Category: discernment

Men’s Praise

Barbara Weber

John 12:42-43 WEB

Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they didn’t confess it, so that they wouldn’t be put out of the synagogue, [43] for they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise.

Self-protection. We often care more about people’s opinions than we care for God’s opinion. It’s a matter of self-protection. It’s easy to tell if we care more about men’s opinions than God’s. We know it because we do not open our mouths when we should be telling others about Jesus. When people at church have a group opinion, we say nothing if we see a problem with the opinion. We are more concerned with being liked and included so we say nothing.

Those who do open their mouths are subject to derision and rejection. It is not easy to open our mouths for Jesus. But it is important. It is with our mouths that we confess Jesus (Rom 10:9), it is with our mouths that we rebuke sin in other believers, and it is with our mouths that we give God praise. We should also open our mouths to testify of God’s goodness to unbelievers. However, we often keep our mouths closed because we are protecting ourselves.

We can trust God to protect us. In Psalms, there are many verses that talk about the justice of God. The Lord justifies his children. When we trust the Lord fully, we can be assured that his justice for us will prevail. If we open our mouths in love to confront sin in the church, we must be bold. If we open our mouths to witness to the lost, we must be bold. We can’t be like the religious leaders of Jesus’ time on earth. They quietly followed leaders full of sin and disbelief for the sake of inclusion and destroyed the faith of many.

Lord, please help me speak up when I have opportunities to share your love with the lost. Teach me to lovingly rebuke sin in other believers. I pray I will not be ashamed to open my mouth for you. I trust you to keep me safe and justify me when I speak for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

The Reproach of Jesus

Barbara Weber

John 11:47-48,53-54 WEB

The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, “What are we doing? For this man does many signs. [48] If we leave him alone like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” [53] So from that day forward they took counsel that they might put him to death. [54] Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with his disciples.

It is startling to think that Jesus had to hide from the authorities. Can you see Jesus and the disciples looking around corners, being careful of where they walked? It has a dramatic flair. But it also shines the light on Jesus’ humanity. Though he was God, he functioned entirely in his humanity and made himself subject to human authority.

Jesus was humble. He took his disciples and quickly departed to the edge of the wilderness to a city called Ephraim. He could have called angels to save him from the death plot (Mat 26:53). Instead, he removes himself and his followers from the danger. Jesus does not tempt God but rather takes a more difficult path (Mat 4:7). He is obedient to the Word even though he is fleeing.

Jesus was obedient to the Word and the Spirit. This caused him to receive condemnation from those in Judea. We also receive condemnation when we obey the Word of God or walk in the Spirit. For example, the Word says not to gossip. However, gossip is a very prominent sin. To refuse to engage in gossip is to put yourself at odds with people both in and out of the church. Likewise, Jesus ran the risk of heaping more reproach upon himself with every miracle he performed and every sermon he preached.

Lord, I thank you for humbling yourself to human authority on your journey to the cross. Thank you for receiving reproach just as we receive reproach today. You are honorable in all you do Jesus. Help me be more like you, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Metaphor?

Barbara Weber

John 11:11-15 WEB

He said these things, and after that, he said to them, “Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep.” [12] The disciples therefore said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” [13] Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he spoke of taking rest in sleep. [14] So Jesus said to them plainly then, “Lazarus is dead. [15] I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless, let’s go to him.”

Some Christians believe the Word of God is black and white with rigid borders and boundaries. Other Christians turn everything into a metaphor with a plethora of meanings. So, which is it? Is the Bible to be obeyed to the letter? Or, should the Bible be analyzed as a metaphor so that people can take a range of meanings from the Word? In the above passage, Jesus mixes metaphor with concrete action.

Jesus tells the disciples Lazarus has fallen asleep. Actually, Lazarus is not sleeping, he is dead. What do we do with a passage like this? Do we call Jesus a fool or a liar? No, of course not. Jesus is hinting at the coming resurrection. When he says “Lazarus, has fallen asleep,” it is a metaphor that expands the meaning to something greater than the words therein. Lazarus had died but was going to awake from death.

But the metaphor is only part of the passage. There is also a concrete, black and white, command. Jesus tells the disciples, “Neveretheless, let’s go to him.” It was time for Jesus’ entourage to make their way to Bethany. They were in danger of being arrested and killed. So, it was not an easy command to obey. Without the hope found in the metaphor, the command seemed pointless.

Lord, help me listen to your Holy Spirit so that I can understand your Word. Fill me with obedience and understanding. Let your Word be a lamp to my feet. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Judging Fruitfulness

Barbara Weber

John 10:37-42 WEB

If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. [38] But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” [39] They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their hand. [40] He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was baptizing at first, and there he stayed. [41] Many came to him. They said, “John indeed did no sign, but everything that John said about this man is true.” [42] Many believed in him there.

