Is it so harsh to be judged or to judge? The Bible has an entire book on judgment called Judges, and many prophets were given instructions by God to pass judgement on the people. To judge or be judged only becomes uncomfortable when the Mind of Christ is absent, shaky, or not fulfilled. For if we have received the birthright as a Christian; then we must take the responsibility to judge! And if we judge; are we walking in the fullness of being a Christian? Yes! There are many passages, especially in the New Testament that tells us not to judge as stated; “Judge not, that you be not judged” - Matt. 7:1. But to be sure there has to be consideration of the context of whether to judge or not to judge is the role of the Body of Christ as stated; “judge Righteously” - Jn. 7:24. Both these statements are from Jesus! So if think it is not in our purview to judge; or if we don’t judge wisely; then how can as a Christian we confess as stated; “And He (God) raised us up together with Him (Jesus), and seated us with Him in the Heavenly places, in Christ Jesus” - Eph. 2:6.

The third foundation of the family is to be judged! We may get to pick who we are; first to ourselves, and then to others, but we don’t get to pick our family. Here; we are not really talking about our children but the extended family, including those outside of the marriage. We all have at least one family member who is a real challenge when it comes to our views on life and finding common ground with them is for the most part practically mystifying, challenging, and tedious. This foundation is at the core of being a Christ-follower as Jesus demonstrated before going to the cross as stated; “If I (Jesus) do not wash you, you have no part with Me; ….(and) if I then, your LORD and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet, (for) I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you (and others)” - Jn. 13:8-15. This was Jesus’ last act of relational servitude before going to the cross where He demonstrated it ought not to be below our pride to be less before those who are considered the least such as prisoners, widows, orphans, and the destitute; where, by this act; the barriers that separate us are slowing worn, broken, and removed so that the revelation of the Cross can be effective. 

In these cases, it is often best to pray over the situation and be led by the Holy Spirit as to whether to forget or mine the issue at hand. This is because of the double edge sword, where wrong judgments can sow the seeds of discord; while accommodating each other’s and God’s perspective on the matter is for the improving, strengthening, and maturing of each other for God’s purposes. Sometimes, it is necessary to recall the Salvation message with all parties, including all its benefits, rights, and responsibilities to achieve not only an amicable resolution but more so; the Righteous foundation for the Christian walk. The compassionate judgment is the very Grace God gives to us without compromising His Throne! 

The best thing to do is to curb the judging habit of outward things and focus on judging the inward things. This is not only about the man in the mirror but the marriage, and family also. We can’t use our culture, tradition, or knowledge to do this but only the Word; and the leanings of the Holy Spirit. From this foundation; outward judgments have a purer evaluation perspective because if it's not worthy of the family unit; it is not right for those outside of it. The first judgment and decision God made was to organize leadership; then marriage, and eventually the family. In that, He precursor who is to be judged first, second and last as stated; “those in authority will have a harsher judgment” - Jms. 3:1. One can look at any organization where the leader is judged first; then his managers; and then the workers. This goes for the church and in God’s eyes, it's no different than a family unit or a ministry or an organization. This main criteria is what all judgments ought to be based on. And to be clear; Adam was not the head because he was a man but because God assigned him that leadership role by being his first creation. God demonstrated this by the responsibilities Adam was given. Now to be clear; the average Christian man on a whole has failed to take up his Righteous role because of a lack of examples; societal peer pressures; and political correctness. But regardless; God will only use His criteria to judge! And to be sure; in the absence of the father regardless of abandonment or death; it will be the mother who will be judged first within the family unit! 

And if Jesus is seated in the Heavenly places and being at the right hand of the Father; is not His role to judge, not the world; but the Christian? This is because God has already judged the world as stated; “The wicked shall be turned (taken) into hell, (including) all the nations that forget (abandon) God; …(and) let the nations (world) be judged in Your sight” - Ps. 9. Jesus is the Christian’s advocate, and the Christian; the world’s; for as stated; “pray for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and Reverence; for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God (through) our Savior (Jesus Christ)” - 1 Tim. 2:1-3. This ‘we’ is not the Body of Christ but the peoples as a whole, because as stated; “In the world, you (Christians) shall have tribulation” - Jn. 16:33. As the Body of Christ; we are disciples, followers, and imitators of Christ who clearly stated His mission; “Do not think that I (Jesus) came to bring peace on Earth; (and) I did not come to bring peace but a sword” - Matt. 10:34. This mission of the sword has been passed on to us! 

