I Corinthians 4:5, Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness, and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.

As I have grown older, I have often found myself in a faith crisis. I used to be one of the most judgmental people one could ever meet. I could, and would, find fault in nearly everyone and everything, despite the fact that all judgments are a waste of time and energy, for knowledge of something wrong without the power to change it is useless. However, one day I had a revelation of myself and could see that what I hated in others was also in me, which meant I hated a lot of myself. Since that day I have still made my share of false judgments–since I do not abide perfectly–but I recognize when the peace of God is leaving me. This has caused new behavior in me, and when I am told how terrible this or that person is, I can choose to remain quiet. One day I was told point blank, “I know your position on judging, but you are just putting your head in the sand and refusing to acknowledge the problem.” I understand what was being said, and I have been there and done that. But here is my faith crisis: I can either put my head in the sand concerning others, or I can put my head in the sand concerning the Lord, for He is the One Who has commanded the impossible by saying, “Love your enemies, pray for those that persecute you, and bless those that curse you.” I would rather have my head in the sand concerning men, and my head in the clouds with Jesus. It has been said that if we glance at men and gaze at Jesus, we will be eternal optimists. If we glance at Jesus, but gaze at men, we will be eternal pessimists. We make our own heaven and hell on this earth, and only God, not man, deserves our attention (worship).

James 1:14, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.” Galatians 5:16-17, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”

I am starting to believe that people are deceived because there is something in them desiring the deception. First, if Satan has the ability to deceive all men, then all men would be deceived. Obviously he does not have that kind of power. So what does he look for in a man that would allow for a deception? Satan is looking for something in the heart of man where the deception can begin. It would be impossible for Christ to deceive any person, for there is nothing in Christ that the flesh desires. True Christianity cannot deceive, for again, nothing in the flesh wants anything at all to do with Christianity.

Christianity has one message for my flesh: “Move over!” So what is it that makes man’s heart open to deception? I believe it is the desire of a heart that says, “I can be God.” Rephrased, it is the desire of the heart to be independent from God. This is why the Mormon religion is so successful; it is cleverer than the early Catholics who embraced the local gods of the people, or just gave them different names. As you know, many “Catholic” countries are rife with blends of Catholicism and witchcraft. Haiti is an example. However, the Mormons offer something more: man can actually become a god. Man can invite his wife to his celestial kingdom, where she can be eternally pregnant. This “deception” has incredible drawing power to those who have suffered under the hand of their unjust god, or who have served a god all of their lives. After all, who would not want to believe that he could become the one who hands out punishment and receives gifts from others?

Such a person is deceived with a ludicrous teaching, but moving past the cobweb to the spider, we see at the root a heart that says, “I want to be God.” Deceptions all offer the flesh something, and Christ is always taking something away from the flesh. When someone converts to Mormonism, or any of the other “-isms,” I never feel that the Mormons won one while the Christians lost one. Instead, I believe that the person, in believing the deception of Mormonism, actually revealed a heart previously hidden that is anti-Christ. Again, we see that nothing is working against us. God is permitting all the “-isms” for the revelation of hearts. The germ of every cult is this promise of keeping the flesh alive through some kind of God-playing. The amazing thing is that it holds any attraction, when it is so much easier to have a God than to play God.

I Corinthians 4:5, “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”

Peter’s statement that “a woman will be saved in childbirth” is confusing until the word saved is properly defined. The term saved, as used in the Bible, refers a majority of the time to deliverance in the present. Nothing hinders daily victory and joy as much as selfishness. Experiencing childbirth, a woman’s self-life is given a severe blow as she devotes her own wellbeing to the good of another, her newborn child. This very loss of self-centeredness allows her to be more susceptible to daily victory in Christ.

