BEWARE OF SUBTLE SNAKE BITES!
BEWARE OF SUBTLE SNAKE BITES!
Mary Ann Wray
"Then I heard a
loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and
the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of
our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been
hurled down." Revelation 12: 10
The enemy strives to create suspicion amongst the community
of faith which can lead to accusations based on half-truths, innuendos and
offenses. Why? He knows this creates dissension, disunity and slows the
momentum of what the Holy Spirit wants to do in a local church. Until Jesus
hurls the ACCUSER down forever, how do we as believers set by the Holy Spirit
within a caring community of faith deal with it? Here are a few basic
principles:
1. Follow Forgiveness 2. Choose to forget the offense as the
Father does 3. Take the lowly road of Humility and 4. Don't continue to talk
about the offense.
In matters of immorality involving elders we need to follow
the scriptures rather than spread gossip:
"Do not entertain
an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. But
those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the
others may take warning." 1 Timothy 5: 19-20.
Please note that this has to do with immorality-not a
difference of opinion, vision or methodology in ministry! We must understand
that it is the message that is holy; not the method. Each local church will
have a different flavor, so to speak, culture and ministration of services. It
is the message of the Gospel of Jesus that must remain pure and intact.
In matters where you sharply disagree with the vision/ Senior
Leadership of a local assembly or your vision undermines and/ or counteracts the
vision of the House, realize you are not called to a senior position in that place;
they are. Therefore, it’s best to leave peaceably and move on. My husband and I
had to do this several times in our 37 years of serving in leadership roles. We
can’t allow our difference of opinions and/or vision breed disunity in the Body
of Christ because of disagreements: especially if we come to a place where we become
stuck spiritually due to misuse and/ or abuse. What God has called us to be part
of is bigger than our personal views and opinions. We have learned that you must
make your personal opinions and vision take a 'lesser' seat by preferring the Senior Leader of the House
in the fear of the Lord. When/ if we come to a place where we can no longer
embrace the guidance of the Senior Visionary, we do the Body of Christ and the
Lord a service by moving on in grace (Acts 15: 2 & 39-41; Romans 12: 10)
rather than harboring bitterness, unforgiveness and offenses. Preferring the Senior
Leadership of a House is imperative if you are going to be part of a ministry
team of diverse personalities, giftings and callings.
“I charge
you before
God, and the Lord Jesus
Christ,
and the elect
angels, that
you observe
these things without
preferring one before another,
doing nothing by
partiality.” 1 Timothy 5:
21
Preferring (proēgeomai) here means to go before and show the
way, to go before and lead, to go before as a leader in showing deference one
to another. Humility allows us to submit to Senior Leader’s Vision when we are called
there by God after prayer, fasting and seeking His face. This takes a lot of grace
and meekness. By deferring to others we become examples that others will
follow. In a sense, we take the lead before others through our submission. We
can’t allow self-will, opinions, pride and our own spiritual giftings ‘override’ the Visionary of a work we are
called to support and be part of. Even the Apostle Paul struggled with this in
his ministry. Barnabas, who was a fellow laborer with Paul disagreed with him
on the matter of who Paul should take with him on a particular ministry
assignment and left his company altogether. Barnabas took Mark with him against
Paul’s counsel and went a completely different way. No doubt, this was something
that disturbed and hurt the Apostle Paul, but he moved on and did not become
bitter. He allowed the grace of God to overrule his feelings. As a result he
continued on in his ministry unhindered in the grace of God and strengthened
the Body of Christ.
"Some time later
Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns
where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas
wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it
wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not
continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they
parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas
and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through
Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.” Acts 15: 36-41
Everyone who walks the path of discipleship gets offended; everyone
experiences rejection at some time or another; everyone has opinions and
feelings and those we lead will not always agree with us. However, JESUS IS,
WAS and always WILL BE our example of how to deal with these things. Rehearsing
the offense over and over in your mind, through your mouth, on Social Media,
from the pulpit etc. only feeds the offense and causes more venom to spread. We
are commanded to put on the New Man in Christ. If we focus on Christ’s Mission
in and through us continually, our flesh, feelings and pride will take a lower
seat to Christ’s Lordship in our hearts.
In Acts 28: 5 we see another scenario involving the Apostle Paul.
After landing on the Island of Melita in one of his missionary journeys, Paul
encountered a different kind of viper that jumped out of the fire onto his hand!
Interestingly, the name Melita means 'honey'. You see, we can be in a pleasant
place in God (walking in the path of obedience) while the enemy seeks to inject
us with the venom of bitterness. We MUST shake it off! Maturity mandates
meekness (self-control under extreme pressure and opposition) and the wisdom
from above. Paul could have become fearful, shocked and overcome by this attack,
but he was mature and wise enough to shake it off! We as disciples and leaders
in God’s Kingdom must learn to shake things off emotionally and keep moving
forward with the vision of God!
Bitterness is the worse venom of all. Its root not only
infects us but it spreads like poison and affects others nearby causing defilement
in the House of God, families, social media, and even in the work place. Like
Esau, a root of bitterness and unforgiveness will make you say and do things
that you will later regret! You can get caught in a web of blame and shame! In
this New Year of 2015, let’s resolve ourselves to walk in humility, meekness
and wisdom and shake off every attempt of the accuser to bite us with the venom
of bitterness, pride and unforgiveness!
“Make every effort to
live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see
the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no
bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is
sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his
inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to
inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with
tears, he could not change what he had done.” Hebrews 12: 14-17
"Who is wise and
understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the
meekness of wisdom." James 3: 13
"You were taught,
with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is
being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of
your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:22-24
"Put to death,
therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality,
impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these,
the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you
once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these:
anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to
each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have
put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its
Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised,
barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
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