II Timothy 1:13- Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
In this text we are admonished to hold fast the form of sound words. If you read the Bible, you find that words are very important to God. Matthew 12:37- For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
We live in an age of unsound words, unsound minds, unsound doctrines, unsound professions of salvation, and unsound bible versions. Most modern day Christians talk like the world, chiefly because their bibles talk like the world. The language has been dumbed down. They are babbling idiots. Romans 1:22- Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
At least 90% of the TV and radio preachers today have rid themselves of biblical vocabulary and have substituted expressions such as "Let Christ come into your life", "Have an encounter with Christ", etc. and as a result they have substituted the new age terminology of rank humanism for Biblical Christianity. These things are referred to in the New Testament:
II Peter 2:23- And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgement now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
Ephesians 5:6- Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Romans 16:18- For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
I thought that I would assemble a list of words used in the Bible to define and describe the various aspects of salvation. You may hear these words occasionally out in the world, but they came from the Bible. One of the many ways that you can tell that modern Christianity has gone to pot is the absence of these words from their vocabulary. Proverbs 15:4- A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.
1) Repentance- a change of mind or turning from sin to God
This is proceeded with illumination from the Scriptures, conviction of sin, and a realization of condemnation.
Verses: II Peter 3:9, Mark 2:17, Psalm 119:59, I Thessalonians 1:9
2) Faith- the deep settled assuring belief that God will do exactly as He promised to do in His Word
Verses: Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 4:2, Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9-11
3) Grace- God's unmerited forgiving mercy and kindness
Grace= God's riches at Christ's expense
Verses: John 1:17, Acts 15:11, Ephesians 2:5, II Corinthians 8:9
4)Salvation- the great deliverance from the guilt, pollution, and penalty of sin
Verses: Romans 1:16, Ephesians 1:13, I Peter 1:9, Acts 4:12
When the Bible speaks of salvation or damnation, we must observe the context to determine if it is a reference to eternal salvation from sin or temporal salvation from a circumstance or consequence- I Timothy 2:15, I Corinthians 11:29.
5) Regeneration- new birth
Verses: Titus 3:5, John 3:6-7, John 1:12-13, I Peter 1:23, I John 3:9, I John 5:18
Now those are the basics, but we find the bible gives us a terminology which goes into further details concerning conversion to Jesus Christ...
6) Adoption- a judicial act whereby a saved sinner is declared to be a member of God's family
Verses: Romans 8:15, Galatians 3:26, Galatians 4:4-5, Ephesians 1:4-6
You cannot legally disinherit an adopted son.
7) Justification- a judicial act whereby God declares the saved sinner to be righteous
Just as if I'd never sinned!
Verses: Exodus 23:7, Deuteronomy 25:1, Proverbs 17:15, Job 9:20, Job 25:4, Psalms 143:2, Luke 10:29, Luke 16:15, Luke 18:11, I Peter 3:18, Isaiah 53:11, I Corinthians 6:9-11, Romans 3:20-30, Romans 4:5, Romans 4:25, Romans 5:1-9, Romans 5:16-18, Romans 8:30-33, Acts 13:38-39, Galatians 2:16, Galatians 3:8-11, Galatians 3:24, Galatians 5:4, Titus 3:7
8) Imputation- a judicial act where God attributes the saved man's sins to Jesus Christ, and Christ's righteousness to the saved man
Verses: Psalms 32:2, Romans 4:3-24, Romans 5:13, Acts 7:60, II Corinthians 5:19-21, James 2:23, Numbers 23:21, Psalm 130:3
9) Redemption- a completed payment so an object or person can be released or freed
Verses: Romans 3:23-24, Romans 8:23, I Corinthians 1:30, Galatians 3:13, Galatians 4:5, Ephesians 1:7, Ephesians 1:14, Ephesians 4:30, Colossians 1:12-14, Titus 2:13-14, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 9:15, I Peter 1:18-19, Revelation 5:9, Revelation 14:3-4
10) Ransom- the price paid for redemption
The ransom is paid to an eternal God, so it must be an eternal ransom.
Verses: Psalm 49:6-9, Jeremiah 31:11, Hebrews 9:11-14, I Timothy 2:5-6, Matthew 20:28
11) Propitiation- a specific payment to placate or appease the wrath of an offended party
Verses: Romans 3:25, I John 2:1-2, I John 4:10
12) Remission- forgiveness; pardon; the giving up of a punishment due to a crime
Verses: Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3, Acts 2:38, Romans 3:25-26, Hebrews 9:22, Hebrews 10:18, Matthew 26:28, Acts 10:43
13) Reconciliation- the getting together of two or more parties who were enemies by a mediator
Verses: Hebrews 2:17, Colossians 1:13-22, II Corinthians 5:17-21
14) Atonement- satisfaction or reparation made by giving an equivalent for an injury, or by doing or suffering that which is received in satisfaction for an offense or injury
The action appears in the OT 69 times, but only once in the NT.
