xjwsforChrist

May you all have peace!

I was woken this morning and directed to share the following. As some of you may know, the topic of truth... and particularly speaking/sharing the truth is important to me. Should it be, though, and if so, to what extent? We live in a world where "diplomacy" is often exchanged for truth. As part of the world, this is understandable; however, as ones who are to be NO part of the world... having been taken OUT of the world... which should prevail? "Diplomacy"... or truth? Certainly, in order to get along with others it would seem that diplomacy should reign - that should be tempered so that the recipient can "handle" the message. I have not only thought long and hard about this, but have had numerous discussions with my Lord about it, and most particularly last evening/this morning. I wanted to know how to "say" things maybe different so that others might not take offense. Each time previously his reply to me is the same: "You must speak truth, child." And so, I have stayed with that, even though some might not think it a good idea. This time, though, he shared much, much more. Because he said that the TRUTH is that many... most... don't really WANT the truth; most really only want to hear what they want to hear... a corroboration of what THEY think, or believe, or want... or "feel" is true... rather than what IS true.

For the christian, though, truth shouldn't be a thing feared. In addition to telling us that after he left the Father would send him AGAIN, in SPIRIT... as the SPIRIT of Truth (the HOLY Spirit)... Christ always spoke the truth: certainly to his opposers but also even to his disciples. And sometimes that truth was hard to hear. There are many examples of this, but a couple/few in particular come to mind. The first is where, when asked by a young man what he should do in order to receive eternal life, Christ gave the man an answer that he (the man) could receive. He told him:

"If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

When the young man, not yet satisfies answer pressed for more, asking "Which ones?" Christ gave him more information:

“‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Apparently, this wasn't enough for the young man, though... and so he pressed for more. Apparently, he wasn't simply satisfied with how to get eternal life. And so, after saying "I have done all these things," he asked:

"What do I STILL lack?"

Uh-oh. NOT satisfied with the first answer ("Keep the commandments")... nor the second ("You shall not...")... the young man sought more. He wanted to know how he could be PERFECT. And so he was told:

"... sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

UH-OHHH. Apparently, this young man could so all of the things required for eternal life... or, at least, he SAID he had... but he couldn't do THIS! But wait: he had ASKED, yes? And so he was told. The TRUTH. Unfortunately, it turns out that he wasn't really interested in the TRUTH, at least not such that it surpassed what he WANTED to hear. And so, rather than sell all and then go follow Christ... he, now sad... went on back to his life. Had Christ told him that he could KEEP his possessions, however, and yet follow him, I would wager he wouldn't have been as sad. I would also wager that he would have followed Christ... but only to the extent his life and possessions would allow. Given that he was very wealthy, though, and accustomed to a certain lifestyle, I don't think that life and possessions would allow much.

The second and third account that comes to my mind is one where Christ's words were truthful but, for some, even today, perhaps offensive. In the first of these, yet another man approached Christ, this time a teacher of the Law, and this time saying, "Lord, I will follow you anywhere." And perhaps he would have... anywhere. Apparently, however, he was not willing to follow Christ any TIME. Because he then said, "Just let me go bury my father, first."

Many opine that the man's father had not yet died but was either dying or of old age. Maybe he had just died, though, who knows? In any event, it would seem that "diplomacy," would have called upon Christ to either allow the man to go do what he wished as to his father, or at least have offered a statement of condolence. But that is not what the record shows. To the contrary, his response was:

“Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Not very diplomatic... or even empathetic. But... truthful. Because since NONE of these had come to HIM, the Life, including this man, NONE of them were OF the Living. Not yet, anyway. Including the man, although he now had the prospect set before him ("Follow me").

In the second of these, Christ again is stringently truthful to a man who asks who ALSO says he would follow him,
"... but FIRST let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

Did Christ say, "Of course, sure! We will be travelling around so, yes, by all means, go say goodbye! It's your family, after all and that's the least you should do!"? No, he didn't. The record states that he said:

“No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

OUCH. He certainly pulled no punches THERE, did he? He basically told the man, "If you have to go say goodbye to Mommy and Daddy, you might as well stay with them, because you're not FIT to serve with me in MY kingdom." Yes? Yes, that's really what he was saying, dear ones.

Of course, we can all imagine that NONE of these comments are what these men WANTED to hear. We can also imagine that those who didn't want to hear the truth left off from following and serving Christ. We know many did when he told them they had to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Did he tell them, though, "What I MEAN is, you'll need to eat some bread and drink some wine and PRETEND like it's my flesh and blood?" No, he did not. He simply stated the truth... which was too hard for some to hear. And so those who left not only lost out on being a part of his kingdom themselves, but perhaps may have lost out as to their families, indeed their entire households. Why? Because the TRUTH he spoke to them was just too hard for them to hear.

