Remorse
Posted by Tom Lessing on February 14, 2010
Is Stephan Joubert beginning to show signs of remorse for the unbiblical things he has said in the past? In one of his more recent contributions on e-church’s website he makes the following heartfelt plea.
You’re only as good as your last move on the chess board of life.
Rugby players are assessed on Mondays based on their game the previous Saturday. Preachers are evaluated based on their last sermon. A writer’s most-recent book determines his success. Ditto for an actor’s performance in his latest movie. This is not the way things should be. . . .
We can’t live with such short-term memories when it comes to the integrity of others. We shouldn’t dare write each other off or move each other aside based on something that didn’t impress us. The Lord’s love causes us to always start over and afresh with each other. We should believe and expect the best of each other as 1 Corinthians 13 teaches.
God expects us not to live with a judgmental attitude. That’s not on. We are called not to judge, but to accept, to write off mistakes, and to love. (emphasis added).
Is it true that preachers are evaluated by their last sermons only and are Christians commanded to love them in spite of their last sermons? Well, of course Jesus Christ expects Christians to love them but how should Christians apply their love? For example, how should they employ their love in circumstances where doctrinal error as opposed to personality errors or character deficiencies are at stake? Personality faults or character inconsistencies (which, incidentally, we all suffer from) are not necessarily dangerous in the sense that it misleads others onto paths that lead them away from God. Allow me to explain my gist with two passages in Scripture where love is the main subject but the application thereof is quite different.
Brother Peter said:
“And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
Voila! How can you argue with that? We are commanded to love one another in spite of our individual imperfections, faults and “little” idiosyncrasies. We all have these “little” bugs bugging us all day long, nibbling at us and chipping away at our characters. Let’s hone into one of these “little” idiosyncrasies – GOSSIP. Gossip-mongering or rumour-mongering or scandal-mongering are some of the most destructive character bashing abuses there are. In many cases gossip is not based on facts but lies and these lies usually spread like wildfire. A very pious and god-fearing preacher was once forced into a very awkward and difficult situation when a young woman placed her illegitimate baby on his doorstep with a note pleading with him to look after and rear her son. The first thought that sprung to his mind was “What will others and especially my flock say?” Nonetheless, God clearly convinced him that he should take care of the child. You don’t need to be a rocket science to know what happened then. The gossip-mongers spread the news that God’s messenger had an illegitimate child with one of the prostitutes in his community. You see, this man preached the Gospel to women in a neighbourhood of ill-repute. Despite the rejection, heinous character abuses, loneliness and the lies this man suffered, he forgave those who spread their malicious lies and chose to cover their multitude of sins with his godly love. However, it is necessary to remind ourselves that the “covering up of sins” was only in respect of the man who chose to forgive them and not in respect of God against Whom we all sin (Psalm 51:4). Their sins were not covered up as far as God was concerned. He is going to judge them unless they repent of their sins of gossip-mongering and lies and ask his forgiveness. God says: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:19).
We observe the same principle of “hiding a multitude of sins” in James 5:20 but here it is adjoined to a more profound and serious admonishment, i.e. to be converted from a path of error and a path from death to life.
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins (James 5:19 & 20).