Peter’s statement is not meant to be a dig to women who have not borne children any more so than to men, who also have never borne children. He is pointing to a greater truth, and that truth is that selfishness needs a deathblow in order for mankind to find life. Childbirth seems to validate a woman’s existence (not all women, but many) in the sense that once a woman is a mother, the course of her life is believed to be set, and she therefore has validation and purpose. Men do not have such an experience, and I find that many are looking for purpose and validation. However, we seek for the things that can only be found in Him.

I have collected several suicide notes from men over the years (more men successfully commit suicide than women). The notes are predictable and often carry the same theme: “I am sorry that I did not amount to more”; “I should have done more with my life”; “I am a disappointment.” In short, they never found validation–or, rather, a fulfilled purpose–in living. Within the context of discipleship I often play a suicide game. I pretend that I am the person sitting before me wanting to commit suicide, and the person must take the name of Suicide. I say, “Suicide, why do you want to kill me?” The answer comes in various forms, but always with the same general thrust: “Because you are worthless, you have not accomplished anything with your life, and you have not lived up to your potential.” I then respond, “Exactly what is my potential? How will I know if I have accomplished enough or lived well enough to fulfill my potential? Will it be when I have made a medical discovery, become popular, obtained my own television show, gained the praise of my family, or memorized the whole Bible? The problem is that I know of men who fall into the previous categories of accomplishment that have all committed suicide, therefore proving that your definition of validation is faulty.”

Something very depressing to many is that they have “made it” in the world’s sense and wake up in the morning being their same old selves. Validation from yourself, the world, or others is like taking a dry dishrag and wringing it for a full, thirst-satisfying, glass of water. When man cannot find validation, he will live to the world, others, and self in an attempt to justify his existence on the earth. I have not mentioned the things that we do that actually, in our minds, do the opposite of validating us. There are the outbursts, the deeds of the flesh, the old habits that return, the failed marriages, and more. Men more than women need to stop looking for validation in any place other than the Lord. Naked you entered the world and naked you will leave. Frank Sinatra died and Las Vegas dimmed its lights for a short time. Wow! What a tribute. They then turned them back on full blaze and went on gambling.

If the Lord validates you, you no longer must live to the world, yourself, or others. You will be free, free indeed. He validates every man with a simple statement, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” That is enough. With that statement echoing in my heart, I am as happy sitting on a tractor turning up the grubs and watching the seagulls eat them as I am preaching before five thousand. I am as expectant in defeat as in victory. I am not watching myself obsessively, nor does the affirmation or rejection of the world or others change my day.

There are things learned in suffering that cannot be learned in comfort, and therefore man is in need of suffering!

Matthew 9: 20 ”And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak.”
We have said it many times, but it bears repeating. There are things learned in suffering that cannot be learned in comfort, and therefore man is in need of suffering! It is interesting to hear the stories from some of those who experienced prison in Siberia under the Soviet Union. The reported suffering was so intense, and in fact, many were purposely taken to Siberia to die. Despite no shelter, food, or clothing, some survived. Amid such intense suffering, some created their own very small world of comfort. Someone had the idea of making shoes out of potato sacks with paper placed in the bottom for insulation. That netted a little comfort. Others discovered how to catch the little snowbirds for an added protein delight. Again, a little more comfort was gained. Some discovered how to make charcoal drawings from the ashes for a little creative comfort. Man simply cannot thrive with just suffering. There are many witnesses to the fact that some simply lost the will to live without some comfort.

Many in the world would love to experience Americans’ level of suffering.

