Kay: The question
is: How do we bring others to KNOW when we show what jerks we are towards
others? For instance...before I became a Believer, I wanted nothing to do
with anyone who called themselves Christian. Why would someone want a
Savior/Redeemer...to become like "bad Christians"? Does the Lord
accept as His own the one with a kind heart, who shows fruits of the Spirit
but does not believe? I know more non-believers who have fruitful trees and
kind hearts than I know Believers, or at least those who
profe
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Judy: Hopefully we
know the love of God and will not be acting like jerks toward others.
Before I became a believer I felt
the same way Kay but not because of bad Christians, it was because the
powers of darkness held so much sway over my life and they always
influence either in the negative or weird over the top
positive concerning anything that has to do with God.
Only the Lord has
ability to weigh the motivations of a person's heart and lots of ppl
are street angels and house devils. My own grandfather was like that. He was
blessed with a beautiful well trained Bass voice (like Paul Robeson), used
to sing the Crucifixion, win competitions, and sing duets with the Minister.
He was choirmaster for years; had a natural charisma and was loved by
everyone. He also belonged to the Masonic Lodge. But
at home it was another
story. He was penurious, with his family, he drank to much, and he kept the
women of the house walking on egg shells because they never knew what shape
he would come home in especially if they had seen him walking with
the farmers to the pub. I'm in no position to judge the
man's heart, after all he was a faithful and active Church member fwho
kept his family in Church for his whole life but I can say
that there was no spiritual fruit in his life and even less
spiritual discernment and/or spiritual authority in the lives of the
Ministers he served with..
I now wonder if
this is why my 99yr old mother is bitter and angry with God to this
day. She and her sister Ann went to talk with the Minister (who to
them represented God) about their problems at home; my mother was 10
and Anne was 8yrs old. Their mother was visiting relatives for health
reasons and their father was 'in his cups and acting up' - It must have
been a huge thing for two young girls to seek help like that in 1916
but sadly - being more political than spiritual - their Minister
said and did nothing -
so two young hearts were hardened. Jesus told us not
to judge by outward appearance or even what we hear but to judge spiritually
- I don't believe the religious scene in most Churches has changed a
whole lot from 1916 to now and Church houses are still full of
hardened, hurting, and wounded, people who many times act like
jerks. It's not easy to walk in love toward them but
when we do it shows that God's love is being perfected in our own
hearts.
.