Christ came not only to create turmoil in the world but especially within the people, families, and the churches as stated; “The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law” - Lk. 12:53. Even a family of Christians has someone within the family who does not portray the true image of Christ. In my youth; I was the so-called black sheep and it was my brother that everyone considered the ideal son and Godly person, but today based on the Word it's the opposite. We may deceive many but the Truth will eventually be exposed to what we hide as stated; “For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light” - Mk. 4:22. Later; my brother revealed a deep dark secret that he traveled miles away from home to confess to my parents so that he did not have to face them directly and based on his confession we were faced with the dilemma of judgment, dissension, and regret; not according to the world, but by the Word of God. And if by Righteous judgment; then as the Body, we must be prepared for the revealing our character by the Truth of our perspectives on the issues of life, acquaintances, and governments.

June 10, 2022.

 

The sin eater. 

Spiritual Awakening

The first foundation of leadership is to be judged! This ought to be done traditionally by the head of the household or rather the person with the more critical role; which is usually the man. In our case; the Christian man! Why? Because God deems it so! Now; there are circumstances where the wife or even the child takes up this role of headship but that’s only because of worldly impacts, and unrighteous thinking. Ultimately; the man will be answerable for how his wife and family walk as a Christian. When a semblance of Righteous leadership is achieved which is not based on things but the Holy Spirit; then evaluating a church leader such as the pastor’s works are feasible. This is because if as the head, God endorses your leadership it means your ability to judge Righteously can now be extended to the church; just as a prophet would. It is tragic to see many men who are in church leadership yet their families are not in unity with each other, which is unfortunately a common thing among many pastors, ministers, and elders because they have not dealt with their leadership in the home but expect their family to fall in line because of their appointment. It is not enough to claim one’s Anointing for leadership from another leader without demonstrating the proof in practice at all levels, especially behind closed doors. And to be clear; this practice is mainly from the Old Testament but under the New Testament; Jesus Anointed everyone by the Holy Spirit equally for the works of the Spirit as with the example; "the LORD appointed seventy others also, and sent them" - Lk. 10:1. 

And to put this in context; Adam’s first task by God was to judge on appearances, demeanor, and characteristics. He was hired to be the overseer of the Garden and given the authority to name the animals as stated; “He (God) brought them; (the animals and birds) to the man to see what he would name each one” - Gen. 2:19. God did not suggest, interfere, or debate the names Adam gave these creatures; but had the confidence that he would judge each one fairly and give an appropriate name. And if this was his first command from God then isn't ours? We do the same by giving our children, pets, and even vehicles nicknames by judging with the same criteria Adam used. To Righteously judge is the opposite of declaring unrighteous words that condemn because it requires us to first judge our words before uttering them as seeds that will produce after its kind as stated; “That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” - Matt. 12:36. 

We often take the world’s view on judging; condemning the individual rather than the act or the thoughts of destruction. Now to be clear; all sins, crimes, and irresponsible acts are to be accounted for by the offending individual(s) especially when there will be a long-term impact on the victims. As the Body of Christ; we are only to judge and condemn according to the Word and the Spirit of God; just as the prophets did and those in the five-fold ministry are charged with doing as stated; “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ” - Eph. 4:12. To judge or rather sternly evaluate should not be taken lightly as stated; “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” - Matt. 7:2. Meaning; in the way you look at the issue will determine the kind of judgment that is given and in turn, given back to you; because of subjective or objective judging. There are three main types of judgments including Righteous, hypocritical, and compassionate judgments. These judgments are within the birthright of the saved and the Body of Christ. Now to be clear; we all have misjudged especially those within the church, but to believe it is not a part of the Christian’s responsibility is to deny the very Salvation Christ bought and paid for us. For Jesus judged wherever and whenever the Spirit led Him.

