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River
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Username: River

Post Number: 1435
Registered: 9-2006


Posted on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 6:53 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
Jude 1:21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Jude 1:22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction;
Jude 1:23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
And on some have compassion, making a distinction, but other save with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
Knowing when to bring rebuke and when to exhort with tenderness and compassion, but in all times attempting to adhere to the word of God.

How do we know when to do the one or the other?

Well, in our own selves we probably don’t, but taking in the context of these four verses of scripture we can see how to know when to rebuke for the sake of the gospel and when to exhort gently, withholding lest we turn that out of the way which is tender. In verse 1:20 we see him exhorting to pray in the Spirit.
In verse 1:21 keeping (putting) ourselves in the love of God, resting in his grace, mercy and leading.
So the combination of these enables us to have the leading of the Holy Spirit to do the proper thing.

Unfortunately there are those who only care for their own agenda and their on way and it’s their way or the highway, they have grown hard and difficult, unable to teach themselves, unable to teach others, unbending, difficult to communicate with, stubborn, proclaiming to have the word of God, proclaiming their justification, willful and prepared to condemn all who would stand in opposition to their particular theology.

Then there are those who are willing to explore scripture in order to mine for the deep things of God and to look for the golden treasure hidden in the Word, tender toward God, willing to struggle with the important questions and views that others bring to the table, having humbleness of heart before the Lord, no matter how ignorant of the word or no matter how studious, always willing to bend and pick up those nuggets of wisdom to add to his larder of treasure.

To the former it is sometimes necessary to bring scathing rebuke in the defense of the gospel and in those times we may sound to others militant and unjustifiably hard and disagreeable.

When we speak to the latter we may sound to others like we are being too soft and wish washy and unable to come to the defense of the gospel at all, withholding open rebuke when to all apparent reasoning it would be justified.

Without the combination of those scripture in verses 20 and 21 we many times end up making a mess of it, failing to make the proper distinction and causing unnecessary injury, or failing to stand for the gospel when we should have stood firmly.
Seems to me these four verses of scripture can cover many different situations we are apt to fall into in our day to day undertaking to be true servants of God. Proverbs tells us there is a time to build and a time to tear down, a time to plant and a time to pluck up.

The importance of these four verses of scripture cannot be understated, whether we are a Pastor of a large church or a layman in the church.

We are subject to failures, which we can only repent of and go on praying for wisdom and guidance of the precious Holy Spirit, at times knowing we have had to “get rough” and not finding much satisfaction in that, but standing before God and his approval alone, knowing we have stood for the gospel, at other times having the pleasure of being merciful and tender toward some soul and at times failing in both, and still ending up before God and him alone, determining to know the wisdom of God better and a certain keeping ourselves in the love of God and looking for his mercy both corporately and individually and having a resolve to our own growth in Christ Jesus our Lord.
River
Colleentinker
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Username: Colleentinker

Post Number: 6763
Registered: 12-2003


Posted on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 7:39 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

River, very interesting insights. I believe you are right--and you've made me think. It's interesting to read your distinction between those who rigidly defend beliefs compared with those who are open to learn. Very interesting contrast, and very good application of the Jude passage.

Colleen
Patriar
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Username: Patriar

Post Number: 393
Registered: 3-2005
Posted on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 8:21 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

River:

I think you make excellent points. I am especially mindful of the idea that at times we've had to "get rough" and haven't had much satisfaction in that.

That is so very true. Speaking Truth doesn't always feel good. It's not fun to know that you are willingly (even though obediently) saying something that's going to hurt someone no matter what is behind the pain, no matter that it's likely pride or arrogance or some such thing; things I recognize all too well in myself.

It's a great reminder that feelings are notoriously NOT reliable for discerning Truth. Everything, even my feelings and intuitions must pass the muster of aligning with Scripture.

Patria
Colleentinker
Registered user
Username: Colleentinker

Post Number: 6767
Registered: 12-2003


Posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 11:44 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Patria, that is actually profound: feelings are not reliable for discerning Truth, and everything, including feelings and intuition, must pass the muster of Scripture.

Thank you.
Colleen
Patriar
Registered user
Username: Patriar

Post Number: 396
Registered: 3-2005
Posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 8:12 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Colleen:

:-) I think that because I'm such an intuitive feeler, God had to get that one to me FAST! And actually I can't claim to have come up with that on my own. Hank Hanegraaf often says something similar.

Patria

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