Learnings from Warnings!

The initial few months of the new year are uplifting with Bible promises, prophesies for abundance, profits and wealth. What we try to keep in wraps are the warnings and cautions Jesus gave on some very critical issues. Jesus modeled that love and discipline go hand in hand, which was evident in His relationship with the disciples. They were showered with grace at the same time chastised to protect their souls and purpose of their mission on Earth. Some of the people groups were outrightly warned by Jesus. In Matthews chapter 23 He condemned the elite group of people who were filled with religiosity without God. His words were ‘woe to you’.

Today, Churches and leaders who teach and equip the believers don’t often pick these subjects to admonish and edify the congregation or flock. I am picking few of them for our edification and learnings. 

Matthew 23:23, ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, and yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law -justice, mercy, and faithfulness…’ The two categories of people whom Jesus warned - the Scribes and Pharisees, calling them hypocrites. However, the warnings apply to all. Let me clarify my point in simple words.

Scribes are the ones who had knowledge of the law and could draft legal documents like contract for marriage, divorce, loans, inheritance, mortgages, sale of the land etc.

Pharisees were leaders of Jewish social movements and a school of thought in the Levant during the time of second temple Judaism. They are experts in Law.

Biblical explanation can be given based on these two contexts. The first context according to Paul’s letter to 2 Timothy 3:5 ‘holding to the form of godliness but denying its power…’. They do everything to show they are godly and spiritually elite, probably in many cases they don’t realise they have become one. Christians with righteous pretense are particular about tithing but outrightly neglect the matter of justice, mercy and faithfulness. They don’t have a problem giving offerings of all kinds and commit to the regular church activities but hardly exemplify justice, mercy and faithfulness. The cry of David in Psalms 12:1 is a reality. ‘Help Lord, for no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race.’. 

The second context of such people are the ones who continually pretend to be someone who they are not, like the ones described in Luke 20:20, ‘they watched closely and sent spies who pretended to be righteous…’. Impersonating who they are not, they wanted to impress others of their spiritual belief system to be seen as superior. Jesus condemns these people who are very legalistic and religious in all their approaches but full of greed and self-indulgence. ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.’  Matthew 23:25

Greed of all forms are generated in the human heart, and it is usually about self and what they want. Greed for money, wealth, possessions and self-pleasure in any form are common spectacles today. We have got used to living with the ‘Christian’ brand without true transformation in life. Repentance is completely missing. People have learned to justify, smother their guilt and are remorseless. 

The third context, ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.’. Matthew 23:27-28. Do you see the pattern of human wretchedness in this chapter? Righteous outside, dead and stinking inside like the tombs. People are busy maintaining a godly stature outside but live in filth and lawlessness within. A church visit, being part of Christian programs are more of duty and obligation. Institutions continue to thrive at the cost of people’s soul without a true sense of remorse and repentance. 

I have the privilege of engaging with believers and leaders from around the globe and I am surprised to see a pattern that looks so Christian but miserable in their lifestyle in several cases. No wonder Jesus exclaimed ‘nevertheless when the son of man comes will he find the faith on earth’ Luke 18:8. True repentance is accompanied with godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10) and intentionally willing to change their ways. It is all about relationship with the Savior and making Him to be the Lord of our lives. Can we be conscious to live our life with purity and clarity this new year.

 

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What are you accountable for?

Let’s take time to retrospect some questions which are crucial for you and me to answer. They are as given below:

For Pastors & Church Leadership team:

• What are you accountable for? Define what that means to you?
•  What keeps you in check to be accountable?
•  What are your Church members accountable for? 
•  What are the areas you are holding them accountable as a pastor? (A serious question)

For Church Members:

·      What excites you about Church?

·      How would you like to define your Christian experience?

·      What do you think you are accountable for? 

·      How have you responded to Christ’s Mission call?

·      How many people you have led to Christ in your entire lifetime?

Answering the above questions will give you a perspective of the purpose for your existence.

For many, Christian life is a feel-good factor of going to Church regularly, having fellowship with believers and participate in random activities. If this is the Christian life we are used to, then we are to be pitied. Our understanding has totally ruined our existence as a child of God and believer of God. We are mere “Christians” in religious connotation as misled since Constantine’s period until now. Most of the believers meet week after week as walking spiritual zombies with no life and accountability.

The Gospels emphasize three broad areas we need to be accountable as Christians. They are as given below:

1.        Proving to His disciples that He had indeed risen from the dead — the foundation of the new faith. 

2.        Helping His disciples understand the “big picture” — the kingdom, and

3.        Entrusting to His disciples the Great Commission — the “mission of the church.”

 

The definition of Christians in Acts 11:25, “… the disciples were first called Christians”, tells us that it was the disciple makers who were called as Christians. Today, we have disconnected the disciple makers and Christians into separate entities. However, the Bible emphasizes the priority of these two by mentioning the word ‘disciple’ for 260 times and word ‘Christian’ for only three times in the New Testament.

John the Baptist who was the voice in the wilderness preparing the way for Jesus, himself had the struggle to comprehend if Jesus was the Messiah. John’s misunderstanding had an impact on his disciples.  Mark 2:18 - 'Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees, were fasting. People came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?”. They fasted when the Messiah was already among them. With all of John’s knowledge and experience with Jesus, he still made an error in discipling. 

We too are like John’s disciples, “I fast twice in a week, and pay tithes regularly.” Luke 18:12. The schedules take precedence to having a relationship with Jesus. Jesus Himself gives a view on this, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.” Mark 2:19-20. It was these very rituals which blinded the people to see the Messiah right before them, to the point that the synagogue wanted Jesus to be a passive member.

The word of God holds us accountable right form Genesis. Let’s analyze some questions raised by God:

First Question - Where are you? Gen 3:9

When man was not in the right place, God’s voice looked for him and held him accountable. You are not that independent that you can live devoid of God. 

Second Question - Where is your brother?  Gen 4:9

Posed to Cain when his brother Abel was missing. God held him accountable for his brother. Similarly, each of us are accountable for our brothers, referring to our blood relationship. Remember when the demon possessed from Gerasenes was restored, God commanded him to go the family and to his own people and report what the Lord has done for him, Mark 5:19. The mission starts from your home. 

Third Question - Where are the nine? Luke 17:17

The example of 10 lepers. When only one out of the nine returned to thank Jesus, He did not just express His surprise but held him accountable for the nine who did not return with him.

Dear pastors this is for you. The Bible holds you accountable for the flocks entrusted to you.

Fourth Question - Where is the flock entrusted to you?  Jeremiah 13:20

You are not responsible to fence your flock so much so that they don’t yield nothing except that your church treasury is taken care. Don’t fence so much that they lose Christ’s mission forever. Here is what William Mcknight former CEO of 3M stated concerning the people. “If you put fences around people, you get sheep.”.

We all are accountable to carry out the purpose of Christ coming to this earth. Luke 18:10 “For the son of man has come to seek and to save the lost.”. Are you doing the same or are you yet to align your accountability to God? It’s time to retrospect.

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