We are in the 49 day season
between the Feasts of Passover and Shavuot, known as the "Counting of the
Omer." We expectantly await the 50th
day, which is the day commemorating the Giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai (Exodus
19) and Pentecost (Acts 2).
On the 33rd day, (known as "Lag
B'Omer"), there is a celebration in remembrance of the day when a plague
stopped. In the first century, Rabbi
Akiva had 24,000 students who died of a plague during this period of time. The Talmud tells us that his disciples died
because "they did not respect one another."
If we are going to become a
mature Church without spot or wrinkle, we need to learn to honor and respect
one another. The definition of respect
is "to honor and hold in esteem."
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but
in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
We are living in in a time when
God is manifesting His power and with that comes a corresponding amount of
judgment. If we dishonor and slander one
another, we open ourselves up to judgment and we could be disqualified in this
new season. We need to have the "fear of
the Lord" regarding this.
During a conference in Albany,
Oregon in 2002, Bob Jones had an encounter with a heavenly messenger. The messenger pointed out that ambition among
believers opens the door for suspicion; suspicion brings competition; and
competition breeds division. When
suspicion and competition are present, it will motivate leaders to discredit or
undermine other leaders they feel threatened by. This kind of spirit cannot exist in the
hearts of those to whom the Lord will release spiritual authority to and will
actually disqualify those who do not repent.
This messenger said that "unity
among the brethren" must become a reality if we want to see creative miracles. Years ago, Bob Jones said that the condition
for witnessing creative miracles was Psalms 15, which instructs us "not to cast
a slur on our fellow man."
Be Careful....
Christians must be careful not to
gossip or spread false reports. Recently,
a fellow believer forwarded me an email encouraging a boycott of
Starbucks. I was asked to forward the
email to others. The email alleged that
Starbucks had charged rescue workers $130 for water during the 911 crisis. The email reported that this story had been
verified by Snopes (an agency that investigates rumors to see if they are
true).
Since my son is a Starbucks store
manager, and I know that Starbucks has been known for their generosity and giving
back to the community, I questioned the facts in the email. I decided to read the investigative report on
Snopes. What I learned is that an
employee did charge the rescue workers for the water, but when management was
informed about what happened, they returned the $130. I learned that Starbucks later contributed a
million dollars to the 911 rescue effort!
Unfortunately, these facts were omitted from the email urging the
boycott.
This is a good example of how we
must not spread rumors and false reports.
Once the damage is done, it cannot be undone. Gossip and slander are serious offenses to
the Lord.
Proverbs 20:19 He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore
do not associate with a gossip.
Psalm 101:5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy;
The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure.
Practicing Matthew 18
If we have an offense towards
someone, or someone has sinned against us, we need to practice Matthew 18 and
go directly to that person, in a spirit of gentleness and humility, and try to
resolve the conflict and be reconciled.
If there is no repentance, then further steps should be taken as
outlined in Matthew 18.
If the offender repents, the
relationship should be restored. The
goal should always be to heal and restore the relationship and never to punish
the one who has hurt us.
Colossians 3:12-13 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance
against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
As we are approaching Lag B'Omer
on the 2012 calendar (May 10), the day we celebrate when the plague stopped,
let us remember the lesson of Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 students who died because
they did not respect one another.
Let's determine that we will
love, honor, and respect each other in spite of our differences. When we do, I believe we'll see the greatest
revival of all time and we will witness creative miracles.
Let's start a Love Revolution,
Kari Browning
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