Verses: Romans 5:10-11, Ephesians 1:10, Ephesians 2:11-18, Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:15, John 17:11, John 17:21-23, Romans 6:4-8, II Corinthians 6:1, II Corinthians 13:4, Colossians 2:12-13, Colossians 3:4, I Thessalonians 5:10, II Timothy 2:11-12
15) Substitution- the innocent takes the punishment of the guilty
Illustrated by the Passover lamb, the ram in Genesis 22:13, and by Christ taking Barrabas' place at Calvary.
Verses: John 10:11, I Peter 2:21-25, I Peter 3:18, II Corinthians 5:20-21, Isaiah 53:5-6, I corinthians 5:7
16) Separation- a division between two who were once joined
Verses: II Corinthians 6:14-18, Romans 12:1-2, James 1:27, II Timothy 2:16-23, II Timothy 3:5
17) Sanctification- a three stage process whereby a sinner is saved from the penalty of sin (Hell), the power of sin (overcoming temptation on a daily basis), and the presence of sin (the Rapture)
Verses: II Corinthians 1:9-10, I Thessalonians 5:23
What we have heard here is biblical language.
I Corinthians 1:17- For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
I Corinthians 2:4- And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
See if you can pick up the words used in this passage:
Romans 3:20-28- Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be the propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Zephaniah 3:9- For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.
-Adam Trosclair
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Healthy Minute- Lyme's disease
Lyme's disease is a bacterial infection that you contract through tick bites. The bacteria is a spirochete, which means that it can travel to different sections of your body. This disease will leave a bulls-eye looking mark around the tick bite. This is one of the fastest growing diseases in the United States and Canada.
The reason this disease is so dangerous is that it is misunderstood, and often mistaken for something else. The number of people who actually have this disease is unknown because doctor's don't normally test for it. Symptoms include rash, joint pain, fever, and can often lead to neurological problems, heart problems, eye and liver problems, and severe fatigue. Unless caught and treated early, it will do irreparable damage to the entire body. It can be treated with intense rounds 2 to 4 weeks of antibiotics.
I know of a few people who have contracted this disease and who have never gotten over it. Even after treatment, the disease can lay dormant in the body until it re-emerges at a later date. By the time you realize it's back, it's almost too late.
This article recounts how a woman's son was having problems and was diagnosed with the Epstein-Barre virus. She herself had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. When trying to research how to help her son, she came across the scary truth: "It was like a bomb went off in my head," explains Tanis. "All of a sudden, my mind was going crazy. I was recalling the fractures each year with Rian (her son) between ages five and fourteen. I remember saying out loud: Rian has had Lyme disease his whole life and he got it from me."
Yes, Lyme's disease can be passed on to your children. My SIL contracted the disease when she was expecting her second child. She couldn't undergo the rounds of antibiotics while pregnant, and so both she and her daughter have the disease. They have many different health problems stemming from this.
For further information on this disease, and it's treatment, please visit CanLyme.com. Or, watch the video below:
The reason this disease is so dangerous is that it is misunderstood, and often mistaken for something else. The number of people who actually have this disease is unknown because doctor's don't normally test for it. Symptoms include rash, joint pain, fever, and can often lead to neurological problems, heart problems, eye and liver problems, and severe fatigue. Unless caught and treated early, it will do irreparable damage to the entire body. It can be treated with intense rounds 2 to 4 weeks of antibiotics.
I know of a few people who have contracted this disease and who have never gotten over it. Even after treatment, the disease can lay dormant in the body until it re-emerges at a later date. By the time you realize it's back, it's almost too late.
This article recounts how a woman's son was having problems and was diagnosed with the Epstein-Barre virus. She herself had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. When trying to research how to help her son, she came across the scary truth: "It was like a bomb went off in my head," explains Tanis. "All of a sudden, my mind was going crazy. I was recalling the fractures each year with Rian (her son) between ages five and fourteen. I remember saying out loud: Rian has had Lyme disease his whole life and he got it from me."
Yes, Lyme's disease can be passed on to your children. My SIL contracted the disease when she was expecting her second child. She couldn't undergo the rounds of antibiotics while pregnant, and so both she and her daughter have the disease. They have many different health problems stemming from this.