Jealousy is surely the ugliest emotion. Not the loving jealousy which produces a willingness to care for and protect another. No, I am referring to the ugly, vicious jealousy towards someone who is more successful than another. In the church, we talk about people’s anointing as an object of jealousy. This is exactly what is being described in the above passage. The Pharisees refused to believe in Jesus even though he performed signs or miracles.

John did no miracles. John did not go to the temple to preach as Jesus did. John was less anointed than Jesus and therefore less of a threat to the leaders of the Jewish people. John prophesied and his prophetic voice was acknowledged by the people, so much the Pharisees did not speak against him. Yet they did not believe his message. More important, they did not feel threatened by John.

How many anointed preachers get passed over for someone less threatening in the modern church? Many Christians love worldly success. Even ministers of the Gospel get caught in this trap. Once their ministry starts to grow, they begin protecting the ministry. Which is good until it causes a minister to thwart God’s plan. Jesus wants willing vessels. It’s easy to believe God is all-powerful and can put anyone anywhere he wants them. And, while this is true, most often God works through willing people. As Jesus said in the above passage, look at their works. Check the fruit of a ministry before you whole-heartedly start trusting what they are preaching. That was Jesus’ advice.

Lord, give me insight and wisdom to understand the motivation and intent of those who lead me in the church. Help me both honor and righteously judge those who ascend to leadership positions. Save me from a cult-like following that can lead to deception. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Conservative Jesus

Barbara Weber

John 10:34-36 WEB

Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’ [35] If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken), [36] do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’

That phrase, “and scripture can’t be broken,” is intriguing. Why did Jesus include this? He is talking to Pharisees, men who are experts in Scripture. But Pharisees were also experts in the Talmud. The Talmud was a book of approximately 400 rules which, at times, contradicted the Scripture. This is the error Jesus is addressing in these verses.

Including “and scripture can’t be broken” Is also interesting because Jesus does not appear concerned about modernizing the Scripture. He is Conservative. He takes the Scripture as fully divine and to be obeyed in heart first. This was a radical idea but with a very conservative approach on Jesus’ part. Jesus is speaking to the conservatives of the times, and yet, he had many rebukes for their wrong heart issues.

And there is a heart issue here. The Pharisees have grown cold towards God. They have become orthodox instead of conservative. They have come up with a book to explain the scripture. That book, the Talmud, was given greater authority by the Pharisees than they gave the Scripture. The Talmud was a cruel taskmaster. Worse, any Jewish person caught breaking the Talmud would be kicked out of the sanctuary. So, a scripture obeying Jew could be barred from the temple because of a contradiction in the Talmud.

Lord, help me discern false teachings. Help me always place the authority of the Bible above and help me live its message of love and obedience. In Jesus’ name, amen.

God’s Audible Voice

Barbara Weber

John 10:1-6 WEB

“Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. [2] But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. [3] The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. [4] Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. [5] They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers.” [6] Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.

Have you ever heard God speaking audibly? No one can hear the audible voice of God.  So, how can we recognize Jesus’ voice? In part, we listen to the small still whisper in our hearts. Yet, this is problematic because if Satan is deceiving us, we may hear our own sin-sick longings and think it is God. The Bible says the heart is desperately wicked, no man can know it.

Even So, God has always spoken to his people in a variety of ways. He sent angels to Abraham and prophets to kings. He speaks to our hearts with his gentle voice; a voice we must learn to trust without becoming excessively confident. This is because all these methods can be perverted by sin. Only in the Bible do we have full confidence.

The only thing in which we can be entirely confident is the Bible. The Bible says Jesus is the word. This gives us our answer; the only way we can have full confidence is to know God’s word. The Bible is speaking, audibly, for God.

Lord, teach me to take everything I believe you are telling me and compare it to the teaching of the Bible. Help me trust without becoming excessively confident so that I will rely on your word and give no opportunity to Satan. Teach me discernment and humility as I press into hearing from you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Thieves and Robbers

Barbara Weber

John 10:1 WEB

“Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

Thieves break-in. They come through windows and other opportunities for access. The homeowner goes in through the door. When we come to Jesus on his terms, we are entering the sheepfold through the door. However, there are many who do not have the sheep’s best interest in mind. They may want to build a big church, or they may want to be wealthy. These and other issues indicate they have not come in by the gate. They may be called but instead of waiting to be chosen, they strive for their ministry position. They are thieves.

Modern-day evangelism gives rise to those whom Jesus calls thieves. In our world of self-promotion, many people can use their charisma and talents to advance in the kingdom. However, a true shepherd of the sheep will wait for the Lord to advance. Unfortunately, many people do not recognize they are not ready. That means there are wolves on a variety of platforms. The irony is they may feel confident the Lord sent them. Therefore, we need to learn to discern who is of the Lord, and who is a thief. The thief is in danger of the judgment.