What about us? We who claim to be the Body of Christ... or those who go with... or even if we make no claim at all? Are we more interested in hearing what we WANT to hear? Or are we interested in hearing the truth... even if it's not what we want to hear? When we hear the truth, do we turn a deaf ear? Harden our heads? Stiffen our necks? Harden our HEARTS? Because we want to believe what we want to believe... and hear what we want to hear?

The same as to seeing: do we harden our hearts, stiffen our necks, and harden our heads so that anything that is not appealing to our eyes is rejected, our eyes only falling on that which is pleasing, which evokes some manner of awe as to the "beauty" of it?

Dear ones... please hear me when I say that doing this, turning our heads away, stiffening our necks so that they cannot BE turned (by the Head), stopping our ears, and closing our eyes... or listening only to that which we want to hear or looking only at that which we want to see... can and will all lead... to a hardened heart as to God and Christ. A heart that cannot be permeated and so allowed... even LED by JAH Himself... to being obstinate!

Exodus 7:3, 13, 14, 22; 8:19; 9:12, 35; 10:20, 27; 11:10; 14:4

When we harden our HEADS... we are only steps away from hardening our HEARTS!

If truth IS important to one, however, then even when it is forthright, its "sting" is tempered by the fact that it IS truth. Which is why Christ was able to say to those who DID stay with him, "I make a covenant with YOU... FOR A KINGDOM!" Because these were the ones who stayed with him, not only through his trials... but in spite and in LIGHT of the truth he shared with them! On many, many... MANY occasions... he truthfully said to these:

"You of LITTLE faith!"

He didn't say, "Well, you know, if you just BELIEVED a little more, then..." or "You know, I know faith isn't easy for everyone, so just keep on trying" or "Don't worry about faith; everyone's getting in so nothing to concern yourself with." No, he TRUTHFULLY told them what they needed to do... and called them to task when they showed they weren't doing it. Why? Because he was a hard and exacting task master? No. He did it... BECAUSE HE LOVED THEM AND KNEW THEIR ETERNAL LIVES DEPENDED ON THEM GETTING WHAT HE SAID TO THEM. Which they would only GET, if they LISTENED. And they would only LISTEN... if they TRULY WANTED to hear... the truth.

Same as any father, mother, older sibling, grandparent, etc., trying to teach a loved child how to stay alive... particularly if there was considerable danger that they might NOT. In order to stay ALIVE, that child would have to learn to listen... even if what was being said to it wasn't accompanied by flowery words. "Do NOT touch the stove, Sweetie, because you can be burned and burns hurt REAL bad!"... versus, "Now, Johnny, Mommy doesn't want you to touch the stove because, well, she uses it for cooking and so puts pots and pans on it, and, well, when she does she sometimes fries things or boils water, and so she has to use these knobs to turn up the temperature, and temperature is something that makes the heat rise or fall, well, not rise or fall but go up and down, well, not up and down, but get hotter and cooler, and hot is something that will burn you and a burn is something that can hurt, sometimes a lot sometimes not so much, so please don't touch the stove, luv, okay, cause it would make Mommy really sad if you did..."

And so, Christ did not temper his words to his opposers OR his disciples, but spoke the truth to them, plain and simple. Of course, there are some who will assert that truth not only must be tempered, but perhaps even altered in order to "keep peace" and/or "show love." But I offer the following to show that while that may be man's way... and thus, of THIS world... it is not necessarily God's way, at least not where there is no literal danger present:

Psalm 15:2 - "The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;"

Psalm 52:3 - "You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth."

Proverbs 22:21 - "... teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth, so that you bring back truthful reports to those you serve?"

Isaiah 45:19 - "I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, JaHVeH, speak the truth; I declare what is right."

Jeremiah 9:5 - "Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning."

Zechariah 8:16 - "These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts;"

Luke 20:21 - "So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.'"

John 7:18 - "Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him."

John 8:44 - "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

Ephesians 4:15 - "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ."

Ephesians 4:25 - "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.


We live in a world where truth is "subjective," and so usually stated, even twisted, to suit the needs of a particular situation. And that is the way of the world. But we should consider as to whether it should it be our way, as well. Not just as to speaking truth, but hearing it... and seeing it.

I share this with you all because OF the Truth, Christ. The One who not only does not LOOK as the world depicts him, but SOUND as the world depicts him. He is not deceptive or misleading. He does not tell man what man wants to hear but what BENEFITS man:

“To you, O people, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
You who are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.
Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.
My mouth speaks what is true,
for my lips detest wickedness.
All the words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.
To the discerning all of them are right;
they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can be compared with."