For further information on this disease, and it's treatment, please visit CanLyme.com. Or, watch the video below:
Monday, February 8, 2016
Faith- It Works! book review
God always gives the best to them that leave the choice to Him. -Hudson Taylor
Faith is such an important attribute in the Christian walk. It's one of those things that seem to be elusive to many Christians now-a-days. It's not something that you can look at a person and tell that they have. But, it's a quality that you can measure a person's spiritual maturity by.
Your prayer life can't be what it should be without faith. But, what exactly is it? How do you acquire and increase it? How does it work and what works does it create in us?
Faith- It Works! is a book written by Linton Smith, Jr, missionary to China, will answer all these questions and more. This book will encourage you to start trusting God with your problems and will also stir you to accept His answers to these problems.
Walking by faith is not something easy for the Christian to do. But, it is something that God wants from each and every one of His children. Learning how to walk by faith will open your eyes to see God's provision in every area of your life.
Faith is such an important attribute in the Christian walk. It's one of those things that seem to be elusive to many Christians now-a-days. It's not something that you can look at a person and tell that they have. But, it's a quality that you can measure a person's spiritual maturity by.
Your prayer life can't be what it should be without faith. But, what exactly is it? How do you acquire and increase it? How does it work and what works does it create in us?
Faith- It Works! is a book written by Linton Smith, Jr, missionary to China, will answer all these questions and more. This book will encourage you to start trusting God with your problems and will also stir you to accept His answers to these problems.
Walking by faith is not something easy for the Christian to do. But, it is something that God wants from each and every one of His children. Learning how to walk by faith will open your eyes to see God's provision in every area of your life.
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Believer's Heritage- The Pilgrim's Progress (video book)
My husband came to know the Lord during Vacation Bible School one year when they were reading this book. Only God knows how many people The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan has helped through the years.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
My Grace Is Sufficient For Thee (poem)
When, sin-stricken, burdened, and weary,
From bondage I longed to be free,
There came to my heart the sweet message:
My grace is sufficient for thee."
Though tempted and sadly discouraged,
My soul to this refuge will flee,
And rest in the blessed assurance:
My grace is sufficient for thee."
My bark may be tossed by the tempest
That sweeps o'er the turbulent sea—
A rainbow illumines the darkness:
My grace is sufficient for thee."
O Lord, I would press on with courage,
Though rugged the pathway may be,
Sustained and upheld by the promise:
My grace is sufficient for thee."
Soon, soon will the warfare be over,
My Lord face to face I shall see,
And prove, as I dwell in His presence:
His grace was sufficient for me."
—Anonymous
Friday, February 5, 2016
Thursday, February 4, 2016
LeeAnn's Thai Ginger soup recipe
1 can coconut milk
3 cups chicken bone broth
1 tsp brown sugar
2 stalks lemon grass
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup diced leeks
2 TBS fresh cilantro
1" grated ginger root
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 tsp Thai chili sauce
1 lb chicken thighs, diced
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 TBS fish sauce
Combine coconut milk, bone broth, sugar, lemon grass, garlic, leeks, cilantro, ginger root, lime zest, and chili sauce in a pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Add chicken, mushrooms, and fish sauce and simmer until chicken is cooked.
3 cups chicken bone broth
1 tsp brown sugar
2 stalks lemon grass
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup diced leeks
2 TBS fresh cilantro
1" grated ginger root
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 tsp Thai chili sauce
1 lb chicken thighs, diced
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 TBS fish sauce
Combine coconut milk, bone broth, sugar, lemon grass, garlic, leeks, cilantro, ginger root, lime zest, and chili sauce in a pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Add chicken, mushrooms, and fish sauce and simmer until chicken is cooked.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Funny Happenings- Wearing Glasses
My mother recently recounted a story to me about my father.
My father, Robert, worked construction for the Maxwell family when he was a teenager. He liked to hang around with the family, and he was friends with most of it's members. He especially liked the younger daughter, Melody.
Melody was your typical curious child. So, it wasn't odd for her to be interested in the fact that my dad wore glasses. He had these thick glasses to correct his eyesight. Melody noticed that he always wore them.
One day, she climbed into his lap and questioned, "Why do you wear those?"
"They help me to see." my father responded as he took them off and handed them to her to examine.
Melody turned them this way and that and then looked my dad straight. After a moment, she spit right in his face.
He sat there shocked for a bit and then asked, "Why did you do that?!?!"
