When church people hurt you it can be a painful experience. Because the church is supposed to be a community of faith. The Bride of Christ. A spiritual hospital for sinners. And yet, the haven for spiritual recovery can also dish out the spiritual hurt. And when you’re the victim, you may feel angry, abandoned, and betrayed. Here are some thoughts to guide in your recovery.
When church people hurt you, don’t blame God
Whenever we suffer it’s natural to ask God why? Sometimes even blame him for it. But it’s not God’s fault when church people hurt you. Why? Because…
God gives us free will
Church people exercise free will like everyone else
Free will and the decisions we make are influenced by a sinful heart
That means when people exercise their freewill–even church people–their words and actions are sometimes harmful. God may have permitted it, but he didn’t cause it. Nor is it His will. So don’t blame him for something people are responsible for.
It’s also natural to direct anger toward the church. And to punish it by dropping out, which only makes Satan celebrate. However, your pain was likely caused by one or maybe a few people. Not EVERYONE at church. So don’t cut yourself off from those who want to support, encourage, and walk alongside you.
When church people hurt you, trust God’s faithfulness and promises
When you are hurting, turn towards God rather than away. You’ll find truth and comfort from his word and soothing encouragement from His Spirit through prayer. The more you seek Him, the more you discover His…
Also, don’t forget Jesus understands unjust treatment. But he endured it on our our behalf. That’s genuine love!
When church people hurt you, ask God for a spirit of forgiveness
Don’t wait for church people to apologize, but actively forgive them. If they are led by his Spirit, he will convict them, and they will seek reconciliation. But not everyone at church is led by the spirit. Some are not even true followers of Christ. So don’t count on everyone at church to act in a Christ-like manner. Even though they are supposed to.
Also, remember that forgiveness is not so much for the offender as it is for you. Yes, you may be an innocent victim of unfair treatment. But after a while, your pain turns into anger followed by a spirit of bitterness that takes root and grows. And that bitterness becomes your sin.
That’s why Jesus commands us to forgive. Because otherwise, the pain and hurt we carry eventually becomes a heavy chain of anger and bitterness that binds us. Forgiveness is the key that sets us free.
Even in the midst of a torturous death of crucifixion, Jesus forgave those who perpetrated evil against him. And he intervened for them to his Father.
Trust God and move forward by faith
Church people can inflict deep, serious wounds that may take a long time to heal. But God is the great physician. While those injuries may slow you down, keep moving forward. And don’t let your feelings guide you because they are unreliable. Especially when they are bruised and bleeding.
Instead, let God’s Word be your trusted guide and faith the engine that moves you forward. God will lead the way, make you stronger, and equip you to encourage and support another spiritual casualty.
When Jesus healed a paralyzed man is a story recorded in Mark 2:1-12. But it involved more than a miracle. Here are some lessons for us today.
When Jesus healed a paralyzed man he was impressed by the show of faith
In this passage Jesus taught a crowd of people in a home. It was so packed that when four men brought a paralyzed friend for Jesus to heal they couldn’t get through the front door. So they climbed to the roof, cut a hole in it, and let the man down on a bed. Impressed by their show of faith, Jesus told the man his sins were forgiven.
Religious leaders in the crowd were outraged. Who did Jesus think he was? Only God could forgive sin! Jesus knew their thoughts and acknowledged that merely saying, “your sins are forgiven” proved nothing. To make a claim was easy. Proving it something else. Like stamping a visible forgiveness halo over the man’s head.
Faith is what makes Christianity so hard for many people to accept. Because faith is intangible. It requires a personal decision of belief followed by an action. And without it, you will never please God.
So Jesus did something tangible and much more impressive than a visible forgiveness halo. He instructed the man, “rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” AND HE DID.
It visibly demonstrated Jesus’ divine power to heal and therefore, his authority to forgive sin. But faith is always our part to play.
When Jesus healed a paralyzed man he also healed his spiritual brokenness
The paralyzed man sought physical healing. But Jesus also healed his spiritual brokenness. The passage doesn’t identify the man’s sin but it must have been pressing because Jesus addressed it first.
