Offense in the Body Of Christ/Being Made Worthy
Shanna
The following is a message that can apply to any situation, in life, it is for the body of Christ.
Luk 17:1 Then1161 said2036 he unto4314 the3588 disciples,3101 It is2076 impossible418 but that3361 offenses4625 will come:2064 but1161 woe3759 unto him, through1223 whom3739 they come!2064
Luk 17:1 And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom they come!
Ecc 10:4 If518 the spirit7307 of the ruler4910 rise up5927 against5921 thee, leave5117 not408 thy place;4725 for3588 yielding4832 pacifieth5117 great1419 offenses.2399
Early this morning the Lord spoke to me about offenses, I have not been where I should be for a few weeks, right after and incident with another Christian who was accusing me of things I wasn't doing, even telling me I was trying to justify myself and would not forgive me. I had caused an offense, and then sin came into her heart, and maybe even a root of bitterness.
Though I thought I had let it go evidently I had not, because the Lord allowed things to surface in my heart which I didn't know were in there, because of a root of bitterness. I didn't think I was bitter but, the person would not listen to what I was saying nor believe me or give me the benefit of the doubt, so I evidently allowed this thing in., and the Lord showed me that this was what was causing me all the trouble lately, and not being where I should be with Him. Praise God I confessed my sins before him and repented and he is cleansing me of any bitterness, and the sins that he showed me He needs to cleanse in me. it is like showing you in a mirror of yourself inwardly, when we come before Him to remove our sins.
I believe the Lord woke me up this morning so that I could deal with it, and with another incident last summer where I caused an offense in someone, because of my words and not using wisdom. In both cases what was done was not to intentionally to hurt anyone, it was careless on my part not to use wisdom. I am sharing these personal things because there is so much offense in the chuch and the Lord wants the body to see exactly how serious it is, and to share what happens so you can be healed, it is through out the body of Christ. For me it is a lesson, to use more wisdom, in what I say and do, and this applies to all of us. It is very humbling, and we all need to humble ourself and confess our sins to one another, not judging but to restore that person in a spirit of gentleness. We need to be transparent with one another instead of the cloak of pretense we see in the church, a show of spirituality but not allowing others to see the truth. This must not be, because it is not truth andc we must seek TRUTH AT ALL COSTS.
Gal 6:1 Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Offense is a stumbling block, a snare, it can cause someone to stumble and sin, or even to fall away from the faith in some cases. It comes from the word scandal.
σκάνδαλον skandalon skan'-dal-on
A "scandal"; probably from a derivative of G2578; a trap stick (bent sapling), that is, snare (figuratively cause of displeasure or sin): - occasion to fall (of stumbling), offence, thing that offends, stumbling-block.
We are in the last days and many shall be offended, and in the scriptures below it refers to the coming persecution, when even family and friends will hate us and persecute us and even turn us into our adversaries to be killed to save their own hide. This is an offense.
Mat 24:10 And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.
The accuser of the brethren is stirring up things between brother and sisters, causing divisions and schisms in the church, causing many to fall away from the faith, or to leave fellowship with other saints.
He is also stirring strife with words bringing about sins in the heart, such as attitudes of the heart such as anger, unforgiveness ,and a root of bitterness. Even in some cases rebellion.
The offense can be unjust as I believe it was in my case, it can be an accusation, or it can be hurtful words, or careless words, someone lashes out, it can be rejection, or slander of your character. It can be many of these things, these are what the Lord has shown me.
Most often after offense there is a root of bitterness that takes up root in the heart and its roots literally take over your heart, unless it is rooted out by God, roots and all and cleansed.
Heb 12:15 Looking diligently1983 lest3361 any man5100 fail5302 of575 the3588 grace5485 of God;2316 lest3361 any5100 root4491 of bitterness4088 springing5453 up507 trouble1776 you, and2532 thereby1223, 5026 many4183 be defiled;3392
This means that when we get a root of bitterness it usually affects many people, because of attitudes, and can bring trouble onto one self by these negative bitter attitudes.
These are some of the sins that come in when we open our hearts to a root of bitterness. The root of bitterness brings forth bitter fruit of malice, strife, contention, coveteousness, lust, pride, oppression, idleness, anger, rebellion and other sins.
