. That’s the Body of Christ and a body to one another. When someone sins against one believer they sin against the whole body. Let them go the way of the gentile and tax collector, they were considered outsides to the Jews back in the day. Consider them an outsider. BUT! The body also has to be ready to let them back when repentance, restoration and reconciliation has happened.

·        Side thought: In conversations I’ve had over the years there was a woman and man who had an affair with each other, both part of the same church. They were told to leave because of the affair. He left and never came back, she on the other hand broke off the relationship, repented of the sin, and was seeking reconciliation. A short time after attending the church she had the affair in she was asked not to return because she was a distraction to the congregation. Although I can understand the feelings of the church was that right? The body also has a responsibility in the forgiveness and reconciliation department too. Don’t they?

I asked the question on line on FB page and the response I got back was “forgive the person”. Scripture tells us God blots out our sin. Isa 43:25“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. God blots out our sin as if they didn’t even happen. That’s how we as a body need to be. When someone repents, seeks, forgiveness, and reconciliation we as a body need to BLOT OUT the sin as it didn’t happen. Of course, it sounds good but, our human minds don’t work like that. We must as a body and as an individual seek the Holy Spirit for the strength to move beyond the sin that was committed and forgiven. One last verse here before we move on to the spec log issue.

·        2Th 3:15 Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.        Always with LOVE.

Other Scripture about Judging other followers of Christ.

Matthew 7 Judging Others (followers in Christ)

7 “Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. ³ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

This is a verse that most people know followers of Christ and non-followers or believers and non-believers. The thing is they only quote part of the verse to fit their opinion. Normally “Judge not” and,” take the log out of your own eye,” There is much more to this section of scripture than those few phrases. In keeping things in context lets dig into this section of scripture.

·        “Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”  Sounds to me if you don’t judge others then you won’t be judged, but as I have said above sin is a cancer if we do not take the risk of being judged ourselves and make an attempt to correct someone in sin then that sin will progress and infiltrate the body and cause destruction and division. If you’re not willing to reproof, correct, discern, judge someone because you are afraid of judgement then their eternity may be at stake here. {If it be possible for someone to lose their salvation} because they are living in sin and their heart gets hardened towards Christ, and you know you should say something and don’t then you have sinned. James 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

·        I have asked a question on Face Book about judgement of a Christian in sin from other Christians here is one of the answers I was given” Jesus said Judge Not” then he went on to say by passing judgment on others you condemn yourself “ I’ll agree with that because of what verse 2 of Matt 7 say’s” ² For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”  This verse is telling me that if I can’t live up to whatever standards I’m using to judge a fellow believer of their sin {those standards must and have to be biblical standards not denominational standards} then I shouldn’t be judging their sin. By judging their sin, I bring commendation upon myself for my own potential sin by my own standards. I’m self-condemning.

·        Russaphrase: Matt 7: If you don’t condemn others then you won’t be condemned either, because of the condemnation you pronounced, then you also will be condemned, by the same standards you condemned, then those standards will be used to condemn YOU! Can you live up to your own standards? The guide is scripture.

                                                                                                                                                                                             

Time for the log and spec scripture that many use to say you can’t judge me.

·        ³ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.  

What does speck, and log represent? According to Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words speck is used metaphorically of a “minor fault” and log is used metaphorically “of a great fault”. Though you may see the faults or sin of your brother the log is keeping you from seeing your own faults or sins.

Example of speck /log: you see a brother that appears to you to have been rude to someone and you tell them you were rude you should apologize to them {speck} but when you get home you are emotionally and physically abusive to you family {log} how do you reconcile the two. Sin is sin is sin is sin, sin is a cancer. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  The rudeness {sin} may not be intentional maybe it’s a result of a rough day it’s not a life style, it’s a moment in life. The abusive sin is a lifestyle it’s an everyday occurrence. I know some will disagree with this thought. I think there are some sin’s that are of the moment, unintentional sins, that I think God’s grace covers. Although you should repent of them even if you’re not sure you committed any. Job 34:32 teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more'?  Job asked God to show him the sin’s he’s not aware of. We should be asking God to show us our sin’s we are not aware of and repent of them. Now for the log type sin. There are a boat load of scripture speaking of living in sin. 1 John 3:4-9  Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. I believe this is speaking to the one who’s lifestyle is in sin, who has un dealt with sin and continues to live in it. Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We all have sin, we all don’t live in a deliberate, lifestyle of sin.” Speck” sin of the moment or unintentional sin,” Log” undealt with sin or lifestyle of sin.

·        ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You can’t or shouldn’t attempt to deal with someone’s minor fault when you have a major fault of your own. Why is that? The answer is in the next verse.

·         ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.  You hypocrite, what is a hypocrite? Someone who pretends to be something they aren’t. An actor is a hypocrite. They play the role of a character when is real life they are not that character. You can’t approach someone in sin minor or major sin if you have a lumber yard in your own life. That makes you a hypocrite. Speaking out of one side of your mouth saying one thing, out of the other side your saying something else. We are all hypocrites to some extent we all have a failure of the moment. The bigger issue isn’t so much the speck as it is the log. Never approach a brother about their failures when yours are not dealt with. 1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Seek your own restoration, confess your own sins, close the lumber yard. You may see that your brother has already dealt with his speck.

Final Thoughts:

Should Christians Judge other Christians? Yes, it’s our responsibility as brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all part of the same body. Sin is like yeast or leaven, when not dealt with or removed it will spread and affect the whole body of Christ. You can see it in today’s society allowing those in sin to remain in the church and just accepting the sin as being OK. It spreads like cancer. As Christ loved the church we also must love the church, the body of Christ. Christ would have dealt with someone in sin with love we should do the same. We are to show honor, harmony, love and service towards each other. There is to be no division. Sin in one of the members of Christ if not dealt with can causes division. We approach someone in sin to restore them first to Christ then the body of Christ. Scripture tells us how we are to approach someone in the body of Christ that is in undealt with sin. Scripture also tells us if we have sin in our own life that hasn’t been dealt with then we should deal with our own sin and seek forgiveness and restoration before we approach them about their sin. It also tells us by judging others we bring commendation upon ourselves. Using the same standards, you used to judge them it will be judged on you. Can you live up to your own standards? The end goal when approaching someone in sin should always be repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration and always done is the love of Christ. One last verse as to why we are to judge those in sin.            Gal 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.