The above quoted verse from Scripture seems to be a more solemn and stern warning than the one in Peter’s first letter because it involves the conversion of persons who initially travelled the path of truth but strayed onto a road of error and death (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). Here again you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that the putting into practice of love in this instance is not to judge the individual per se but his or her waywardness and apostasy from the truth. What does Proverbs (Stephan Joubert’s favourite Bible book) say? “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are lavish and deceitful.” (Proverbs 27:6) and “Poverty and shame come to him who refuses instruction and correction, but he who heeds reproof is honoured.” (Proverbs 13:18) and again “A truthful witness saves lives, but a deceitful witness speaks lies [and endangers lives].” (Proverbs 14:25). To remain silent in the face of all the lies that are disseminated in our churches is nothing else but the endangerment of other peoples’ lives. What kind of love are we talking about when you see your fellowmen being led astray on paths that lead to destruction and you do nothing? No! they say, true love is to know that we are not called to judge, but to accept, to write off mistakes, and to love. Nobody can argue with these winged words, especially when the repainted Bible of the Emergent Church makes it so clear in the book of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 3:18 and 19 (The re-imagined and repainted version of the Bible) When I say to the wicked, You will surely die, you shall not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live because I have not appointed you to judge anyone’s spiritual journey or path. All I want you to do is to love them to death and to write off their insignificant mistakes (such as to mislead others away from the Truth). Those who lead others astray and the ones who are being led astray will not die in their iniquity and I will not require their blood from your hand. And yet, I will require the blood of those whom I have lovingly and compassionately allowed to follow their own hallowed spiritual paths (Remember! Everything is holy and there is no such thing as being in or out) from the hands of the fundamentalists who are forever judging others. Their egoic selves are so cluttered up, so intensely polluted and poisoned by the judgemental gene (a.k.a. my revered and honoured Christ-follower, Ron Martoia) they inherited from Adam and Eve, that they can do nothing else but judge, judge, judge. These poor wretched creatures think that they are doing others a big favour and by doing so that they are delivering themselves from my righteous judgments.
One of the most devastating lies ever to proceed from the mouth of a mortal sinner was “I know not: Am I my brother‘s keeper?” We all know that Cain said this to God after he had bludgeoned his brother, Abel, to death and God asked him: “Where is Abel thy brother?” Multitudes are being bludgeoned to death by Satan and his lies as well as those whom the Bible calls “deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:13). Do they really believe that, while the bludgeoning to death of millions continues unabated throughout the world, Christians should shrug their shoulders and ask: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Is this the kind of love they expect Christians to carry in their hearts? That is not wisdom and love that come from above but a devilish kind of wisdom and love.
God never gave us the mandate to judge persons. That’s God’s prerogative. However, we are commanded to judge (evaluate, inspect, discern) all things, especially the things men say in regard to religion and spirituality on public platforms and the church. In fact, God respects a Christian who judges all things.
2 Corinthians 2:14-15 But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated. But the spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him].
6 Responses to “Remorse”
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Amanda said
No. Die Raaisels van Jesus. Pêrels van Suurdeeg. 2010-03-07
Stephan preaches himself, the petrol attendant, his friend Dries, the homeless man and lays down the LAW LAW LAW to the Christian.
Who is this mysterious Jesus that you ‘bump’ against, that you walk with, who is in the petrol attendant? As far as I know, Stephan has never seen Jesus in the ‘religious types’, those whom Stephan is forever rebuking.
His Jesus ushers in the kingdom through ‘good deeds’, but knows nothing about the Good News of saving sinners from the righteous wrath of God by dying on the cross.
Other than abusing the Bible to make his point, how does the ‘good deeds’ that he preaches differ from what, for instance, the Dalai Lama or Maitreya preach?
Seriously, what IS this? I could not make head of tail of this ‘sermon’.
Thomas said
Dat ons vir Stephan Joubert en die ander moet bid, is nie onderhandelbaar nie. Daar’s egter een ding wat ons nie uit die oog moet verloor nie. Die dinge waarmee hulle hul besig hou (mistieke praktyke sooos “centering prayer,” meditasie en joga) stel hulle oop vir demoniese besetting en baie van hulle kom eers los van die misleding wanneer hulle bereid is om bevryding te ontvang daarvan in die Naam van Jesus Christus.
Petra said
Daar is GEEN twyfel daaraan nie dat ons moet stry, en kragtig, veral in gevalle soos hierdie waar die misleiding amper arrogant is!
Jammer dat my boodskap nie so oorgekom het nie. Ek het oor die naweek so te se alles op jou indeks-lys deurgelees …. baie respek vir jou woordkennis,integriteit en humor ontwikkel. Jy vat al die misleiding raak en gee die Waarheid deur. Ek kan net Ja en Amen daarop kan se.