In the same way, however, there is a need for some suffering. Man cannot live in comfort alone. In fact, the comfortable Western world is in such a need for suffering that it actually manufactures it. Because I travel where people do consistently suffer, it sometimes seems ridiculous to me to see what an American can call suffering. Many in the world would love to experience Americans’ level of suffering. There are howls over the most vague injustices, the unending pictures of the homeless, the slightest perceived infractions of rights, and the inequities of society. The media is nearly comical in its pursuit of the discovery of some perceived suffering. It only confirms the inherent need man must have for some kind of suffering. Those who never suffer lack character. I often see kids who at age 20 are sitting around waiting for the perfect job. They don’t want to suffer with something that isn’t perfect. Can the caste-born man in India imagine a twenty-something without a job because it wouldn’t be fun? We learn so much of what Christ can be in us by doing the things that are not fun. Was it fun for God to be in a human body? Was it fun for Him to provide for a family? Was it fun to have so little of a hearing among His peers? And yet in all those non-fun activities we see a victorious Man we want living in us. The Western world in its shallow pursuit of comfort has lost character. Having an enemy is suffering, but learning that Jesus can love an enemy through us is sheer delight. We need suffering, and I will tell you something that is known by many already: Suffering is coming! It is coming to the West! It is not to be feared, for its purpose will be the perfecting of the hearts that are for Him. Remember when it comes that our brothers and sisters who live amid suffering in a multitude of countries witness to the fact that God is greater.

In these times we are not creating hearts as much as watching them be revealed.

The Revelation of the Heart
Romans 2:5, “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.” In these times we are not creating hearts as much as watching them be revealed. It is the time for the revelation of hearts. The heart is being revealed all around us. When someone says, “I can’t believe in a God that allows suffering,” that person’s heart is being revealed. They know that God didn’t cause the suffering, but they are taking occasion to blame Him. If He did take away suffering, do we honestly think that such a person would immediately repent and turn to Jesus? No, the statement or the event is simply a revelation of the heart. We will be surprised in heaven to discover all that God has done for suffering people. Just as the heart of His own Son was revealed in hardship, so have many others’ been. It is amazing to be in a place where there has been persecution, because that type of suffering accelerates the revelation of the heart and allows us to see men for what they really are. “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around,” said the man being healed from his blindness. Do you know the hearts of those around you? They are not revealed in comfort. One day you will see that those you thought were enemies are friends and those believed to be friends were enemies. It is the time for the revelation of hearts.