Melody shrugged and replied, "It worked for Jesus!"
My father, Robert, worked construction for the Maxwell family when he was a teenager. He liked to hang around with the family, and he was friends with most of it's members. He especially liked the younger daughter, Melody.
Melody was your typical curious child. So, it wasn't odd for her to be interested in the fact that my dad wore glasses. He had these thick glasses to correct his eyesight. Melody noticed that he always wore them.
One day, she climbed into his lap and questioned, "Why do you wear those?"
"They help me to see." my father responded as he took them off and handed them to her to examine.
Melody turned them this way and that and then looked my dad straight. After a moment, she spit right in his face.
He sat there shocked for a bit and then asked, "Why did you do that?!?!"
Melody shrugged and replied, "It worked for Jesus!"
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
How To Pray Powerful Prayers (audio sermon)
No man is greater than his prayer life. That statement is so true, and yet so elusive. You can ask most people if they know how to pray and they will say "yes". They pray over their food. They pray when they are having troubles. But, they only know how to pray instant prayers. They're like instant coffee, they'll do but, they aren't as good as a freshly brewed cup!
The church of God began in the Upper Room with a bunch of people agonizing. Christ spent time in the garden praying before He went to meet His destiny. Saul (Apostle Paul) spent 3 days in prayer before God sent Annanias to heal him.
The disciples asked Christ to teach them to pray. Christ took them to the garden with Him, and yet when He went to check on them they were asleep. They weren't use to praying, because they hadn't been practicing what He had taught them. Three times He came back and all three times they had fallen asleep!
Prayer is such an important part of the Christian walk! And yet, there aren't any courses in Christian schools on how to pray. People graduate from Christian colleges by droves without ever having studied the art of prayer. Our churches are dying because the power of prayer has been lost!
One man with God is a majority! Elijah shows up from nowhere and says that there would be no rain except by his word. His prayers were so powerful that God stopped the heavens for three years! Then, he prays and God sends a torrential rain! His prayer life even had God talking directly to him when he was hiding in a cave in a destitute disposition.
The first step of a powerful prayer life is to confess our sins. Confession is needful to seek the Savior. It removes the barriers that block our hearts true desires from the Lord. It restores our relationship with our Father in Heaven. He already knows what your sins are. You need to know what your sins are. You need to see them how God sees them. Look deep and realize what it is that stands between you and your walk with Christ. I have sinned against heaven and before thee.
Your success depends entirely on the Lord. We need to get rid of anything that has to do with self. God can't fill an already full cup. First we have to dump out all that is in there for the Lord to fill it with what He has. It isn't in us, because of us, or from us that the power of God will fill your life. It is when we allow the Lord to control the situation that we will see the results of the power of God's provision. I am poor and needy.
We can then plead with God for the things that burden us. We can plead the attributes of God. We can plead God's relationships. We can plead God's promises. We can plead our necessities.
If we remind God that His attributes are the reason that we pray to Him. We should base our prayers upon the truth of God's character- mercy, forgiveness, love, justice, etc. We can bring the ancient mercies of God before Him and plead for them in our prayers. Have mercy upon mine iniquity for it is great!
Remind God that He is the Creator. He is our Father. The woman who the Lord called a dog accepted this title because she realized that the dog is still a member of the family, and it was her humility and recognition of this that allowed God to grant this Gentile's request. Although He is a great king and infinitely glorious, a child can always be bold with his father. We can pray, Abba, Father!
Reminding God of His promises has been used many times successfully through the Bible. If you remind God of His promises He will either go against His Word and be unfaithful, or He will confirm His Word and answer you. Thou art faithful!
God has promised to supply all our need. Sometimes, we don't really acknowledge what our need actually is. But, when we take the time to plead for our needs, it shows us what we think our needs are. And, if we listen we will soon understand what He knows our need is.
Thirdly, we should be urgent with God. We never know when our time on earth will be over. God won't get upset when we realize that we need His help immediately. We need His help now! When we can live no longer without Him, He will come to you. Make haste, O Lord, to deliver me!
If we saw ourselves the way God sees us. If we realized what our need actually was. If we humbled ourselves and let go of our strength then we would know that we need the Lord as urgently as we actually do. I am poor and needy! Make no tarrying!
Lastly, we need our souls to grasp God. This is the hardest part of prayer. To understand that He is our help. He is our deliverer. He, alone, is the answer to our requests. Jacob understood this when he clung to the angel and said, "I won't let go until you bless me!"
