Respecting Your Bro

Yes, "bro" is in the dictionary and it means soul brother and is a term of endearment.  But I am referring especially to our brothers in the Lord, though there are applications to our fellow man and siblings.  There is a command to love the brethren, of course, but this entails respect, which goes hand in hand.  All our brothers deserve respect because they are in Christ.  The Scriptures tell us to give respect to whom respect is due.  All human beings have dignity as being in the image of God, though it is tarnished by the fall. We should love our blood brothers naturally and shouldn't have to be commanded to do that.

 All Christians should submit to one another in the name of Christ and not lord it over the others or play God.  There are those believers who are godly and trust in the Lord and then there are those who try to be God and are domineering.  Some people just like to be the boss and work for themselves (they don't like to take orders, but give them!), spiritually speaking.  Like being a one-man band in the church or what is a so-called "pastor-driven" church. It should be ruled by elders.   There really is no such biblical basis for that kind of church government.  Though the husband is the head of the wife, he is not the boss and should also submit to her in the Lord.

So, to get closer to home:  The Bible says in Deut. 23:7:  "Don't abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother...."  Obadiah says:  "Do not gloat over your brother in the day of his adversity."    We should never be ashamed of our brother, sister, or kinfolk, or refuse to acknowledge them.  For it goes in an analogy that he who is ashamed of Christ in them will also be shamed by Christ.   For example,  if your brother (I don't necessarily mean Christian) is an alcoholic, autistic, mentally ill, disabled, or even gay (now a Christian cannot be gay), don't reject him because of that.  Having unjust opinions of someone because they are "different" is mere prejudice.  God may be giving you that kind of ministry or trying to teach you  (both the person that is different and his or her themselves)  something.

Now, it is said, that an Englishman is a "self-made man who worships his creator."  There is no such creature as a self-made man!   The Bible says in Isa. 51:1 to "look to the rock from which you were hewn and the stone from which you were cut."  In other words, don't forget where you came from and what your roots are, and become cocky or prideful in your success--for it is the Lord who gives you the power to make wealth (Deut. 8:18).  Isa. 48:17 says, "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way that you should go."  

We are not self-made men, but a product of those we have been around during our journey through life.  I am a part of you, and you are a part of me (that is if we know each other).  "He who mocks the poor insults his creator."  "The rich and the poor have this in common:  the Lord is the maker of them all."   James says that if we are poor we should be thankful because God has made us rich in faith.  If you saw the movie "It's A Wonderful Life," you probably realize the impact that one life can have and what it would have been like hadn't you ever been born.

Real success is finding your spiritual niche (you must fine your charisma or gift first) and calling in Christ, not achieving the so-called American dream.  The safest place to be is in the will of God and there is a hedge of protection around us.  We should not look down on others who have not attained the level of success we have or compare ourselves with others because we are all unique creations of God, our maker, and potter. We are simply vessels of honor for His glory.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Jesus, Friend Of Sinners...

We all have probably heard of Jesus as the friend of sinners, as the Pharisees called him in Matt. 11:19 and it was meant as an insult and in a derogatory manner, but it back-fired.  None of us would be saved if he weren't a friend of sinners because that's what we all were and are. Praise the Lord he befriended us and saved us; we didn't befriend Him.   There are two kinds of sinners, justified ones, and lost ones; but we're all sinners.   They just referred to the sinners as a pejorative term that they didn't think applied to them. We must realize we have feet of clay and need salvation to be qualified for salvation:  the qualification is that we realize we aren't qualified!   Jesus said he came to "not to" call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."  We must admit we are lost and in sin to be saved.  We shouldn't look at the word sinners as "those guys" and should realize that when we point a finger at them, three are pointing back at us.

The Bible also says that in 1 Cor. 15:33 that "bad company corrupts good morals" and in Proverbs that a wise man chooses his friends carefully.  We are only responsible for our own sphere of influence and shouldn't feel that we fall short if we can't go into a wild party and convert everyone.  It is a sin to carouse and party in an unruly manner.   Jesus may have been around drunks and gluttons but he certainly didn't condone their sin or sanction it.  He said to the adulterous woman that he didn't condemn her, but he also said to "go and sin no more."  We should dare to take courageous stands in the name of the Lord, but not be judgmental at the same time.  It is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict of sin, not our job to make them feel guilty.

There is a fine line to walk between being some sinners friend and actually condoning their behavior.   The Bible also says to "abstain from all appearance of evil," which means stay away from evil when it appears; to stay away from everything that may be construed as having the stain of evil would be impossible.  We should call a spade a spade, as it were, or should not try to invent pretty names for our sins, because they are still sinning.   

Jesus was never out of his element or comfort zone, but we fall short and shouldn't think that we are called to save everyone. One believer might be "Jesus" to the prisoners, another to lawyers, another to bikers, another to travelers, but that is their sphere of influence and they would be unsuccessful and have no testimony to someone else's; for instance, I am a veteran and God uses me to witness to vets, but I would have no testimony to blue-collar workers in a Ford plant, that I couldn't relate to, unless I spent considerable time working there and developed a testimony.

 
We all have to find the role in life God has assigned us, be faithful to that role, and not try to be something we're not. We should not limit ourselves to certain types of people, God brings all kinds of folks into our lives & we are always witnessing by our own example so always be prepared! I didn't mean to give that impression of limiting God's calling, but we are all designed for certain testimonies in my opinion, but that doesn't mean we are not used in other occasions and opportunities. "Be ready, in season and out...." "Always be prepared to give an answer....." We all have a calling, as it were, and must reach out to our circle of friends and sphere of influence whatever that may be.

I asked my pastor if I should feel guilty about not going downtown Saint Paul to witness because I felt I already had a ministry at the Vets Home. He said that I should witness here and that's a no-brainer. My mom always says to bloom where you're planted. In my estimation, some people are not suited to military life as an example and God will lead them elsewhere. We are all unique designs and creations of God and God has something specific for us to do and we should be faithful in that.


The objection may be raised of 1 Cor. 9:22 which says, "I have become all things to all people that I might, by all means, gain some...." N.B. that it says have become rather than "am" and when God leads us to someone (not us leading us) he has prepared that person and us for the witness. All things and all people doesn't necessarily mean all without exception but maybe all without distinction or all kinds of and not literally all in the without any exception in the absolute sense. Remember that Jesus opens and closes doors not us and he gets the credit.
1. Soli Deo Gloria!