Over the course of the years I have attended, witnessed, and been told of a variety of meetings and experiences that simply cannot be witnessed to from the Scriptures. Attempts to verify and legitimize them through the Scriptures are made; however, most often this ends in a distortion of the Bible. So what about such meetings and experiences? Those that have such experiences will vehemently fight for them as valid experiences of the Spirit. Though the expressions are not consistent around the world, “other” type experiences are. Some witness to having teeth turn gold, others to a cross turning to gold, uncontrolled laughter, pictures of saints that exude a fragrant aroma that heals, falling down and passing out, prophecies, people turning to pigs through prayer, and much, much more. I have heard many accounts, all told with sincerity and conviction. Again, what about such meetings and experiences? First, I must keep it all in perspective. In short, I really don’t care. Why? Not because I don’t care for the people, but because even if the experience and meeting were legitimate, it wasn’t my meeting or my experience, so why would I argue a position? It is too easy for all of us to move into pride. While Jesus was with the disciples, they were one. Take Jesus out of the center of any conversation and there will be division. I wouldn’t sacrifice my relationship with Christians over an experience that someone else had. Therefore, we approach such experiences without an agenda. I am not trying to prove or disprove. In comparison with my fellowship with a believer, I don’t care. Therefore, I will often go quiet if I see that my observations would cause a division. This approach won’t satisfy those that want to fight for the truth. However, the truth is not any experience, but Jesus. This brings me to the second point: a meeting or an experience does not create a heart for Jesus, but it does reveal one. Camping on this point has helped me, for I see both types of people attending such meetings. One person goes for the spectacular, for the seeking of the experience, all in the hope of creating a heart for God or obtaining a shred of proof that he is acceptable to God. This person is most open to deception. Some with this attitude are even leading the meetings. Perhaps we could liken it to “Christian pornography.” The purpose of pornography is to stimulate the fleshly body, albeit unnaturally. The body is to be stimulated by one’s mate, not another in the form of a picture. In the same way, the mind, will, and emotions belong to God and are to be stimulated by His Spirit. However, Christian pornography would be allowing something other than God to stimulate the soul. Many in seminaries are addicted to “intellectual pornography,” for they are always looking for the thing that will stimulate the mind. Many organizations are driven by men who have their wills stimulated through fantasizing about great works, or “pornography for the will power.” Others are into “emotional pornography” through the stirring of the emotions in a meeting or an experience. It is unnatural to go to a meeting seeking something to stir the soul other than Jesus. When those with such a heart are describing the experience and are questioned, they will immediately shift course and say that it is all about Jesus. However, His name was never mentioned in the course of the description. Instead there was a forceful presentation of the experience and the meeting. This is a revelation of the heart. Remember that Jesus did miracles and generally told the people to be quiet about them. He didn’t want to attract people who were attracted by miracles. Actually, I believe that a false teacher is used of God to reveal false hearts. I don’t mind if people go running to them, for they are seeking something other Jesus. Christian pornography, those things that stir the soul, are like the picture; they are a substitute for the real Person. In talking to a Pentecostal Pastor and a Baptist Pastor, I asked the same question. “Go back 20 years and think of the people in your church. Where are they today? How many are still moving forward?” Both pastors gave the same percentage; both have the same “results.” One can only conclude that it is not doctrine that allows for forward movement, but the grace of God and the choice of man. Therefore, the doctrine of a meeting can be completely wrong, but we must not neglect those that attend such meetings, for the revelation of the motives of their hearts. Faith is an amazing thing. If you believe that God will meet you at the Baptist church, will He? If you believe that God will meet you at the Pentecostal church, will He? If you believe that you will meet Him in the mountains, will you? He is everywhere. He can be found in any place at any time. Therefore, good-hearted people go to strange meetings and meet Jesus. Their hearts are revealed. The proof is in their lives. I have known those that have had very abnormal experiences, and yet it is obvious they are moving up in Jesus, talking more about Jesus, promoting Jesus, and not pushing the experience. What do we say to such things? Well, amen! I don’t have to understand it to witness to it. I know people personally that were, outwardly, going nowhere until the experience came and something changed. They became Christ-centered. In conclusion, meetings do not create hearts, they reveal them. Go to any meeting with the right heart, and your heart will be revealed. Go to the weird meeting wanting to create some kind of heart, and any manner of thing can happen. That is why people with a right heart come away from really strange things blessed, and those with a wrong heart are led further astray.