Christ died on purpose to save you. Trust Him to take care of your prayer requests. We take our list to God and then we get up and walk away with that list thinking about how we can take care of it. Leave the list at His feet and let Him take care of it. We should take care of His business here on earth (witnessing, praying, preaching, etc), and in so doing we will see Him take care of our desires, requests, and lists. Thou art my help and my deliverer!
He who knows how to master prayer will see the Lord move in every area of his life. Prayer moves the arm that moves the world! We need more wrestling on our knees. We need more prayer warriors. We need to realize that it is our weakness that makes us strong. We need to be resolved to get an answer for our prayers.
Hold on. Be steadfast. Discouragements will come. Brethren will fall away. This should make us more fervent, more eager to pray for them. Still hold on, when all hope seems lost is when the victory is near. I will not let thee go except thou bless me!
The blessing that costs the most prayer will be the most satisfying!
The church of God began in the Upper Room with a bunch of people agonizing. Christ spent time in the garden praying before He went to meet His destiny. Saul (Apostle Paul) spent 3 days in prayer before God sent Annanias to heal him.
The disciples asked Christ to teach them to pray. Christ took them to the garden with Him, and yet when He went to check on them they were asleep. They weren't use to praying, because they hadn't been practicing what He had taught them. Three times He came back and all three times they had fallen asleep!
Prayer is such an important part of the Christian walk! And yet, there aren't any courses in Christian schools on how to pray. People graduate from Christian colleges by droves without ever having studied the art of prayer. Our churches are dying because the power of prayer has been lost!
One man with God is a majority! Elijah shows up from nowhere and says that there would be no rain except by his word. His prayers were so powerful that God stopped the heavens for three years! Then, he prays and God sends a torrential rain! His prayer life even had God talking directly to him when he was hiding in a cave in a destitute disposition.
The first step of a powerful prayer life is to confess our sins. Confession is needful to seek the Savior. It removes the barriers that block our hearts true desires from the Lord. It restores our relationship with our Father in Heaven. He already knows what your sins are. You need to know what your sins are. You need to see them how God sees them. Look deep and realize what it is that stands between you and your walk with Christ. I have sinned against heaven and before thee.
Your success depends entirely on the Lord. We need to get rid of anything that has to do with self. God can't fill an already full cup. First we have to dump out all that is in there for the Lord to fill it with what He has. It isn't in us, because of us, or from us that the power of God will fill your life. It is when we allow the Lord to control the situation that we will see the results of the power of God's provision. I am poor and needy.
We can then plead with God for the things that burden us. We can plead the attributes of God. We can plead God's relationships. We can plead God's promises. We can plead our necessities.
If we remind God that His attributes are the reason that we pray to Him. We should base our prayers upon the truth of God's character- mercy, forgiveness, love, justice, etc. We can bring the ancient mercies of God before Him and plead for them in our prayers. Have mercy upon mine iniquity for it is great!
Remind God that He is the Creator. He is our Father. The woman who the Lord called a dog accepted this title because she realized that the dog is still a member of the family, and it was her humility and recognition of this that allowed God to grant this Gentile's request. Although He is a great king and infinitely glorious, a child can always be bold with his father. We can pray, Abba, Father!
Reminding God of His promises has been used many times successfully through the Bible. If you remind God of His promises He will either go against His Word and be unfaithful, or He will confirm His Word and answer you. Thou art faithful!
God has promised to supply all our need. Sometimes, we don't really acknowledge what our need actually is. But, when we take the time to plead for our needs, it shows us what we think our needs are. And, if we listen we will soon understand what He knows our need is.
Thirdly, we should be urgent with God. We never know when our time on earth will be over. God won't get upset when we realize that we need His help immediately. We need His help now! When we can live no longer without Him, He will come to you. Make haste, O Lord, to deliver me!
If we saw ourselves the way God sees us. If we realized what our need actually was. If we humbled ourselves and let go of our strength then we would know that we need the Lord as urgently as we actually do. I am poor and needy! Make no tarrying!
Lastly, we need our souls to grasp God. This is the hardest part of prayer. To understand that He is our help. He is our deliverer. He, alone, is the answer to our requests. Jacob understood this when he clung to the angel and said, "I won't let go until you bless me!"
Christ died on purpose to save you. Trust Him to take care of your prayer requests. We take our list to God and then we get up and walk away with that list thinking about how we can take care of it. Leave the list at His feet and let Him take care of it. We should take care of His business here on earth (witnessing, praying, preaching, etc), and in so doing we will see Him take care of our desires, requests, and lists. Thou art my help and my deliverer!