Maybe bitterness in his heart because of his paralysis. He blamed God or someone else who caused it. Or perhaps something unrelated to his paralysis. The point is that sin in the heart takes many forms and paralyzes you as much as a physical handicap. Sins like…
Anger
Jealousy
Pride
Sexual immorality
Unforgiveness
To name just a few. They consume our thoughts and darken our hearts. Jesus recognized whatever it was in the paralyzed man’s life and released him from it.
And he does the same for us. Because sin holds you captive, damages relationships, and separates you from God. But the forgiveness through Jesus Christ heals your spiritual brokenness and sets you free.
When Jesus healed a paralyzed man some people still rejected him
You’d think in such a dramatic, miraculous healing that everyone present would believe in Jesus and follow him. But no. There are always people who reject Jesus, despite the evidence. And in this story, ironically, it was the religious leaders.
But people also reject Jesus today. Why? Maybe because you…
Think following Jesus involves too many rules
Want control
Have a lifestyle you won’t give up
Of course there are many other reasons too. Because to follow Jesus you must…
Recognize you’re spiritually broken
Make a decision based on faith
Commit your life to following Jesus
What the paralyzed man did was simple. He approached Jesus in an act of faith. The same is true for us today although it’s not a popular or easy life. But one with purpose, meaning, and spiritual freedom. Oh yeah. And the promise of a really cool life following this one.
Three ways God demonstrates you matter. Scripture tells us specifically in I Peter 5:6-7 that we matter to God.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (ESV, 1 Peter 6-7)
The Greek word for “cares” in V.7 is mĕlō, which means to be of interest to, to concern, it matters. In other words, you matter to God.
Why is this significant? Maybe because we sometimes push the importance of work ethic too far. And measure personal value by our level of productivity. I’ve encountered many people that retired and then struggled with a sense of purpose and self-worth. Probably because so much of their self-worth came from professional accomplishments.
However, God does not love us based on our performance. But on who we are. And who you are matters to him.
Here are three ways He also demonstrates it.
Three ways God demonstrates you matter. You are His unique creation
There are around eight billion people on earth. All with a strand of DNA–the blueprint that makes up who we are. And unless you are an identical twin, your genetic code is distinct from every other person on earth.
Cool science to know, but it’s not new. David made the same point thousands of years ago.
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (ESV, Psalm 139:13-14)
You are not a cosmic accident or a copy of anyone else. But rather, a uniquely formed and individually crafted masterpiece of God. He loves you for who you are, not what you can do.
Three ways God demonstrates you matter. He makes a provision for the sin that separates you from Him
Genesis records that when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit it was disobedience to God. Therefore, sin entered the world and spread like a cancer affecting the entire planet and population. Scripture says we are all guilty of sin and separated from God because of it.
This is where God could have called it wrap. Scrapped everything and started over from scratch. Instead, he made a provision to redeem us from sin.
God sent his son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for our sin. Through Jesus we are forgiven and restored in our relationship with God.
God is building you an eternal home
God’s desire is for us to live with him for eternity. It was the original plan and when sinned spoiled it, he sent Jesus as plan B. But you have to respond to Jesus. You have to intentionally ask and receive his forgiveness. And then follow him.
And the best part? God is preparing an eternal home for you.
God says you matter. He demonstrates you matter. And he’s looking forward to meeting you. But here’s the question: Are you ready to meet him?
What’s the mind of Christ? Because the apostle Paul claims to have it in 1 Corinthians 2:11-13. Do you? And if so, what does it mean? Here are some thoughts to consider.
Your perspective, attitudes, and behaviors originate and incubate in your mind. So the prevailing content there plays a major role on the actions that follow. The mind of Christ directs you towards actions that honor God.
What’s the mind of Christ? It’s the presence of God’s Spirit
For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. (ESV, 1 Corinthians 2:11-13)
The mind of Christ comes with the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christ-follower. He enters your life when you ask Jesus Christ to be Savior and Lord. The Spirit’s indwelling presence conforms your desires to imitate Christ and align your thoughts with God’s thoughts as revealed in His word. It begins by demonstrating the same attitude as Jesus.
The natural person lacks this presence because the Spirit responds by invitation only. And the natural person is further handicapped because understanding spiritual truth requires spiritual discernment. And God’s Spirit is the discernment interpreter.