Over the course of the years I have attended, witnessed, and been told of a variety of meetings and experiences that simply cannot be witnessed to from the Scriptures. Attempts to verify and legitimize them through the Scriptures are made; however, most often this ends in a distortion of the Bible. So what about such meetings and experiences? Those that have such experiences will vehemently fight for them as valid experiences of the Spirit. Though the expressions are not consistent around the world, “other” type experiences are. Some witness to having teeth turn gold, others to a cross turning to gold, uncontrolled laughter, pictures of saints that exude a fragrant aroma that heals, falling down and passing out, prophecies, people turning to pigs through prayer, and much, much more. I have heard many accounts, all told with sincerity and conviction. Again, what about such meetings and experiences? First, I must keep it all in perspective. In short, I really don’t care. Why? Not because I don’t care for the people, but because even if the experience and meeting were legitimate, it wasn’t my meeting or my experience, so why would I argue a position? It is too easy for all of us to move into pride. While Jesus was with the disciples, they were one. Take Jesus out of the center of any conversation and there will be division. I wouldn’t sacrifice my relationship with Christians over an experience that someone else had. Therefore, we approach such experiences without an agenda. I am not trying to prove or disprove. In comparison with my fellowship with a believer, I don’t care. Therefore, I will often go quiet if I see that my observations would cause a division. This approach won’t satisfy those that want to fight for the truth. However, the truth is not any experience, but Jesus. This brings me to the second point: a meeting or an experience does not create a heart for Jesus, but it does reveal one. Camping on this point has helped me, for I see both types of people attending such meetings. One person goes for the spectacular, for the seeking of the experience, all in the hope of creating a heart for God or obtaining a shred of proof that he is acceptable to God. This person is most open to deception. Some with this attitude are even leading the meetings. Perhaps we could liken it to “Christian pornography.” The purpose of pornography is to stimulate the fleshly body, albeit unnaturally. The body is to be stimulated by one’s mate, not another in the form of a picture. In the same way, the mind, will, and emotions belong to God and are to be stimulated by His Spirit. However, Christian pornography would be allowing something other than God to stimulate the soul. Many in seminaries are addicted to “intellectual pornography,” for they are always looking for the thing that will stimulate the mind. Many organizations are driven by men who have their wills stimulated through fantasizing about great works, or “pornography for the will power.” Others are into “emotional pornography” through the stirring of the emotions in a meeting or an experience. It is unnatural to go to a meeting seeking something to stir the soul other than Jesus. When those with such a heart are describing the experience and are questioned, they will immediately shift course and say that it is all about Jesus. However, His name was never mentioned in the course of the description. Instead there was a forceful presentation of the experience and the meeting. This is a revelation of the heart. Remember that Jesus did miracles and generally told the people to be quiet about them. He didn’t want to attract people who were attracted by miracles. Actually, I believe that a false teacher is used of God to reveal false hearts. I don’t mind if people go running to them, for they are seeking something other Jesus. Christian pornography, those things that stir the soul, are like the picture; they are a substitute for the real Person. In talking to a Pentecostal Pastor and a Baptist Pastor, I asked the same question. “Go back 20 years and think of the people in your church. Where are they today? How many are still moving forward?” Both pastors gave the same percentage; both have the same “results.” One can only conclude that it is not doctrine that allows for forward movement, but the grace of God and the choice of man. Therefore, the doctrine of a meeting can be completely wrong, but we must not neglect those that attend such meetings, for the revelation of the motives of their hearts. Faith is an amazing thing. If you believe that God will meet you at the Baptist church, will He? If you believe that God will meet you at the Pentecostal church, will He? If you believe that you will meet Him in the mountains, will you? He is everywhere. He can be found in any place at any time. Therefore, good-hearted people go to strange meetings and meet Jesus. Their hearts are revealed. The proof is in their lives. I have known those that have had very abnormal experiences, and yet it is obvious they are moving up in Jesus, talking more about Jesus, promoting Jesus, and not pushing the experience. What do we say to such things? Well, amen! I don’t have to understand it to witness to it. I know people personally that were, outwardly, going nowhere until the experience came and something changed. They became Christ-centered. In conclusion, meetings do not create hearts, they reveal them. Go to any meeting with the right heart, and your heart will be revealed. Go to the weird meeting wanting to create some kind of heart, and any manner of thing can happen. That is why people with a right heart come away from really strange things blessed, and those with a wrong heart are led further astray.

In the grace of God, we see him rise from the ashes with a new message, THE message of Christ.