How can we recognize thieves? We learn and trust the Bible. The Bible says not to rage. How many preachers use theatrics to entertain their audience? They get louder and louder until they whip the audience up into a frenzy. That is not real. A real preacher has legitimate proof of their content, not just emotional appeals. The Bible calls this kind of manipulation witchcraft. In fact, the Bible gives many instructions we can use to righteously judge those who lead us.  

Lord, please instill in me a hunger for the Bible. Help me learn its truth’s so I can detect frauds. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Disciple in Deed

Barbara WeberLeave a comment

John 8:48-51 WEB

Then the Jews answered him, “Don’t we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?” [49] Jesus answered, “I don’t have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. [50] But I don’t seek my own glory. There is one who seeks and judges. [51] Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death.”

This verse gives the secret to eternal life. Many would say the secret is to believe in Jesus. But Jesus testified that anyone who does the work of obeying his word is a believer. Jesus says those are his true disciples.

Modern-day discipleship looks very different. In Jesus’ day, a Rabbi was a teacher who had a small cadre of disciples. The Rabbi attempted to impart their beliefs and teachings to this small group. In Jesus’ day, his disciples would have stayed as close as possible. They would have tried not to be more than an arm’s length away from their Rabbi. In fact, that may be why Peter, James, and John were in Christ’s inner circle. They chose to stay as close as possible to their master.

In our modern era, we have discipleship declared by the disciple rather than the teacher. Each of us is to be a disciple of Christ. We are going to be called names and condescended to, that’s part of the disciple package. Remember, the world loves its own. If you try to follow Jesus perfectly you may be called a religious nut or demonized. They did that to Jesus.

Lord Jesus, please draw me close to you so that I may walk the way you walked. I want to be a disciple in deeds and not words only. Come and work with me Lord and help me grow in godliness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Schizophrenic or Demonized

Barbara WeberLeave a comment

John 8:47-49 WEB

He who is of God hears the words of God. For this cause you don’t hear, because you are not of God.” [48] Then the Jews answered him, “Don’t we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?” [49] Jesus answered, “I don’t have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.

The accusation of being demonized is a plague in the church. It caused Jesus trouble, and it causes us trouble. One of the challenges is someone owns the church building. Someone’s name is on the utility bill. And that someone has a vision they are pursuing. So, when someone from the crowd brings a word of correction, an easy out is to call them demonized. People’s lives and mental health are damaged by these careless accusations.

You see how easily Jesus was accused of being demonized. And don’t make a mistake about it, Jesus suffered because of those accusations. Just like every believer suffers from such accusations. For example, when you call someone a demon who has schizophrenia, they will likely stop taking their medicines because you prayed for them, and they believe they are well. So now, once their mental health issues arise, most churches would ask the member to leave.

Calling someone a demon should not be an easy decision to make. For Christians, it is the ultimate shaming tool. To tell someone they have a demon is to accuse them of a partnership with Satan. That implies deliberate intent. That is the problem with even suggesting a demon is involved.

Lord Jesus, help me never accuse someone of having a demon. Let me bring those concerns to only you so that everyone can have their privacy. Give me the wisdom to understand what is going on with other believers. Help me focus on them enough to understand their issue. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Reprobate Jesus

Barbara WeberLeave a comment

John 8:39-41 WEB

They answered him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. [40] But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do this. [41] You do the works of your father.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God.”

Jesus grew up being a boy that came from sexual immorality. Everyone knew it. And here, where Jesus is telling the crowd Satan is their father, they demonstrate their cruelty. Jesus says they are going to kill him, and the crowd does not deny it. When Jesus logically fences them in, they grab for something to change the subject. They throw Jesus’ shame of being born too early for a marital pregnancy. These are whitewashed sepulchers using religion for power but having no love in them (Mat 23:27).

If they had love in them and God was their Father, they would have the faith of Abraham. Abraham talked with God. He heard from God (Gen 17:22). Abraham loved God and loved the things of God. He wasn’t perfect in his behavior (Gen 12:10-11). Where Abraham was so amazing was his faith walk. For Abraham, if God said, Abraham was going to act on it (Gen 12:4). When strangers came Abraham fixed them the fatted calf and he believed these men were angels of the Lord (Gen 18:1-5).

If the crowd believed Abraham, they would have listened to Jesus because Jesus came to them as an angel of truth. For this, he was accused of being a reprobate by virtue of his birth. Praise God we are judged for our own merits because of the death of Jesus on the cross. Jesus did not have this luxury. Not in the eyes of the crowd nor in the eyes of Jewish leaders. He was viewed as the product of sexual immorality and was considered unfit for ministry.

Lord Jesus, please give me discernment to correctly view others in ministry. Help me love and honor those you have promoted. Alert me to wolves. Protect me as I stop trying so hard to protect myself. Help me, love. In Jesus’ name, amen.