Can you see how dangerous it is and how the adversary wants to cause a Christian to stumble, so he brings about much offense in the body of Christ. Instead of loving one another we end up with a root of bitterness and sins in our heart that we must allow God to remove so that we can have a pure heart before him.
We must strive against sin.
Heb 12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin:
Heb 12:14 Follow1377 peace1515 with3326 all3956 men, and2532 holiness,38 without5565 which3739 no man3762 shall see3700 the3588 Lord:296
This can happen to any saved, spirit filled Christian, and is happening in the body of Christ today, that is why the word says to guard your heart with all diligence.
This can keep you from fellowship with the Lord, it will keep the Holy Spirit from moving in your life, it can bring about sickness of body mind and spirit, financial distress and much trouble.
It can bring about a wounded spirit, even from as far back as your childhood, brought about by an offense or a root of bitterness, it could have been a violation against your person, and a root of bitterness takes root and you cannot shake the anger and unforgiveness,and many other sins that have surfaced. Often when this happens people do not see themselves as worthy because they think something wrong with themselves because they cannot stop doing the things they are doing. They can no longer love themselves or others, their heart has become hard.
Pro 18:14 The spirit7307 of a man376 will sustain3557 his infirmity;4245 but a wounded5218 spirit7307 who4310 can bear?5375
These things keep us from growing in Christ, sins will continually surface in Christians that have not allowed the Lord to purify their hearts, to bring to the surface these sins that they may be healed, but often the Christian will go through life in a pretense that all is well, when they suffer greatly by their own sins. Many in the church are going through pretense, so as to cover the truth from their brothers and sisters, they cannot walk in faith and patience and do not get along with their brothers and sisters because of offenses.
The cure for all of this is forgiveness, forgiveness of the person through whom the offense came and to go before the Lord and cry out in repentance, asking forgiveness and ask Him to cleanse your heart of all sin. Ask Him to do whatever it takes to bring about holiness in your life, that might mean trials and tribulation so that you can see what is truly in your heart.
Jam 1:2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations;
Jam 1:3 Knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience.
Jam 1:4 And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.
Often, we cannot see our own sins, because we are so busy looking at the faults and sins of others, and we get a critical spirit, a judgmental spirit always looking at the faults of others. This is a trap, and it blinds us to our own sins, and what happens is that we will elevate ourselves to a high position, it might be literal or it might be in our own minds, and we look down on others, thinking because we have such and such a title or position that we do not have sins in our heart and if they are known they are there, nothing is ever done about it because they are always looking at others faults and cannot see their own because of the log in their own eye, that blocks the view of seeing their own sins.
This is why there is so much sin in the church, the hearts have not been dealt with. Yes, we are given a new heart spiritually, but these are sins of the flesh that lie in the heart, that most often have never been dealt with. The Lord does not magically take them away unless we give them to Him. We might think nothing is there until something happens and brings the worst out in us.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?
Jer 17:9 The heart3820 is deceitful6121 above all4480, 3605 things, and desperately wicked:605 who4310 can know3045 it?
There must be a dividing of soul and spirit by the word of God, and the sins must be dealt with by God, and that can only happen as you go before Him and confess your sins and allow Him to bring all to the surface so that they may be dealt with. No more pretense, no more hiding behind a title or position, or a cloak of pretense, or all you know, but you must examine yourself, and allow the Lord to examine you.
Psa 26:2 Examine me, O Jehovah, and prove me; Try my heart and my mind.
Psa 26:2 Examine974 me, O LORD,3068 and prove5254 me; try6884 my reins3629 and my heart.3820
It is your response under trials that will reveal your heart, and then go before the Lord and let him heal the sins that surface.
the Lord has to test us, he has to test our faith, because in order for us to be counted worthy to escape the things coming on the earth we need to be found in faith and patience which posses our souls. luke 21:19
When I say escape I am not talking about being raptured before any tribulations come but to escape the judgments coming upon the whole earth, the Lord will hide his own, but we need to be tested, and the word of God says that persecution comes first before any of the tribulation. So we will be hated for Christ sake, and we will go through great persecution.
I will go into this in my next message.
