We have all heard it either from ourselves or someone else. "I can't believe so and so did this! It makes me angry they did this! It's so wrong!" Switch it to a perspective of a believer, "So and so is (sinning fill in the blank)! It's so wrong! If they don't change their ways they are going to..." Okay, so you get the picture.

Now, I can't stop every single person, believer or not, to lighten up on their perspective. But, as a believer myself, there has been a few ideas this past week on what my next blog is and this topic kept coming up in a few different ways. The main issue is that many believers have misconstrued ideas that are not supported nor biblically correct. Again, notice the word "many". I've written about this and will probably dive deeper into this one day but the scripture talking about many take the broad way and few find the narrow path....many also refers to believers. Luke 13:24-30 and Matthew 7:21-24

Verse 24 says this, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able." If you take anything out of this remember many also includes believers. May we strive to be the few and the chosen, not for the sake of heaven but for the sake of God's glory! 

Now, the main topic of this blog. Focusing on sin. This has always been an issue with Christians and the human race. But as believers we are to set ourselves apart. I am always shocked when I hear fellow Christians discuss how they haven't verbally attacked anyone personally and yet people downgrade them and their beliefs etc. First off, as a believer it is WONDERFUL you haven't verbally attacked anyone or have been hypocritical because it's very easy to do this as a believer, which being hypocritical and slandering others isn't right and will be talked about soon. However, as believers....um....well Jesus said it best, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you." I suggest also reading more of John 14:18-25.

We, as believers, WILL BE PERSECUTED, WILL BE HATED, WILL BE ATTACKED. May we be the believers who are such without cause just like Jesus (John 14:25).  We know all too well the folly of fellow believers as well as the breaking away of the Church. I say "Church" to represent the human church of all churches and doctrines. My dear friend know that there is a much difference between RELIGION and RELATIONSHIP!

Religion focuses on the "correct" way as taught by other humans. Humans that take God's word and uses it against others to do what they want.  This causes wars, rebellions, and excuses pulled out of twisted turnings of scripture that make the judgement, condemnation, slandering, persecuting, killing, of HUMANS BY HUMANS justifiable in their eyes! Perfect example, is those of CURRENT faith still using the Old Testament's laws that ARE FULFILLED to stone others.  And all the more, using the Lord God as a crutch. God forgive us! 

It is the same pain and hurt that our fellow believers, those who truly believed they were doing the work of God, that have caused others to view Christianity as a faith of hatred. And before you and myself pick up stones of bitterness, anger, and self pity understand how justified they are for feeling this way! Jesus, had this same very issue with the ones in charge of the laws of the word of God. He came to set the captives free (Luke 4:18). Humans are not meant to replace the position of the Almighty God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Humans are only meant to follow the Lord as their teacher and that by following Him they will become more like Him so that they too may be more Christ like. (Matthew 10:24-25)

By doing this, in becoming more Christ like, we see that we cannot focus on the sins of others. It is not our business and we will be judged as we judge others. We will also be forgiven as we forgive. (Matthew 7:01-06 and Luke 6:37-42) In order to become more Christ like, we need to follow Him. And by following Him we will notice in the scriptures that aside from taking the time to talk about the end of times, He mainly focused on humility, love, faith, and above all a relationship with Him because He is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through the Son. (John 14:06) We cannot grow in humility, love and faith if we do not have a proper relationship with Him. 

In saying this, it's like a reverse summary of what we aren't suppose to do as believers. True believers of Christ will not focus on the sins of others rather focus on their relationship and their personal sins. True believers will be attacked and persecuted without just cause from others. True believers will not be hypocrites and they will strive to reach out to mankind whether it's to a fellow believer or not.  Lastly, true believers will follow Christ and become Christ like. True believers are few. Matthew 21:14 "For many are called, but few are chosen." 

And now take it back to the original summary I started with. False believers of Christ will focus on the sins of others and believe themselves to be blameless and use excuses as justification. False believers will persecute and attack OTHERS through verbal or sometimes physical ways; and, without question, others will find just cause to be against these false believers thus the stigma applies to all believers. False believers will be hypocrites and they will strive to focus on their religion that attacks others. This will lead to them lifting themselves up and finding guidance in man through the praise of man. Lastly, false believers will not follow Christ (no matter what they may think) and become false prophets, Anti-Christs, and deceivers. False believers are many. Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, Lord Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord Lord have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." 

Last note, this is warning to all and myself. If you focus on the faults of others. If you lift yourselves up and are not humbled, it can lead you to missing one of the biggest points Jesus made. Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit, they are the ones who we aim for and we need to focus on ourselves and our relationship before we "take the plank out of our brother's eye" as scripture says.

He set the captives free so God will be glorified not so that the hatred and death of men by men will be glorified. The red in streets caused by men started by men (Abel's death by Cain) will not be glorified. The final, which is God's war, will end the bloodshed of men by His hand and it will be fulfilled. Only then, will death finally represent a new beginning. All things have come to pass and He will create anew. May we be there to see it.