I think one of the keys to doing what we do out here is wisdom Making wise informed choices. "If anyone lacks wisdom he should ask for it" says James.
I pray for that a lot. I also think that for each situation there could be a different answer, we can be far to prescriptive and inflexible.
Over the years one of the most challenging pieces of scripture that I have ever read is "Mercy triumphs over judgement" I have been challenged by these words when I have sat with a paedophile, or a man who has committed adultery and won't come home to his family, when I have visited guys in prison, or even whilst talking with people who have rejected the Christian faith. Mercy triumphs over judgement can I really be like that, I feel a lot of time that judgement triumphs over mercy! Triumphs is not a good word, judgement undermines mercy would be better.
I have heard this used by various preachers over the years but I particularly remember Paul Reid using it.
For years the church has said "Believe, Behave, Belong" when really we need to be saying, and modeling, "Belong, believe, Behave" so often we want to make people behave before they can belong, when the reality is that people want to belong to something, hang out be part of it, then they can believe and eventually on that journey of belief they start to behave!
We had a lady who wasn't a christian at the previous church I led, she played a musical instrument very well, we let her play in our worship band before she was a christian, she belonged! eventually she believed and became a christian. Mercy triumphed over judgement.
God help me to be merciful.......
6 comments:
When religion had become:"Behave, belong", a man rode into town on a donkey and said ..."if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!".
It's an indictment to how far we have kept quiet that we have to leave it to Linkin Park to remind us to "let mercy come and wash away what I've done".
Good one, and good thought that "Belong, believe, behave"! And great the story with the lady. A lot to learn there.. I like that example Brian and something I think I'd like to bring along more. Let's bring 'em in!
Brian,
Recently I’ve been teaching on the mercy of God in our community group. At our last gathering, I asked the following three questions:
Have you ever done a study on the mercy of God in the Scriptures?
Have you heard a whole message exclusively on the mercy of God?
Have you seen or read a book devoted to understanding God’s mercy?
Only a two or three out of 15 had heard a message devoted to the mercy of God. None had intentionally studied the Scriptures to learn more about God’s mercy or had seen/read a book that focused exclusively on the mercy of God.
My point in this in relationship to your posting: We need a dose of the reality of God’s mercy towards us IF we’re going to be able to effectively minister mercy to the lost.
How can we grow in a deeper revelation of God’s mercy? One thought I have as I write this and reflect your ministry is to simply go and do it. Get yourself out in the middle of wrecked, filthy, broken lives and minister God’s mercy. As one does this it seems that you might encounter the mercy of God in a very real and tangible way.
Blessings,
Brian
Love it Brian. The world would be a different place if the church let mercy triumph over judgement.
Man I find this a difficult tightrope to walk! I think, "Please God give me wisdom" is probably in my top five most common prayers. Great thoughts... xc
I don't know if you ever heard of Romance Academy, the BBC programme called NO SEX please we're teenagers? But it was a documentary about 2 christian youthworkers who got a group of teenagers together in london and challenged them to give up sex for 5 months and explore the whole sex issue etc. It is a completely amazing project and really taught the teenagers how to respect themselves and to have values and supported them whatever their decisions about sex was at the end of the project.
Interestingly they modeled "Behave, Belong, Believe" and quite a few of them became christians too. Although saying that the young people were accepted even if they messed up so maybe it was more " Belong, Behave, believe" but anyway I remember hearing that they had found that introducing them to a liberating lifestyle first and not pushing them to believe anything first had automatically led them to believe....It is interesting..
... Secondly I also pray for wisdom LOADS recently. I really need it and so so want to recieve wisdom from God.... I feel like I am the least wise person though..maybe I want wisdom for the wrong reason? Although I dont feel like I do? How easily do you think it is given from God? Is he willing to give it freely or like other gifts is it just given to some and not others and that's it? Don't know!
Oh and third I now have a blog...yay! It isn't very good yet but hopefully will be soon. It's www.rachelfromgolddigger.blogspot.com
See you soon x
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