If you are a person who does not SPEAK truth, you are more likely to be a person who cannot HEAR truth [from others]. Because it "hurts." If you cannot HEAR truth, however... you will not hear Christ. Because he IS the Truth. And his mouth speaks nothing BUT truth. Every word. As the above states, those the DISCERNING one, all of his words are right; UPRIGHT to those who have found knowledge. What of those who are NOT discerning, though, and those who have NOT found knowledge? His words are more likely to be offensive... as perhaps they were to the man to whom he said:

"Let the dead bury their own dead."

We are admonished to love our neighbors AS (we love) ourselves. In loving our neighbors, we would want to speak truth to them, yes? It would seem logical, then, that speaking the TRUTH... would have to START... with speaking it... to ourselves... as well as listening to Christ when he tells us the TRUTH... ABOUT ourselves.

I, SA, have shared this with you, just as I received it from my Lord and Master, the HOLY One of Israel and Holy Spirit, JAHESHUA, the Chosen One of JAH (MischaJah), who is the Son and Christ of the MOST HOLY One of Israel, JAHESUA, the Chosen One of JAH.

Peace to you all!

Servant to the household of God, Israel, and those who go with, and a slave of Christ,

SA

Amen! That was enlightening and beautiful.

Amen, Shelby, yes... thank you for sharing as you have heard.

Truth can be very hard to hear, and even those who WANT to hear truth, sometimes we can hesitate, not wanting to hear something painful. BUT, there is a cleansing that comes when we hear the truth, even about ourselves, because then we don't have to hide anymore. Christ speaks truth not to hurt anyone, but because He LOVES them.


It is also true that some keep pushing for more than the answer that was given to them, and then when they DO hear the truth, 'no holds barred', they walk away. Even though they asked and insisted on being told.


Peace to you!

tammy

I would tell Jesus that I would have to obey God and honor my mother and father

_________________
To fear me is to love me....

One honors their mother and father by (1) how they treat them, dear Pup (mornin' and peace to you!), when a child and an adult; (2) by respecting them, whether as a child or adult; (3) listening to and obeying them, when one is a child; and (4) caring for them, when one is an adult.

Since most parents back then had already made funeral plans for themselves it probably wasn't likely that the man had to do that for his father. Even so, if he did, that's ALL he could do: bury his father. He could not, though, give his father back his life. Christ, though, COULD do so.

Given that truth, I personally would have left the BURYING of my father to those who could do that... while I sought, went after, found, and followed the One who could bring him BACK from that burial. Of course, I would have considered the possibility that my father might be hurt and my family angry but I would KNOW that (1) that was perhaps because THEY didn't understand what my INTENT was (to help SAVE them) and (2) that in time they WOULD understand... and be grateful. When he... and they were released from the grave... and given life! All because just one in their household had faith... IN Christ... just the size of a mustard seed.

I hope that helps, truly!

Peace to you!

Your servant and a slave of Christ,

Shellamar

Thank you for sharing this Shelby,

Wonderful reminder!

Because if we are saying we want the truth and don't really mean it, then we are saying we don't want CHRIST because he is the truth.

We are also saying then we don't want to hear CHRIST ( speak to us) because he is the truth.

Thank you for this.
Love Justmom

Jesus KNEW what was in a person's heart and he never tested them as much as he helped them realize what they were lacking in the faith department.
In this case, He knew that the young man was NOT ready for the kind of service that he thought he was and Jesus simply pointed that out to him.
Understand what it meant to be a follower of Jesus THEN as opposed to now ( though even now in some places it is quite a risk).

*nod nod nod*

I agree on that note I also believe that not everything he is recorded to have said can pertain to everybody. When it is recorded that he spoke to a person he tells them what they needed to hear. There are some items that do not apply to some people.

I believe that some people take what Jesus said in the past and mistakenly apply it in the wrong situations and circumstances.

_________________
To fear me is to love me....

I think this is a borderline dangerous statement

_________________
To fear me is to love me....

I agree, dear HP (mornin' and peace to you!) and that should go without saying. However, there are some things he said that absolutely pertain to everybody. Then AND now... and perhaps in the future.



Yes, yes! However, wouldn't you agree that such could also apply to someone in/with a similar situation or circumstance?



Agreed. And, again, there are some that apply to ALL people.



