One of the blights upon modern day Christianity, is that we have run from being godly. We have tried to skirt around the truth and we have tried to use subtilty to do the Lord’s Work. True Christians do not go around looking for trouble. True Christians go around preaching the Gospel of Christ, whether that be from a pulpit or in a shop or on the farm, or wherever God places His child.
In the Bible, God prophesied of the wickedness that would abound in the last days. God knows everything. He is not forcing anyone to be wicked. He is demanding that His children be bold and serve Him faithfully.
The apostle Paul knew about persecution. He stood before Felix and king Agrippa. He blessed those men and many others. He was bold and spoke the truth. In Acts 24 we see that the God-hating Jews hired an orator named Tertullus to flatter the governor. Tertullus was like a modern day lawyer. They learn how to spin words to make an impression. They seldom speak the truth. The apostle Paul did not need an orator. He was not as eloquent a speaker as Apollos but he was a man of God. He answered for himself. God had a purpose for Paul and all that Paul needed to do was obey the Lord. He knew how to communicate. He could speak the language and he knew how to proclaim the Word of God.
As Tertullus and others lied about Paul, he blessed all those he came in contact with. He gave them the truth. He gave them the Word of God. King Agrippa was almost persuaded to be saved. We know that eventually Paul was murdered by wicked men. However, he also impacted many with the truth. Eternity will reveal the full extent of his faithfulness to the Lord.
In verse 15 those who are saved are told to rejoice with them that rejoice and to weep with them that weep. We have noted before that Christians do not think only of themselves. A true child of God is not looking to be the king. He is willing to be a humble servant of the Lord. Thus, when the Lord blesses a brother or a sister, other saints will rejoice with them. When a saint is sorrowing over something, other saints will also sorrow with them. There is a genuine love among the brethren.
In verse 16 we are called to be like minded. This is something we are not seeing much of among the saints. I was invited to join an ecumenical service recently. The ecumenical movement is all about unity. The unity they offer is found through rejecting the truth. No born again Christian can be a part of the ecumenical movement.
True saints study God’s Word and they submit to God’s authority. The world needs to see much more of this. We do not look for agreement so that we can outnumber the lost. That will never happen on this earth. We look for unity because those who are saved are all indwelt by the Holy Spirit. All have been saved through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. All are sheep of the same fold. Where there is disagreement among brethren, there needs to be that humility to be willing to sit down and look at what God’s Word says and submit to that.
The apostle Paul was directed to write these words. Barnabas was a man of God who was directed by God to help the brethren to accept Paul when he was saved. Later Paul and Barnabas went on evangelistic travels together. They had a young man named John Mark with them. John Mark was not ready for the persecution that comes with being a saved person. He abandoned them and went back home. Later, Paul was led by God to visit some of the churches they had established earlier. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them again, but Paul said no. The Bible says the disagreement among them was so sharp that they separated. Paul was directed by God to take Silas with him. Barnabas chose to take John Mark with him. We hear nothing more about Barnabas from that point on. Later, John Mark was mentioned as being profitable to Paul.
There was a division among good men for a time. However, that division did not last. God worked in John Mark’s heart and life so that he could be a help in the work of the ministry. Paul did not compromise to accept him while he was not fit. Paul went on in the work of the Lord and the Lord prepared John Mark to see the necessity of growing a spiritual backbone.
True saints are not flattered by degrees. Years ago, while I was in Bible school I observed an important lesson. I noticed that in chapel, if the speaker was introduced with some special credentials, the student body would perk up their ears to hear the man. If just an ordinary preacher was invited to speak, there was a different attitude in the chapel. True saints do not need degrees to serve the Lord. True saints do not need certificates hanging on their walls to impress others with. True saints serve God. It has been my observation that generally speaking, by the time a man has his doctorate, he has lost sight of the high calling of the prize that he is to be pointing people to. He has learned too many humanistic ways and is less profitable to the Lord. Oh, he may be able to impress people, but for what. We are called to examine all things in the light of God’s Word, not in the light of the popularity of the man.
True saints are genuinely humble. They see true value and are willing to work with those who have a genuine heart for the Lord. We need Godly wisdom in our lives.
In verse 17 we see that Christians are not looking to even the score. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. It is natural for man to try to settle scores. It is godly to follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had every right to strike His enemies dead. However, He prayed for their salvation. He desired to see people saved.
The saved person works with his own hands so that he can help others who are in need. He does not use the sly tactics of the world to get ahead. It is possible to be a godly politician or business person. The godly person will serve God and not follow the deceptive ways of the world. We do not see that in politics today.
In verse 18 we see that Christians are not looking for trouble. True Christians follow the examples of those like the Lord Jesus Christ, or the apostles. We do not get our protest signs and go and try to whip up the crowd. We take the Word of God, and we proclaim the truth and give people the opportunity to know the true God. Notice, “if it be possible”. We do not compromise on the truth. We do not accept false doctrine. We do all we can to help others to see the necessity of yielding to the truth.
Christians have been given a high calling. We have the privilege of reminding others of the truth. We have a genuine love for souls. We want to see others know the blessing of being forgiven and saved. We want to see those who are saved, serving the Lord faithfully. Speaking the truth in love will have consequences. Many will mistake true love. They will assume that true love will tolerate unbelief. True love will seek to help those who lack true faith to see the blessing of having true faith. We stand for that which is right and true.
Pastor Bartel