October 31, 2011 – Guilty Without Action
58 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him, and the witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. – Acts 7:58 AMP
The apostle Paul attended the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Although Paul never touched a stone in this event, it can be widely agreed upon that he can also be counted with Stephen’s murderers. He was guilty because he did absolutely nothing to stop this event. We even find out later in Acts Chapter Twenty-Two from Paul himself that at the time he approved of Stephen’s stoning.
Have you ever found yourself in Paul’s shoes? Okay, so maybe you didn’t actively or even passively participate in stoning someone to death. But have you ever found yourself passing judgment on someone simply because those in your social circle have done so? I will admit that Paul had weighed all the evidence and that he was a very zealous Pharisee. He thought in his heart that he was doing the right thing. When you have passed judgment can you say the same thing, or will you confess that you allowed your surroundings to influence your decision?
For example, let’s suppose that you have a close circle of friends, and one of them is addicted to alcohol. All of you, including the alcoholic, continually make jokes about his addiction. Then one day the alcoholic friend tells you privately that he is going to begin seeking help for his alcoholism. A few days later you and your friends are all together, but your alcoholic friend is absent. But that doesn’t keep the jokes from flying, and you even chime in with a few of your own. You know his situation, but that doesn’t keep you from defending your mutual friend in front your peers. You squandered an excellent opportunity to stand up for your friend, when no one else would, and you allowed your environment to influence your actions.
I can honestly say that I have been very judgmental over the years. Even as a child I would point my fingers at adults whom I thought were being overly critical of me. Then my high school chemistry teacher told me something I will never forget: “Be careful not to point your finger at someone because you have three more pointing back at yourself.” I have carried that with me for years, but it wasn’t until I came to a close personal relationship with Christ that I really tried to walk it out.
But there’s another whole dimension to passing judgment than pointing fingers. Look at Paul. Paul never touched a stone. How many times have you sat by without interest and not done anything when people judge others? You are passive, and in your passivity you are equally as responsible as those who are actively participating, especially if you have information that would provide a contrary opinion. Such situations occur across the board, whether it is a Christian or non-Christian, in the world or at church. Even though silence in either area is ungodly, it is especially destructive in churches. You must choose to not listen to a co-worker tell an inappropriate joke. You have to make the decision to confront church leadership when there is false doctrine from the pulpit. And you also, must make a choice to confront illegal or immoral behavior anywhere it rears its ugly head. The old saying “silence is golden” carries a lot of weight in one sense, but when Christians use it as an excuse to not stand up for what is right, it creates a huge problem.
Christians don’t stand up for the right thing many times out of fear. There’s the fear of rejection, fear of being wrong, and in extreme circumstances, the fear of losing your life. Listen to what Paul said near the end of his life.
7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit of power and calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. – 2 Timothy 1:7 AMP
Since God did not give Christians a spirit of fear, but gave us a sound mind, why then are so many of us afraid? Let’s get real. There are some Christians who run around frightened with their tail between their legs every day. They are scared of offending someone. They are terrified of saying the wrong thing. And even when they know right from wrong they don’t stand up because they are afraid others will think that they are putting on airs. When Christians do such things, they are playing their life straight into the hands of the devil.
Letting God lead us is the only way to have victory in this or any other area of our lives. When God leads, there is no need to be afraid. Once we begin to follow Him we are never led astray. Then, if a circumstance arises and it comes time to stand up for what’s right there will never be any fear. And you can rest assured from that point on that you will never find yourself tending the coats or claiming you never picked up a stone.
58 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him, and the witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. – Acts 7:58 AMP
The apostle Paul attended the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Although Paul never touched a stone in this event, it can be widely agreed upon that he can also be counted with Stephen’s murderers. He was guilty because he did absolutely nothing to stop this event. We even find out later in Acts Chapter Twenty-Two from Paul himself that at the time he approved of Stephen’s stoning.
Have you ever found yourself in Paul’s shoes? Okay, so maybe you didn’t actively or even passively participate in stoning someone to death. But have you ever found yourself passing judgment on someone simply because those in your social circle have done so? I will admit that Paul had weighed all the evidence and that he was a very zealous Pharisee. He thought in his heart that he was doing the right thing. When you have passed judgment can you say the same thing, or will you confess that you allowed your surroundings to influence your decision?
For example, let’s suppose that you have a close circle of friends, and one of them is addicted to alcohol. All of you, including the alcoholic, continually make jokes about his addiction. Then one day the alcoholic friend tells you privately that he is going to begin seeking help for his alcoholism. A few days later you and your friends are all together, but your alcoholic friend is absent. But that doesn’t keep the jokes from flying, and you even chime in with a few of your own. You know his situation, but that doesn’t keep you from defending your mutual friend in front your peers. You squandered an excellent opportunity to stand up for your friend, when no one else would, and you allowed your environment to influence your actions.
I can honestly say that I have been very judgmental over the years. Even as a child I would point my fingers at adults whom I thought were being overly critical of me. Then my high school chemistry teacher told me something I will never forget: “Be careful not to point your finger at someone because you have three more pointing back at yourself.” I have carried that with me for years, but it wasn’t until I came to a close personal relationship with Christ that I really tried to walk it out.
But there’s another whole dimension to passing judgment than pointing fingers. Look at Paul. Paul never touched a stone. How many times have you sat by without interest and not done anything when people judge others? You are passive, and in your passivity you are equally as responsible as those who are actively participating, especially if you have information that would provide a contrary opinion. Such situations occur across the board, whether it is a Christian or non-Christian, in the world or at church. Even though silence in either area is ungodly, it is especially destructive in churches. You must choose to not listen to a co-worker tell an inappropriate joke. You have to make the decision to confront church leadership when there is false doctrine from the pulpit. And you also, must make a choice to confront illegal or immoral behavior anywhere it rears its ugly head. The old saying “silence is golden” carries a lot of weight in one sense, but when Christians use it as an excuse to not stand up for what is right, it creates a huge problem.
Christians don’t stand up for the right thing many times out of fear. There’s the fear of rejection, fear of being wrong, and in extreme circumstances, the fear of losing your life. Listen to what Paul said near the end of his life.
7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit of power and calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. – 2 Timothy 1:7 AMP
Since God did not give Christians a spirit of fear, but gave us a sound mind, why then are so many of us afraid? Let’s get real. There are some Christians who run around frightened with their tail between their legs every day. They are scared of offending someone. They are terrified of saying the wrong thing. And even when they know right from wrong they don’t stand up because they are afraid others will think that they are putting on airs. When Christians do such things, they are playing their life straight into the hands of the devil.
Letting God lead us is the only way to have victory in this or any other area of our lives. When God leads, there is no need to be afraid. Once we begin to follow Him we are never led astray. Then, if a circumstance arises and it comes time to stand up for what’s right there will never be any fear. And you can rest assured from that point on that you will never find yourself tending the coats or claiming you never picked up a stone.
RSS Feed