I absolutely agree with you here! Indeed, I can name a couple/few instances. For example, his words to Peter as to the "rock" on which he would build his "church." Someone took THAT and mistakenly applied it to the fomentation of a certain religion with the claim that Peter was that "rock." There's holy spirit: some have mistakenly turned that into a person. There's the unity of the Father and Son, to which some have added that third person. What about "water" (holy, living, what have you): some have taken that and mistakenly overlooked what it truly IS (holy spirit) AND gone as far as believing mere MEN can "bless" it and MAKE is "holy"... WITHOUT holy spirit. Or (mistakenly) that when he told his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood (by means of partaking of the bread and wine), he only meant once a year. Or when he washed their feet and told them to wash one another's, he meant that "symbolically," not literally, and so some mistakenly believe it no longer a "commandment" for his Body today.

And what about his words to the spirits of the seven congregations in his revelation to John? All manner of mistaken interpretations of that.

And those are just the tip of the iceberg that is people mistakenly applying his words in wrong situations and circumstances.

But I'm curious as to your thoughts on this. What things do you think he said in the past that is being mistakenly applied in the wrong situations and circumstances?

I ask because your initial comment was actually a bit curious to me at the time, and more so now given your comment above. You see, when I first read your comment I could not remember if you considered yourself a christian or not. Not that it matters here, but it would be interesting to know, for purposes of THIS discussion. Because if not, then your initial comment makes sense - why do/listen to what Christ said at ALL? Why NOT challenge his knowledge of the Law? If you consider yourself a christian, though, then it's... well, confusing, at least to ME. I mean, I understand a "christian" to be one who has received holy spirit; I also understand, however, that many believe it simply someone who "follows" [the teachings of] Christ. A follower, however, does not challenge the one they claim TO follow. I mean, sure, they might ask that one questions, so as to be clear/get a better understanding. Your comment did not suggest an asking of a question, though; rather, it states what you would TELL the one you (perhaps) claim to follow. Versus listening to (and doing) what the one said to YOU.

So, your comments are very curious to ME... including this current issue (what things you think he said in the past that are being mistakenly applied in the wrong situations and circumstances TODAY).

Can you please clarify, then, perhaps as to both, but certainly as to those things? Thank you much!



Can you comment further on that, as well? "Borderline dangerous" is a serious position, IMHO, and if someone here is in that position and another knows of it, I think it would be a loving thing to expound on it. Otherwise, the one in such position may slip on down that "slope" you seem to be implicating is present, yes? I mean, since Christ is the Truth (at least, for some of us here - remember what the title and purpose of this board is, dear one)... I can't see why what dear 'Mom (peace, luv!) posted is "borderline dangerous" but maybe I'm missing something. I would certainly like to know if I am, given that the "sheep" don't belong to me but another and, as our brothers' keepers, at least with regard to truth, we are all responsible and accountable for one another.

Please know that I realize (by your smilie) that you meant no offense and I don't think any was taken. Certainly none was taken by me. I just think your comments quite curious and that a little more fleshing out might be nice. So, if you would be so kind I would like to hear more. Indeed, I look forward to it!

Again, peace to you!

YOUR servant and a slave of Christ,

Shellamar

Good Morning Dear Pup...

I am not understanding danger here Pup.??

I understand that Christ is "THE TRUTH" John 14;6 "I am the way, THE TRUTH, the life...

"If he IS The Truth....and IS The Holy Spirit, the means by which the father speaks to us...? Hebrews1:1,2

and we ask but in our hearts don't really want truth... Then at this time, we may not really be wanting HIM.
I realize this as I am guilty of this at times. Because instead of hearing the pure truth, which is Christ, I want to hear what I WANT to hear.

But WE can always change this at any time. It is US not HIM.

Just sharing
Love justmom

I will get back to this in a bit after dinner and a movie

_________________
To fear me is to love me....

What about where God says, "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to HIM" ?


It may be as Paul said... that Christ knew the man was not capable of the service being asked of those who follow Christ; it was not in his heart to do so. The man might also have followed, upon hearing, follow me... and then he could have ASKED, well, what about this, Lord? Are these things in conflict? Then he could have listened to the answer, which would have been the truth.


That doesn't make him 'bad' (keeping in mind that no one is GOOD, but God)... but he did not have the faith needed to follow Christ; to put Christ (and the Kingdom) FIRST... to serve as needed. (he who loses his life will find it)


Peace,
tammy

Amen and amen, dear tec (peace, luv!). The man might have gained [the love] of his father and other family members, perhaps even friends and neighbors... but what profit a man if he wins the entire world... but LOSES his soul/spirit (everlasting life)?

Would still love to hear your perspective, dear Pup (peace to you, as well!), if you care to share it.

Peace, all!

A slave of Christ,

Shellamar

Haven't forgotten about this thread went and saw Elysium which has a rather common plot and several plot holes but if you can immerse yourself in the story then its decent

Then I had a birthday to attend to so have been a bit busy but I will respond

_________________
To fear me is to love me....