Ek stap self ‘n pad van amper 2 al jaar met wroeging oor die Emergent-kerk en hul misleiding.Dan ook spesifiek met Stephan J omdat hy hoog aangeslaan word deur ons Suid Afikaners en hy hulle vertroue in hom uitbuit. Tradisie maak in Suid Afrika God se Woord tot niet(Mark 7:13). Daar word meer waarde geheg aan kennis en wysheid wat deur die wereldsisteem (universiteite) verkry word, as die wat deur die Heilige Gees verkry is….
Ek glo jou blog vervul ‘n baie belangrike rol. Behalwe dat jy Woordkennis het en die Waarheid kan uitlig,is jy ook belese in die alternatiewe godsdienste. Ek Joh 10:27 meer, en weet net baie goed as ek nie my Herder se stem hoor nie. Die mense wat egter nog in die vlees leef, (1 Kor 2:14) en nie die geestelike kan beoordeel nie, het jou blog nodig om te leer wat die waarheid is.
Ten spyte van dit alles, voel ek steeds geroepe om vir hom te bid. Hy mislei, want hy is mislei. Hy kan nie anders nie, want hy weet nie van beter nie. Dit is nie dat hy geen verantwoordelikheid het nie, maar in die posisie wat hy is, gaan hy baie moeilik op sy eie daar uitkom. Ek dink net God se genade kan hom bekeer van die pad wat hy op is.
Thomas said
Die opdrag bly nog steeds dat ons kragtig moet stry vir die Evangelie en en waarheid wat eenmaal aan ons oorgelewer is. (Judas 1:3)
Petra said
Die volgende is die derde paragraaf van Stephan J se “Your last move”
“Our last move is never the only move in the eyes of our friends and fellow-believers. It’s about a whole lifetime of integrity before God and others. Our whole lives tell our story instead of only one or two recent, foolish acts”
Sou dit ‘n teken van morele spyt wees op sy “leeftyd van integriteit” wat hy tot dusver voorgehou het, is dit wonderlik! Ons moet tog vrolik en bly wees, as ‘n broer van ons was dood was en weer lewendig geword het, verlore was en gevind is. En hy hoef nie weer ‘n hele leeftyd van nuwe integriteit te leef nie, al wat nodig is, is bekering tot lewe en vrug wat daarby pas. Ons weet dat kennis mens opgeblase maak, maar liefde stig. Wat daarvan dat ons in liefde vir hom bid dat God die sluier voor sy oe sal wegneem wat die evangelie vir hom bedek.
Intussen weet ons dat God hom gebruik as voorwerp van oneer. Wie is ons om teen God te stry as Hy met groot lankmoedigheid die voorwerpe van toorn wat vir die verderf toeberei is, verdra. Jesus het vele male gese: “sodat die skrif vervul kan word”.Ons is almal in afwagting om te sien wat die wereldgeskiedenis gaan oplewer. Maar ons moet ons nie laat mislei nie, voor dit die wonderlike dag van Jesus Christus se wederkoms kan wees, moet eers die afval kom en die mens van die sonde geopenbaar word. Die teenstander wat hom verhef bo al wat God genoem word sodat hy in die tempel van God sal sit en voorgee dat hy God is. Dit is nodig dat God se kerk gesuiwer word van die wat verlore gaan, omdat hulle die liefde tot die waarheid nie aangeneem het om gered te word nie. Hy lei soveel van die herder se skape weg omdat hulle nie Sy stem ken nie, maar ook dit is deel van die eindtyd profesiee. God het die onkruid saam met die koring laat groei en eers aan die einde in die oestyd kom die maaiers om die onkruid te verwyder. God het niks gemaak wat Hy nie gebruik nie, ook ‘n vals leraar is tot nut vir Sy koningkryk.
Amanda said
No.