A Stumbling Bock

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.” (Isa 55:8)

The problem is that the vast majority of professed Christians have great difficulty in accepting this fact, that the Lord’s ways of doing things are not the same as our own, that his ways are superior to ours. This has led to much of the confusion existing in the professed Church today. They have chosen the worlds way over that of the Lord’s way. Nevertheless, the Lord knew that this would be the case and so he purposed to use this as a TEST to determine whether or not we truly loved him more than the world, trusted him more than the world, yea more than self, even if his way totally contradicted that which the world (as well as the worldly Church) ascribed to.

The first requirement of anyone who chooses to follow the Lord’s way is that they must be willing to set aside their own idea, ego, pride, and belief that they somehow know better than the Lord. Now it’s not that they actually believe they know better than the Lord its simply that they have become complacent with the worldly or orthodox view as being the correct way, mostly because this view holds sway and is held by the majority.

The majority couldn’t possibly be wrong, could they?

There is however another requirement should they so choose to accept the Lord’s way over that of the world’s and this becomes a great stumbling block for many. This next requirement is that they be willing to suffer any ignominy, any indignity which this might entail, including the loss of the honor and respect not only of their fellow believers, but possibly their friends and family as well.

Do you imagine that when the apostle Paul was first converted from Judaism to Christianity that he did not suffer this same ignominy?

That he suffered the loss of his former good name amongst his peers, and that many of these former friends and associates deserted him. Paul was a highly respected member of Jewish community, and yet he gladly surrendered all for the sake of Christ.

Much more is asked of us all:

“Do you think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but rather a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matt 10:34-39)

“The harvest is not a time for peace, but, on the contrary, it will surely produce a separation and alienation between the true wheat and all else. The truth is a sword in the present harvest, as it was in the Jewish harvest, it brings division. The harvest will mean, in many instances, the uprooting of earthly friendships and the sundering of many tender ties, and the truth (the sword of the spirit) itself will do that separating.”

In choosing to follow the Lord we may be asked to follow a path which is contrary to that which is held by orthodoxy (the professed church if any in which we attend), held by our friends and family.

“A man’s enemies will be those of his own household”. When most consider this, they imagine it applies to their immediate family, their father, mother, siblings and in many cases, this is true, but this applies more readily to the HOUSEHOLD of faith, the professing Church. It is here that the one will face the most severe opposition. It takes a great deal of courage to choose the Lord, to stand with the truth and the Lord’s people over ones (former) Church (denomination, sect or etc.), this even as our Lord implied it would.

“Now brother (Professed believer) will betray brother (Professed believer) to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Mark 13:12, 13)

The question is are we willing to make these sacrifices in order to follow the Lord as opposed to the world, orthodoxy, its ways and means?

He who loves self, popularity, the honor and respect of men, worldly prosperity or human theories and systems (one’s particular creed or denomination) more than me is not worthy of me. Duty love to our family and relatives is right, but it must not equal our duty love for the Lord and the truth. Our earthly loves are to be counted as nothing in comparison. As our Lord asked Peter once, so he ask us the same:

“Do you love me more than these?“ (John 21:15)

Continued with next post.