To Be Counted Worthy
Luk 21:35 For1063 as5613 a snare3803 shall it come1904 on1909 all3956 them that dwell2521 on1909 the face4383 of the3588 whole3956 earth.1093
Luk 21:36 Watch69 ye therefore,3767 and pray1189 always,1722, 3956, 2540 that2443 ye may be accounted worthy2661 to escape1628 all3956 these things5023 that shall3195 come to pass,1096 and2532 to stand2476 before1715 the3588 Son5207 of man.444
Brothers and sisters, because of the lateness of the hour I have been sending you links to audio messages that will help you prepare your heart for these days that are on the horizon, we must be counted worthy to escape all that is coming, and the way the Lord does that is through persecution, we have seen missionaries for a thousand years and more going through persecution, and they have been counted worthy.
I am going to take us back and use the ASV version without the strongs concordance numbers and give you all the scriptures that will explain what I am saying.
uk 21:7 And they asked him, saying, Teacher, when therefore shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are about to come to pass?
Luk 21:8-35 And he said, Take heed that ye be not led astray: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am he; and, The time is at hand: go ye not after them.
And when ye shall hear of wars and tumults, be not terrified: for these things must needs come to pass first; but the end is not immediately. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and pestilences; and there shall be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they shall lay their hands on you, and shall persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name's sake. It shall turn out unto you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate beforehand how to answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand or to gainsay.
But ye shall be delivered up even by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. And not a hair of your head shall perish. In your patience ye shall win your souls. But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand. Then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains; and let them that are in the midst of her depart out; and let not them that are in the country enter therein. For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! for there shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath unto this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all the nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable: Behold the fig tree, and all the trees: when they now shoot forth, ye see it and know of your own selves that the summer is now nigh. Even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all things be accomplished. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare: for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth. But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Do you see the need to watch and pray and that you may escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the son of man?
When we endure patiently all our tribulations and persecutions and suffering we face, we are counted worthy.
2Th 1:3-11 We are bound to give thanks to God always to you, brethren, even as it is meet, for that your faith growth exceedingly, and the love of each one of you all toward one another aboundeth; so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye endure;
which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: if so be that it is righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to them that afflict you, and to you that are afflicted rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day. To which end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfil every desire of goodness and every work of faith, with power;
This is your calling to suffer with Christ.
Rom 8:17-18 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward.
1Pe 1:6-7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ:
Our hearts need to be right. In one of the audio tapes they talked about being a double minded man will keep you from the faith that is required of us as James tells us :
Jam 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.
Jam 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord;
Jam 1:8 a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.
So what is a double minded man?
It is duplicity, it means that your focus is split, it is on the world and it is sometimes on God. Singleness towared God is simplicity single heart toward God. it means you trust Him all the time, not some of the time, you live for Him rather than yourself. A double minded man is unstable, becaue one minute he trust God and the next he is in fear of something coming upon him, trouble in bank account or sickness, and he is not trusting God in all things.
Singleness of heart. Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.
Without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Heb 11:6 and without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.
So why would a root of bitterness keep us from faith in God? Becaue our heart is not single to God, the bitterness has spread and we become full of bitter fruit as I mentioned before, and when our hearts are troubled we cannot keep our focus on god.
I see this in broken marriages and relationships, they are often so full of bitterness that they cannot forgive and they cannot focus on their relationship with the Lord , and they will talk continually about what happened, they cannot get it off their mind, and then they get angery and later as it progresses they are wounded so deeply they cannot see their own sins, all they see is the sins of others.
Yet all of our trials are to try us, to try as us gold that we might be counted worthy.
It seems difficult but we must joyfully accept the trials the Lord gives us and as soon as we are able to do that, we will be as gold tried in the fire.
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I reprove and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.
Revival of Burning Hearts WARNING THIS SITE RESERVED FOR THOSE HUNGRY FOR YESHUA AND WANT THE FIRE OF GOD! COME STAY! THIS IS NOT A HIT AN RUN MUCH TO GIVE YOU A BURNING HEARt ! I am continually updating with new material so stop back by and check it out. Better yet bookmark it and send the link to your friends.
We need a revival and it starts with being on fire for the Lord, red hot passionate fire, and only one way to get it, and that is the Holy Spirit as we wait at His feet.
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