The compassionate judgment is more in line with God’s mindset of Grace but is also under heavier scrutiny from the Spirit. It is a double-edged sword! This is because as stated we must; “Judge not according to the appearance (superficial), but judge with Righteous (Godly right-standing) judgment” - Jn. 7:24. Most people judge favorably by appearance, bias, or ignorance of things. But God who knows the hidden things; judges prudently. This kind of judgment is done slowly, timely, and with precision. And is often seen in the Bible where God who knows everything and is longsuffering; allows men to continue in their sin before Him even though He has warned them by His prophets as stated; “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths” - Prov. 5:21. But when the time for His declaration has come; He is swift to pass Righteous judgment often with a devastating quake. If we judge from unconfirmed information; we judge inaccurately in the sight of God! But when we are not quick to judge and maintain an objective mind with integrity; we judge Righteously. Often; within the church and world there are imperfections and when we see such things we are quick to criticize. In many cases; social media has compounded this. What we fail to do is to examine the details of such incidents, disorganizations, or immaturity. And without these details, we have no business judging. The compassionate judgment is foremost used not only within the Body but also in the world where unless you walked in the offender’s shoes; one cannot be effective in their conclusions. But to sure; this type of judging does not supersede Righteous judgments. 

Jesus judged Righteously by clearly making this distinction as stated; “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” - Matt. 10:34-39. Now; the religious mind says we are not allowed to judge but only to love. Yet God who is Love judges us and if we are truly made in the image of God as revealed by his Son; is this not part of the Truth's revelation, clarity, and responsibility; considering that in everything, every day; we are judging. We do this by voicing our opinions, likes, and dislikes often quoting the Bible, or making whimsical remarks. The mere fact that we tell others; “not to judge”; is a judgment in itself. 

The Righteous judgment is simply to adhere to, administer, and enforce the Law and Commandments given by God. Every Old Testament Law still applies today with the exceptions of those that have been ratified by the perfected New Covenant through Jesus Christ and are administered by the perspective of God’s purpose for creation as ordered and stated by Jesus; “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath, (and) therefore the Son of man is LORD also of the Sabbath” - Mk. 2:27. The Law, Commandments, and Judgments are all under God’s purpose for creation which is to ultimately put satan, the fallen angels, demons; and their works under Righteous judgment. We judge these unrighteous characters as stated; “To those on the left (wrong) hand (standing); (you) depart from Me, you cursed (condemned), into everlasting (hell) fire, prepared (reserved, established, appointed) for the devil and his angels” - Matt. 25:41. In many cases; there is no resolution for those outside of the Salvation by Jesus Christ because of unrepentant, disobedience, and rebellious hearts, actions, and words. This kind of judgment sole’s purpose is to maintain, enforce, and uplift God’s Kingdom, and Throne as seen with the Flood; the tower of babel, or the complete destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. With Righteous judgments, there is no appeal!   

No matter if you are a seasoned, maturing, or newborn Christian; judging correctly is a part of you. If Christians were Righteously judging the world; then many issues that affect their walk would be in order, for their protection, prosperity, and providence; as stated; “when the Righteous rule, the people rejoice” - Prov. 29:2. God knew what our failures in this matter would be just as Adam showed, by not judging the disobedience of his wife and the deception of the serpent. And because of this, the seed of misjudgments has grown and God has judged our failures, the church, and the world by seeding the Messiah for correction and ultimately His rule when Jesus returns.

In these last days; judgment is being pronounced as a final effort to bring the world, the weak in Christ, and the proud churches into repentance, reconciliation, and restoration back to God and His Salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, who judged the seven churches as in Revelation stating; “I have an issue with you”. And all of us who have been marked by Jesus’ Blood will be judged for the works done and not done. Did you notice Jesus’ words about judging? That the emphasis of judging others is based on our mindset as stated; “(you) consider the plank in your own eye” before judging the speck in others. Why not say the “splinter in your brother’s eye”; which is common when talking about lumber as is a plank? Because the plank is heavy and broad it blocks our view of the real issues and is typically long emphasizing our trail of personal traits that requires correction into Righteousness. And because we focus on the minute speck in others, we are blinded, swayed, and become narrow-minded into wrong judgments. But Jesus makes it a direction to us to judge as stated; “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye”. 

The Body of Christ is to judge! Because God has called each one of us to be His heir responsible for His vineyards which require tending if it is to produce a harvest. This tending includes foremost not only our right thinking but of those involved in the vineyard who are not hired by us but are provided by God whether in the church, workplace, or community. And when we judge according to God’s Throne and will; then by inference we are planting, maintaining, and growing our Eden for God to walk in and counsel us as He originally designed as stated; “(the) LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day” - Gen. 3:8. Why is it the ‘cool’ of the day? Because with God; there is no fear when He judges us as we do our best to imitate Jesus Christ. But in the final judgment; God is sitting on His high Throne where judgments will be swift, precise, and final because of our words, actions, and spirit. 

