The Father says: “Welcome Them in My Love”

We are in a time when the LORD is drawing the prodigals and the backslidden back into fellowship in a major way.

The worst of sinners will find salvation through Christ, and the discipling of these will require the fruits of the Spirit in leaders and others in the body to shine.

His love will produce compassion and understanding for these beautiful children of the most high.

Many of these people will be rough around the edges, their language will not be what you are used too, and the behavior and mannerisms will certainly not fit into the norm.

Many of them will still have the residue of the world on them. They need love and NOT condemnation. Transformation has already begun within them and we as a body can stunt their growth or aide in building then up.

Unfortunately, the religious spirit will judge and condemn these with harsh words that lacks understanding of the deeper issues within these people, but even in these situations there will be believers who will shine His light, nurture and help build up these brothers and sisters unto maturity.

As positions are shifting in the body and the guard is changing, we will see the new leaders possess a great deal of compassion and empathy for these believers as these leaders have endured similar experiences as the ones they will be discipling.

These leaders carry the heart of God for the lost and understand the deeper root issues of sinfulness that requires soul healing and deliverance and NOT finger pointing and condemnation. They will be long-suffering with these spiritual children just as God is long-suffering.

There are many such leaders in the body today who carry His heart in every circumstance and they will see those whom they have discipled rise in greater authority in this season.

The LORD has asked me to do a teaching on condemnation and judging our brothers and sisters from a purely biblical standard. This teaching is for all believers and is very important as UNITY is going to be stressed and emphasized very often in this new era.

Judging and condemning our brothers and sisters is a divisive force which separates what God has joined together.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one LORD, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all,” Ephesians 4:2-6 (NIV).

The LORD led me to a passage in Acts where Peter shared something that Jesus taught them after his resurrection. Peter was an Apostle so this scripture is important for leaders today and others in the body because we are all leaders at some point in our walk.

The scripture also confirms the change of the old covenant where judges presided over the people to the new covenant where there is only one judge:

“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead,” Acts 10:42 (NIV).

Notice that they were commanded to preach and also to testify that Jesus Himself was appointed by the Father as judge.

Has anyone else been appointed as judge by the Father besides Jesus Christ?

I was then led to a passage written by Paul who we know was also an Apostle and operating by the Spirit of God:

“Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the LORD is able to make them stand,” Romans 14:4 (NIV).

And again:

“You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat,” Romans 14:10 (NIV).

And again:

“I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the LORD who judges me. Therefore judge NOTHING before the appointed time; wait until the LORD comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God,” 1 Corinthians 4:3-5 (NIV).

And again in Hebrews:

“….You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel,” Hebrews 12:23-24 (NIV).

And again James says:

“Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you — who are you to judge your neighbor?” James 4:11-12 (NIV).

And of course, the words of Christ were spoken very clearly:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye,” Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV).

When we judge others we bring judgement upon ourselves. So many in the body are suffering because of the amount of condemnation and judgements that flow out of their lips. They are eating the fruit of death because life and death is in the power of the tongue.

God is the ONLY judge and we are not given any right to judge our fellow brothers and sisters. When we get this and repent of our failings in this area and ask God to help us to not condemn others we will experience a major victory in our walk because our words will be conformed to that which brings life and not death.

There is a scripture that many use today to give themselves permission to judge others and it is something the LORD brought to my mind:

“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly,” John 7:24 (NIV).

The KJV versions says it like this:

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

If we look at the verses before Jesus made this statement we get proper context:

“Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly,”“ John 7:21-24 (NIV)

When Jesus spoke about judging righteously or correctly He was not talking about a person or even a person’s sin. He was talking about circumstances and situations that require a fair and just assessment.

The Pharisees circumcised on the Sabbath but they came down heavily on Him when he healed on the Sabbath. This was an unfair or unjust assessment of the situation, they did not judge correctly. Jesus was using wisdom to refute them. That is what it means to judge righteously.

This scripture in John 7:24 does not give anyone the right to judge their brother or sister.

“…The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Galatians 5:6 (NIV).

 

~ Ashley Hutheram

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Ashley Hutheram – a son of God in Christ Jesus.

 

 

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