What’s the mind of Christ? It’s a perspective that makes seeking the Kingdom of God a priority
Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you as well. (ESV. Matthew 6:33)
The Kingdom of God is an eternal game changer for those who seek it first. Because it replaces eternal uncertainty with confidence. Rather than face death with anxiety, you’re filled with hope of an everlasting joy. And the anticipation of a forever future that is better than here and now.
It involves an agenda of selfless service rather than selfish indulgence. A counter intuitive expression of God’s love. Because when you seek the Kingdom of God, you care about what God cares about. Seek to know and follow His will. And form your perspective by filtering the messages of this world through the lens of scripture.
It’s a mind on a purposeful, ongoing journey of transformation
Those with the mind of Christ focus on thoughts that honor God. They study God’s word and follow His precepts. But recognize that sinful failure is inevitable in this world, Fortunately, the mind of Christ is renewable. And is spiritually restored through confession and repentance.
It’s a purposeful journey of discipleship that starts and stops, rises and falls, advances and retreats. Fueled by faith and driven by trust and obedience. Always pursuing but never arriving in this life. A journey travelled with other disciples in community that forms itself in the image of Christ. Navigating all the struggles and difficulties this world presents. But pressing on with the promises and power of God.
Because God’s grace cannot be subverted. His mercy won’t be denied. And His Kingdom will prevail. FOREVER.
Jesus is the source of true freedom. Although America is a land of political freedom, it’s home to many forms of oppression. According to estimates:
15 million struggle with alcohol abuse
23 million struggle with a drug addiction.
40 million regularly visit porn sites
Plus there’s gambling, gaming, prescription drugs, sex trafficking and many other types of physical, emotional, and psychological bondage. But Jesus delivers us from it all.
Jesus is the source of true freedom. He delivers you from an oppressive lifestyle
Jesus sat by a well one day and when a Samaritan woman came to draw water in the afternoon, he asked her for a drink. Other women from the city did this chore together in the cool of morning. But she came alone in the heat of the day. Why? Jesus points out the reason during their conversation. A lifestyle choice that made her a social outcast.
There is probably more to the story because you get the impression that she is trapped by circumstances. But Jesus gains her attention with an offer of hope. If she knew who he was she would ask him for “living water.”
And his offer extends to us today. When you recognize Jesus for who he is and ask, he will satisfy your thirst for freedom from oppressive circumstances.
Jesus is the source of true freedom. He delivers you from mental, emotional, and psychological oppression
A man who was mentally tormented by demons presented himself to Jesus. Mentally deranged and incredibly strong, he was a danger to others and inflicted harm on himself. So he was homeless and ignored by society, left to fend for himself, and made his home among the tombs where he cut himself with sharp stones.
Someone must have told him about Jesus. Because in a moment of mental clarity, driven by hope, he runs to and falls at the feet of Jesus in an act of desperation. Jesus casts out the demons and the man regains a sound mind.
This is not to suggest that the mental illness we know today is all caused by demons. Or reject modern treatment methods that calls for medication and counseling. But it is to claim that the authority and power of God reigns supreme. He knows your heart, mind, and soul. And He is the absolute source of physical, mental, and spiritual wholeness.
Jesus delivers you from the oppression of sin
One day Jesus taught a crowd of people in a home. So crowded that four men who brought their paralyzed friend for Jesus to heal, cut a hole in the roof and let the man down on a bed. Amazed by their faith, Jesus healed the man. But first, he forgave his sins.
The religious leaders present were appalled by his declaration. Only God could forgive sin! But Jesus assured them he was God and could both heal the sick and forgive their sin. Which he did then and does now.
However, we must first recognize we’re sinners who are ruled by sin. Because sometimes we convince ourselves we’re really not so bad. But sin holds us captive and separates us from God. And we are only set free when we seek God’s forgiveness. Which he does with joy and celebration.
Jesus is the source of true freedom. He delivers you from eternal death
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he demonstrated God’s ultimate power over death itself. And he did so again when he rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion.
But life is more than physical existence on earth. It is also spiritual and eternal. And you experience the abundance of it through Jesus. It’s more than a religion or philosophy of life. It is a relationship with Jesus Christ.
When Jesus said, “then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free,” he was talking about HIMSELF!
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