Flush it Out! - Judgment has its privileges!

The second foundation of marriage; and probably the most critical is to be judged! One cannot Love others as God does when the love within a marriage is not Righteous before God. Have you ever wondered why as stated; “(they) become one flesh” - Gen. 2:24, and Mk. 10:8. It is because at its core; a marriage is a reflection of the Covenant the Body has with God. And often why Christian marriages fail is because the love in them is not the same level of Love God demonstrates to and for us so that we can apply that characteristic within our marriage. My wife and I have had some real doozy arguments but what sustains and gives us growth are the principles of God’s Love and Covenant as a foundation and blueprint for our marriage. Foremost, is the principle of commitment rather than the emotion of love. Human love over time will deteriorate, wane, and change causing self-inflictions or swell into emotional surges of abandonment, misunderstandings, and disrespect. But Godly Love will grow into the Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit for the purpose of continual reconciliation, stability, and affirmation in the marriage covenant. The same as God’s Covenant provides for as stated; “that He (Jesus) might present her to Himself (God) a Glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be Holy and without blemish” - Eph. 5:27.

When this has reached an optimum level within a marriage then the perspective of the church and its members take on a whole different level of commitment which facilitates proper judging and adjudication of those kinds of relationships, and expectations to be in the Body of Christ. God, Jesus, and the Spirit often use the relationship of marriage through the wedding feast example to idealize, demonstrate, and point to the standard God expects for the sacrifice of His Son. Jesus’ first miracle at a wedding was turning water into wine with the emphasis on new wine for a new wineskin as the old can contain its richness - Jn. 2. Jesus’ Parable of the wedding banquet where the proper garment (spirit) is what is required to be received, and participate - Lk. 14. And Jesus’ Parable of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom where preparation, patience, and pro-activeness are required for when the hour is right to be welcomed by the bridegroom into His banquet - Matt. 25. These all point to the level of intimacy, understanding, and discipline, for the appropriate and different types of relationships that are required between individuals regardless of groups or organizations which generally is absent within churches because a single day or hour of meetings is not sufficient to develop the Righteous brother and sisterhood to support the members within the Body of Christ.

The hypocritical judgment is foremost seen with the Pharisee’s kind of mindset when one demonstrates the facade of piousness but behind closed doors and within the heart; corruption and carnality dominate every thought, and action. This really speaks to those whom Jesus states; “I (Jesus) never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness (sin, disobedience, deceit)” - Matt. 7:23. How do you know who is practicing this type of judgment? They are usually the ones quick to point their accusing finger, make unproductive remarks, and stir up confusion and strife within the church. Now; to be clear! There will always be disagreements within the church; which God allows for two main reasons and as seen between Paul and Peter as stated; “If you (Peter), being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews; why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?” - Gal. 2:14. The first is to allow self-evaluation of

one’s Christian walk based on God’s definition of His Love, not ours. And the second is to mature the church into His will for His image, affirming as stated; “As iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance (profile, character, mindset) of his friend” - Prov. 27:17. Some time ago; I heard of a brother in Christ who had differences of opinions on how a ministry should be guided and eventually left their church when they did not get their way. And rather than learning and maturing from this experience, they decided to post online critical rantings and judgments to the Body of Christ. Within a church; the first thing one has to acquire is humility which is about the act of submission to the leadership of the church. To be in submission does not mean one’s opinions, talents, and experiences has no value. What it means is that the unity of that church overrides any single person's ambitions so that the Holy Spirit can do His perfect work in the members, and the church. One cannot say they want the Holy Spirit in the church while all the time undermining its organization. That is hypocrisy! In the same breath, we must be prudent of all the church’s activities, actions, and doctrines and be willing to speak out Righteously without getting into and sustaining offenses regardless of the leadership, favoritism, and disappointments. This form of judging is what Jesus spoke about and is frowned upon by the Holy Spirit, and is in fact, one of the main tool used by satan to kill, steal, and destroy; as stated;” A wrathful (irate, displeased, dark) man stirs up strife; but he that is slow to anger appease (pacify, subdue, humor) strife” - Prov. 15:18. The hypocritical judgment is a sin!