Destroying the Kingdom

Okay...I want to start by saying that I am just as guilty as anyone else where this lesson pertains...believe me. The Christian ARMY is destroying its own men, and that is just horrible. So how to we fix it? What is Gods Kingdom? (WE ARE the body) And how do we handle the ugliness that goes on within that Kingdom? Well lets take a look, I am going to use the Message translation for this, it is not my fave, but I love the way it speaks on this...

Using:

Luke 6: 27-42 I will post them for you as we look at what we are to do about this situation...and I have seen this recently in my own place of worship and it worries me, but remember I am just as guilty of doing it...so lets look and learn together.

Luke 6:27-42

Luke 6:27 "To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst.

Luke 6:28 When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person.

Luke 6:29 If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it.

Luke 6:30 If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

Luke 6:31 "Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them!

Luke 6:32 If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that.

Luke 6:33 If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that.

Luke 6:34 If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.

Luke 6:35 "I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never - I promise - regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst.

Luke 6:36 Our Father is kind; you be kind.

Luke 6:37 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults - unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier.

Luke 6:38 Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back - given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."

Luke 6:39 He quoted a proverb: "'Can a blind man guide a blind man?' Wouldn't they both end up in the ditch?

Luke 6:40 An apprentice doesn't lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher.

Luke 6:41 "It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own.

Luke 6:42 Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this I-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.

Okay breaking it down...we are to...LOVE them and PRAY for them...BLESS them....

If someone hits your cheek...stand there..."turn the other cheek" and if someone takes the shirt off your back...give them your coat too...

If you give and give and give to someone, and they just take it and do not give back. do not worry...be a servent..GIVE generously, God will reward you.

GOLDEN RULE: DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WANT DONE TO YOU!!!!

IF you only help those that help you, what good is that...sinners do that everyday, tell me what good will it do???

If you only give...like money, in hopes to get something in return, like a free bible or something else...what good is that, is it really "charity"??? Why do we have to expect ANYTHING??

Give without expecting ANYTHING in return. for God says. you will not regret it. Live the life that Christ did for us...GENEROUSLY. and giving GRACE!!!

GOD IS KIND...you are to be like HIM...SO BE KIND!!

Do not judge or condemn ANYONE. cause you will be judged and condemned the SAME!!! Be easy...you get what you give!!!
It is obvious to us...to see someone's shortcomings...but what about OUR OWN??? I love the term it uses that there is a smudge on there face...and your face holds a look of disgust...DO NOT get the washrag to clean them. unless you HAVE CLEANED YOUR OWN...looks and smudges off your own face!!!

So...we are to love them, pray for them, bless them, and treat them like we want to be treated...still sounds easy, but how do we do it...where do we start. WE START by looking in the mirror....

ROMANS 12:5
Rom 12:5 So we, though we are a number of persons, are one body in Christ, and are dependent on one another;

We depend on one another!!! We make up the body of Christ, and when we begin to get selfish and smug things begin to fall apart!!

One thing that I have been thinking on is our sins. When we look at each other...Do we look at each other as GOD does? Do we see what HE sees? Cause if we did we would not see peoples repented sins....do you know what I mean??
If someone you know hurt you or sinned against you or made a HUGE mistake in life and hurt many people, and people thought poorly of her and thought she was still "worthless" or a "burden" how would you look at her?? If she had asked for forgiveness how do you view her now?

John 8:7 But when they went on with their questions, he got up and said to them, Let him among you who is without sin be the first to send a stone at her.

So...what we see here is this...God says. LET the first who is WITHOUT sin. cast the first stone!!! mmmm...well are you sinless??? I do not think so...but remember GOD does not see our sins after we have asked for forgiveness...only we do, and only do we DWELL on it, if we do not forgive. ourselves.

So if we forgive someone when need to remember...that sin NO LONGER EXISTS...UNLESS you bring it up or hang on to it. And if you do not forgive them, what good is it for you? Its not...we are to forgive as God forgives us...just like the Lords prayer tells us to do.

So the next time you think of holding on to the hurtful thing or stupid thing that someone did...remember that if they repented of there sin...it no longer is there. GOD does not see it so WHY should you?? Do not judge someone based on there past....it no longer exists in Gods eyes...we are to have the eyes of Christ and view things as HE does and handle things LIKE HE DOES!!!
Learn to let go...when you think someone is beneath you, a screw up, sinful, lazy, un-righteous, full of it, worthless...When you think someone has hurt you, abused you, made fun of you....When you think that you have the RIGHT to stand in JUDGMENT of them, talk about them, slander them, point and laugh, gossip...REMEMBER....

What goes around comes around...and if you have ever or are ANY of those things...point the finger at yourself first. examine yourself. Remember when you point at someone else. there are 3 fingers pointing back at you!

Also, when someone has sinned and asked God for forgiveness...that SIN is gone, no matter who it was against, and if the SIN is still lurking in your mind causing YOU pain, it is because YOU have not forgiven, God has...and that sin in there heart...NO LONGER Exists...so LET GO. and LET GOD!!!

Do what the WORD tells you to do...Love them, Bless them, Pray for them, Give to them...Walk the walk...and do not talk the talk....

*footnote-I have forgiven my fathers killers...Christians or not I do not know, but I forgive them for taking his life, and I love them. God tells me to do these things, I have spoken publicly at there parole hearings, not in favor of there release, but in the fact that I forgive the crime they did against me personally. It was a hard thing to do, but I have done it and am FREE because of it. If you want to read more about my father you can go to...www.kansashighwaypatrol.org/memory/obrien.htm You can find more on the internet also if you want to using his name, news articles etc...we will have one more parole hearing for the other gentleman next March in which I plan to speak on forgiveness, The other gentleman was given 5 more years before he will have a chance of parole again.