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Wednesday, March
19, 2008
Not A Novice
1Timothy 3:5-7 (For if a man know not how
to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) (6)
Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation
of the devil. (7) Moreover he must have a good report of them which are
without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. (KJV)
The above description is what is required
of those that desire the office of a deacon in the Church, one who is an
overseer of it. Those that are in Christ are those that have learned to
walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit; simply put, they practice
what they preach. As we see in verse 6, it is pride that came before the
fall, someone that should have been operating in the liberty of Christ had
fallen back into the realm of the flesh and is now open season to the devil
and his workers who are seeking to make the mud stick to any of God’s
people. A novice is a new convert, someone who recently gave their life to
the Lord, or someone who hasn’t practiced what they preach, one who is more
apt to be in the process of learning than instructing. Remember how a child
is described in 1Cor 13:11, one that speaks like a child thinks like a
child and then understands what they had just spoken. Those that are in
Christ and have matured in Him will be the ones that take the time to
understand and then think about what they are going to speak before they do
speak it into existence; thus keeping themselves out of the condemnation
zone and realm of the devil. Sometimes people are elevated into the
position of bishops and deacons based more on their carnal stature rather
than the spiritual one; those that maybe are the sons of the pastor or
those that have the means to give more of a financial support than a
spiritual one. Whatever the case, God holds the overseers to a higher
standard; one which requires them to continue walking in the Spirit being
an example of the believers in walk as well as in talk.
1 Timothy 3:8-11 Likewise must the
deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of
filthy lucre; (9) Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
(10) And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a
deacon, being found blameless. (11) Even so must their wives be grave, not
slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. (KJV)
Doubletongued makes me think of the term
‘someone that talks out of both sides of their mouth’. ‘They smile in your
face all the time they want to take your place, the backstabbers’, an old
song from the 70’s that seems quit fitting. Doesn’t it bother you to hear
someone always talking negatively about others and then smiling to their
face when they show up? Those that have matured in the Lord will be the
ones that have learned how to tame the tongue and not let it be an unruly
wildfire of slander and backbiting. If you notice in verse 11, that if the
wife isn’t grave, or stable, but running around slandering; that doesn’t
bode well for the husband either that is seeking to be a deacon of the
Church. What it basically tells me is that if she is running a smear
campaign on the brethren she obviously had that fire fueled at home, having
gotten it from the husband as well. So guys if you or your wives are out
there slandering others it won’t be long before you are going to take a
tumble into the abyss, having fallen back into the condemnation of the
devil you were once delivered from.
Proverbs 12:21-23 There shall no evil
happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief. (22)
Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his
delight. (23) A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools
proclaimeth foolishness. (KJV)
There is no condemnation to those in
Christ; no evil shall happen to those that are justified in Him. A fool
will proclaim their foolishness by spreading slander against the brethren,
but the wise man will conceal it and pray one for another, not prey on each
other.
Galatians 6:1-3 Brethren, if a man be
overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the
spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. (2)
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. (3) For if
a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth
himself. (KJV)
How would you like it if you had an issue
that you were struggling with and rather than have it handled in the Spirit
it would be brought before a congregation that was willing to stone first
and take names later? Have you forgotten how you were saved and brought
into the realm of God, how longsuffering and patient God is and has been
with you? It’s those that are spiritual, those that are in Christ, who are
the ones God is going to use to oversee His congregation; so that if
someone has an issue it can be dealt with in love and not broadcast on CNN,
or a billboard. Are you more apt to pray and consider yourself and how God
handled you with your shortcoming and faults, or are you standing and
smoting your breast like the Pharisees thanking God you’re not like those
other sinners? When you think yourself to be something when according to
your own works or righteousness you are in reality nothing, then you
deceive yourself as well as others by spreading strife and contention,
focusing more on the problems than the solution.
Proverbs 26:20-22 Where no wood is, there
the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
(21) As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious
man to kindle strife. (22) The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and
they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. (KJV)
You know it’s one thing that the devil is
the accuser of the brethren always looking for their shortcomings and
faults so that he can point the finger at them, it’s another thing if you
choose to be the vessel that he uses to be a launching pad for his fiery
darts that are being pointed at God’s people. Kind of like a little tattle
tale, a rat, ratting out the people just to make yourself look better; like
climbing the corporate ladder no matter who you use or have to step over to
get on top.
1 Corinthians 8:12 But when ye sin so
against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against
Christ. (KJV)
Rather than being an asset to the body of
Christ and lifting them up, you are now bringing them down and actually
sinning against Christ Himself. When you do it unto them, no matter who
they are, insomuch as it is done even to the least of our brethren, or
those that we think are the least important in the body, Christ Himself
takes it personal because we are doing it unto Him. Not a good place to be
and not one that is going to gain eternal access into His kingdom.
Proverbs 22:10-11 Cast out the scorner,
and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease. (11) He
that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be
his friend. (KJV)
Instead of being the first one to cast a
stone why don’t you cast down those imaginations and every high thing that
comes against the knowledge of God? You want to end the fire danger? Then
get rid of the arsonist no matter through whom or how it manifests. Grow up
Church and don’t be a novice; rather than point the finger at others, start
pointing them to Christ so that they will not fall back into the
condemnation they were delivered from.
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