To me this question actually has two answers. First, our responsibility is to judge the message, for it always takes precedence over the messenger. Paul makes this point repeatedly, such as in Galatians 1:8, saying no matter how beautiful the messenger is, the message is what counts. “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” Again, Paul sees the message as being much more important than himself, “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.” Even when it came to having a messenger who had wrong motives, Paul remained interested primarily in the message. Philippians 1:17, 18, “the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. 18What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.” Therefore, if the message was correct when the writer or performer was walking with Jesus, the message is still valid today, and I won’t throw it out. David had a moral failure; I will not throw out what God had clearly given him before his failure. It would be my loss. When one takes the position to discredit everything that has been said by a fallen believer, he is walking on thin ice, for God may define for him anew what fallen means. In, Galatians 5:19-21, Paul gives a description of the flesh. Who can boast that at some time in their life they have not fallen into some of these things? Who can rightly judge the messenger? Now to the second answer:
some have not promoted the message, but rather they promote themselves. It is their plan that whenever we hear their music or read a particular paragraph, their picture, not Christ’s, flashes into our minds. Paul talks about such people. II Cor. 4:5, “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” There are those in the business of riding on the back of Christ to create an image for themselves. They don’t make a distinction between the message and themselves. They are the proof of their message. They, in fact, believe they are propping up Jesus. The focus is constantly on them and their faith, their talent, and their cleverness. Their formula, writing, or music and how it makes them stand out is one with their image. “17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.” When such a believer falls, it is impossible to separate him from his message, for in reality he was the true message, with such a high standard set for himself and others that he will have trouble finding grace. Such a one is left having to clean up the mess on his own. In interview after interview he will try to separate himself from the message, so that the message can retain its integrity, but it is too late to separate himself from it. It becomes impossible to defend his message when it is revealed that it wasn’t THE message of Christ. People quickly abandon him. The books and the music will find their way to the trash bin, but though his reputation is also in the trash bin, the person is not! The blessing in all this is that God will use it to move him into clinging to the proper message. In the grace of God, we see him rise from the ashes with a new message, THE message of Christ. Well, amen!

“May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.”

I listened and thought to myself how true it is that the task can so easily become more important than the individual.

I Thess. 3:5, “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.” A friend has made an interesting observation, saying recently he had been listening to several mission reports and support appeals in an attempt to find what was missing. He couldn’t put his finger on it but said there was something different from when he was a child. As he searched through the statistics and the financial and physical needs of missionaries and missions, the stories of conversion and the hardships, he finally noticed what was different. In none of the reports did he hear that the missionaries were compelled by the love of God or that they were madly in love with the people, and it was vexing to him. I listened and thought to myself how true it is that the task can so easily become more important than the individual. How easy it is to forget the greatest thing, love! That simple observation has driven me to my knees, not to generate love, but to bask in the presence of Love. For it is an appreciation of His love that drives me to love. The root of missions must be love.

“And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” Gen 20:2

For those of you who are married, what are some of the words and concepts that stir in your mind when you hear the words “wife” or “husband”? When I say that I have a wife or call Betty “my wife,” many things come to mind, for there are myriad issues associated with the term “wife.” I think of the children, finances, the home, the emotional, physical, and mental aspects of our relationship, future and past events, good and bad, commitment, oneness, pains and joys, holidays, babies, ultimate goals, and more. After all, she is my wife.

There is much written on the relationship of husband and wife. However, I want to investigate an overlooked aspect of marriage, that of brother and sister in Christ. This is a greater relationship than marriage. In heaven there will be no marriage, for the earthly relationship of marriage will end on earth. “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Mark 12:25)

When I look at my wife and call her sister, everything changes. Just as the word “wife” brings with it a multitude of feelings, situations, and actions, so does the word “sister.” She is my sister in Christ; I am her brother in Christ. Those two words, “sister and brother,” move us to a different realm with completely different issues and goals. Once I call her “sister,” I acknowledge that she is not my own; she has a Father and is a member of a family. As my sister we have a goal that goes above and beyond that of a married couple. God is the goal and the desire of our hearts; we must encourage each other in Him. Who did what and said what is not of ultimate importance; He is. All of the little annoyances of the day don’t matter. Earthly mistakes are not the issue. Security is not in finances or who was wisest with the money. Together, He is our goal. When offended, we recognize that we deserve to be offended until we cannot be offended, for of what use will we be in the kingdom if we still get offended? I can’t judge my sister, for, ”Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” (Rom. 14:4)

There is something higher than marriage for a couple, there is another dimension, and there is a better place from which to relate. Sometime today, turn to your wife and call her “Sister,” or to your husband and say “Brother.” For too long we have only seen our mates as wife or husband, and there is more.