Obedience and Judgment

So many people in Christ have their own personal commandments and rules that they try to apply to everyone else, and it does nothing but cultivate a judgmental spirit in them and separate them from the love of God that's in Christ; which love we are commanded to have for one another without condition (Jn. 13:34). The commandments of God can be confirmed by the scriptures, and are for everyone; but all of these personal rules that people have are between them, their conscience, and the Lord; and they should not be applied to everyone else. I asked someone in Christ yesterday if they were on facebook, solely for the purpose of staying connected and remaining in touch about the things of God. Their reply? "Well, we started out like that, but the Lord has weeded all of that out of our lives." I didn't pursue it any further because I could see that he just didn't understand that ANY venue of communication can be used for good, or it can be used for evil. I've heard a lot of this stuff about facebook and other such social media sites from a lot of people in Christ. Stuff like, "Well, facebook and all that kind of stuff is just a source of gossip and idle chatter." Well, if you can't get on the internet and communicate with people in an edifying way without sinning, that just tells me where you're at. If that's your level of maturity in Christ then go with what you need to go with, but don't try to measure me by your own personal standards. Nonetheless that is what people will invariably try to do, and it's nothing but a judgmental religious spirit. The apostle Paul dealt with similar issues and this is what he said about such things: "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand" (Rom. 14:4,5). And again he said, "I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean" (Rom. 4:14). In the same writing he also said this: "But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" (Rom. 14:10). You can't find anything in the Bible that can confirm that believers shouldn't be on facebook or other social media sites. Yet I feel it when someone tells me something like that, and they're basically writing me off in their mind for my 'spiritual immaturity' of being on facebook or the like.

This spiritual malady also applies to a vast number of things not mentioned here, but this one is fresh in my mind and I felt it needed to be addressed. A lot of folks think they are being 'separate' from the world when actually they are only obeying a 'separatist' religious demon that is OF THIS WORLD. The Pharisees of Jesus' time had their own rules that became traditions that they applied to others with a judgmental spirit, and Jesus leveled them for their loveless mindset: "Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say , with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition" (Mk. 7:1-9). Then he went on to explain the real problem: "There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man... For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man" (Mk. 7:15,21-23).

God's people need to understand that saying with clarity. Facebook doesn't defile anyone, not if their heart is purged from sin. I don't gossip or engage in idle chatter on facebook or any other internet venue, ever. I use these things for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even as I do with all things. I even use it for some other stuff occasionally, all of which is clean before God. Some folks feel the need to 'fast' from facebook sometimes, and that's their own personal business. Myself, I live in a 'fast' from everything that would lead to defilement, so I just continue to carry on with business as usual, and without sinning to boot. If professing followers of Jesus Christ would "purify [themselves] even as he is pure" on a constant basis, they would find that there's a lot of things that they can do that are not going to defile them (I Jn. 3:3). It reminds of me of one brother in an elitist Pentecostal sect who said, "When we get to the new earth we'll be able to hug a sister without 'getting a sensation.' " If you can't hug the opposite gender now without it being a lustful problem, I'm not so sure whether you're on your way to glory or not. But it is inevitable that those who have attained unto any level of freedom in Christ are going to be judged by those who think they are somewhere that they're not. The apostle Paul said it this way: "For why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?" (I Cor. 10:29). While it's true that the scriptures instruct those with knowledge to not flaunt their freedom before those who do not understand, it is also true that we cannot become "the servants of men," being imprisoned by the judgmental spirits of those who would rather imagine themselves to be ultra-spiritual than to actually grow to maturity in Christ (Rom. 14:15,20,21; I Cor. 8:9-13; I Cor. 7:23). In the end, I strive to follow the admonition of the apostle Paul on these kinds of things: "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink [liberties]; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another... Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth" (Rom. 14:17-19,22). Hopefully this short explanation of such things will benefit someone. God bless.