He who knows how to master prayer will see the Lord move in every area of his life. Prayer moves the arm that moves the world! We need more wrestling on our knees. We need more prayer warriors. We need to realize that it is our weakness that makes us strong. We need to be resolved to get an answer for our prayers.
Hold on. Be steadfast. Discouragements will come. Brethren will fall away. This should make us more fervent, more eager to pray for them. Still hold on, when all hope seems lost is when the victory is near. I will not let thee go except thou bless me!
The blessing that costs the most prayer will be the most satisfying!
Monday, February 1, 2016
Receiving A Rebuke
No one likes to hear that they are wrong. It's a character of human nature called Pride that makes us always want to be right. But, another quality of humanity is mistakes. We all make them, and there will be times when someone will point them out.
Pride responds to rebukes by anger, arguments, disbelief, and rebuttal. But, these are not how a Christian should respond.
Proverbs 29:1- He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
A rebuke or a reproof is meant to point out what you are doing wrong so that you can fix it. The Bible warns that destruction can come if we ignore reproofs.
Proverbs 9:8- Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
When we receive a rebuke we are wise. We can correct our errors and be the better for them.
So how do we receive a rebuke?
First, we should listen to the entire reproof without arguing back.
Proverbs 13:1- A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.
You can't know where you are going wrong unless you hear the person out. It's possible they see something that you don't. It's presumable that there is something going on that's bothering this person. Wouldn't it be best to find out what it is?
Secondly, thank the person for their insight.
Hebrews 12:5-6- And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whome the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
You must understand that the reason someone is pointing this out to you is because they care about you. And it's probably difficult for them to come to you about this.
Thirdly, you have now two choices. Realize they are right and correct it, or search out the matter to see what Christ would have you do.
Proverbs 15:31-32- The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise. He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
Now that you know there is a problem you can search it out. Were you doing something wrong? Was there a misunderstanding? What can you learn from this?
However, you need to pray and ask God if he's trying to teach you something. It's possible there's an area that needs improved. Maybe God is letting you know how much someone cares. Or, perhaps He's giving you an idea of how it feels to be rebuked so He can use you to rebuke someone in the future.
Receiving a rebuke is not an easy thing, but it's something we will all face multiple times in this life. We can either learn and grow or stagnate and become a poison to ourselves and those around us.
I know plenty of people who dismissed a rebuke. Did what they wanted. And, are now paying a heavy price for it.
Proverbs 2:10-12- When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preseve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
Proverbs 7:4-5- Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with he words.
A rebuke brings wisdom that can keep you from evil men and women if you listen, search it out, and find what it is God is trying to teach you.
Pride responds to rebukes by anger, arguments, disbelief, and rebuttal. But, these are not how a Christian should respond.
Proverbs 29:1- He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
A rebuke or a reproof is meant to point out what you are doing wrong so that you can fix it. The Bible warns that destruction can come if we ignore reproofs.
Proverbs 9:8- Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
When we receive a rebuke we are wise. We can correct our errors and be the better for them.
So how do we receive a rebuke?
First, we should listen to the entire reproof without arguing back.
Proverbs 13:1- A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.
You can't know where you are going wrong unless you hear the person out. It's possible they see something that you don't. It's presumable that there is something going on that's bothering this person. Wouldn't it be best to find out what it is?
Secondly, thank the person for their insight.
Hebrews 12:5-6- And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whome the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
You must understand that the reason someone is pointing this out to you is because they care about you. And it's probably difficult for them to come to you about this.
Thirdly, you have now two choices. Realize they are right and correct it, or search out the matter to see what Christ would have you do.
Proverbs 15:31-32- The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise. He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
Now that you know there is a problem you can search it out. Were you doing something wrong? Was there a misunderstanding? What can you learn from this?
However, you need to pray and ask God if he's trying to teach you something. It's possible there's an area that needs improved. Maybe God is letting you know how much someone cares. Or, perhaps He's giving you an idea of how it feels to be rebuked so He can use you to rebuke someone in the future.
Receiving a rebuke is not an easy thing, but it's something we will all face multiple times in this life. We can either learn and grow or stagnate and become a poison to ourselves and those around us.
I know plenty of people who dismissed a rebuke. Did what they wanted. And, are now paying a heavy price for it.
Proverbs 2:10-12- When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preseve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
Proverbs 7:4-5- Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with he words.
A rebuke brings wisdom that can keep you from evil men and women if you listen, search it out, and find what it is God is trying to teach you.
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