Unconditional Love Will Bring Change

Unconditional Love Will Bring Change

This morning in conversation with my sister in law Donna, one of my dear friends and a fellow intercessor.The Holy Spirit began to drop somethings into my understanding. About where we are right now in this new place of spiritual adulthood that will bring in the kingdom harvest.

We as Christians are sent to the world to preach the gospel of good news!

Sinners don’t need us to tell them they are sinning. They need us to love them and though our example we lead them to an awakening truth in their own lives as to what if anything should change in their character or behavior.

Let me make it clear I am not saying that we deny that sin is sin. I am saying that the only sin I have any power over is my own! I don’t believe God put me here to write, preach or teach others that they are going to hell because of their behavior. We are here to point men to Jesus who came to reconcile the world back to God!

I do believe that our behavior or sin separates us from fellowship with God and with man. We self judge one another and out of that judgement real or imagined, the so called sinner justifies their continued behavior because the judgement of said Christian is harsh and conveniently void of love and self examination.

As Christians we like to say we are not perfect but forgiven. This is a true statement, but the world doesn’t understand that in that statement rests a greater or more clear truth. That truth is …it isn’t a sinless life that makes me perfect or complete in Christ, but it is the fact that I know and receive the truth that I am forgiven and God is not holding my past against me, now in my present. This truth is intended to mature us with the received free gifts of grace, mercy and peace of God that this truth brings.

This truth is intended to remind me that it is not my goodness or ability to refrain from sinning that makes God love me. It is the gift of God, through the shed blood of His only begotten son Jesus Christ! Maturity is not stepping up publicly to uncover another’s nakedness or sin, in an area they have not yet overcome.

I believe we will begin to see a return of preaching and teaching on being moral and holy. The difference in this season will be that those preaching and teaching will be broken and full of compassionate love! They will with great humility and brokenness tell their own life changing accounts of being caught in the intercourse of idolatrous religious relationships with anything that was not a one on one personal relationship with the Father. They will pour out their hearts with compassion and mercy as they realize and confess they too have had other God’s before the true and living God, while serving in the church.

They will with tears and brokenness share the reason that God has choose us to be holy is for our own protection! Not to brow beat the sinners into outward sainthood. Or to rip the inherent pleasure from the intimate sexual beings He created us to be.

Sexual immorality has become so common that Hollywood winks at theirs but wants to crucify the same behavior in those who profess to be Christians.

This present rash of exposing the abuse or sexual advances of men toward women in Hollywood is very sad. Most if not all of what is in the news took place many years ago. Not to diminish the wounds it has caused, nor the horror of it. This is heart wrenching. But sadly most of these women fail to look at the fact that their blind ambition kept them quiet. Yes, I know about the fear and the need to keep a job. But that poses this question in my mind. What job is worth allowing anyone male or female to violate my private space and body?

I can blame the abuser and he or she deserves to be punished. But I must take it a step further to be totally healed. I must except my lack of standing up and sounding the alarm in the moment. Ignorantly or innocently keeping quiet only allows the one who is using their power and position to enslave me, to accomplish just that. Enslavement.

My not reporting ignorantly uses my will, the most powerful force, in my opinion in the earth today, to allow the behavior to continue and to only increase in intensity. Most of these women are now successful in their chosen careers. Did they use these men to get further in their own desires to succeed? Only they know and only God knows the truth as to which ones really did take advantage.

I have NO JUDGEMENT for any offender. I do have the common sense to see when a law has been broken and a person violated. I have great compassion on both the victim and the perpetrator. Jesus left us a prime example as to how to handle this in John 8:3-11 with the woman caught in adultery.

John 8:3-5 (KJV Strong's) 3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 -- This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

Jesus was teaching in the temple equivalent to our church, in a public forum. I find it interesting that they brought her but not the man. Adultery is the act of sexual intercourse with a married person. It took both of them to make it adultery.

John 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 -- She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.(KJV Strong's)

I find Jesus body language interesting as well. He stooped down to write on the ground. When He spoke to them He faced them standing then returned to a lower physical position which showed His lack of fear of them as well as lowering Himself put Him in a position that was non threatening.

He stood and made the statement: vs

7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

Jesus with wisdom stated a fact. Which one of you has not sinned? Go ahead and throw the stone. They saw themselves and left! The first couple of verses in this chapter tell us that there were a group of people that had followed Him from the mount of Olives to the temple and He was teaching them. They too left because verse 10 says that it was just Jesus and the women! That is such a picture of the process of true repentance in us. It all comes down to me and Jesus! All the accuser and the observers were convicted and left. Even if they stay my progress toward repentance and wholeness is just between me and Jesus!

The only one present without sin and qualified to throw a stone was Jesus! His response was not to deny the sin of adultery. His response was a very powerful act of factual love. He didn’t address the sin, He addressed the sinner while she was in a state of utter shock and relief.

Jesus said in vs 10

10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 -- She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.(KJV Strong's)

The word condemn in verse 10-11 in the Strongs Concordance says:

g2632. κατακρίνω katakrinō; from 2596 and 2919; to judge against, i.e. sentence: — condemn, damn.

AV (19) - condemn 17, damn 2;

to give judgment against, to judge worthy of punishment to condemn by one's good example to render another's wickedness the more evident and censurable

She was brought to Jesus guilty, caught in a most vulnerable and embarrassing position. She was being addressed for her part in a public place. She knew the penalty of her act was stoning, even unto death. Can you imagine her relief and gratitude? She was at the mercy of a man writing in the dirt. Under the law she deserved stoning. Jesus was teaching a higher law, LOVE. He did not get in a political dispute of the law, He addressed a higher truth.

I heard Marilyn Hickey teach on this many years ago. She said she imagined Jesus writing the names of the men who had brought the women to Him. Those present that may have been guilty of adultery with her themselves. Or even the name of the man she had been caught with.The one the others had chosen to protect and wink at his sin.We don’t know what He wrote the scripture doesn’t say what he wrote in the dirt. It just says he wrote on the ground!

None of us are without sin! In this new spiritually adult maturing place we will be moved with the compassionate love of Jesus and deal with the broken hurting places of the lost by excepting them just as they are. Not winking at their sin, but realizing only Holy Spirit can convict through revelation of Gods love. That person has to choose which sins and moral weaknesses they will willingly put aside because of the power of Gods revealed love! Will we exemplify Jesus and not condemn but lovingly release them to self correct their behavior? Will the anointing and wisdom we use cause those around us in this public forum to leave one by one?

I have lived through a church generation that condemned and shamed! Teaching that you are going to hell for any and all sins. Demanding that public repentance be repeated each time you fell away! Demanding an answering to men above the compassion and mercy on the one who was caught in a sin. The scripture teaches that if we fall into sin after receiving Jesus, confession of our sin is what Jesus needs to cleanse us from all unrighteousness! This confession isn’t to men but to God the one who we have separated ourselves from by our consciousness of our sin. He casts no stones, even though He knows all the details and facts and still says to us “ neither do I condemn you go and sin no more!”

I have also experienced this love of Jesus that covered a multitude of my sins as I began walking in truth revealed by Holy Spirit. God forgives and forgets. I can receive forgiveness but never want to forget that I too have been caught in sin and His love has set me free to choose to go and sin no more! Love does not deny the sin!

Love covers your emotional self as you find the place of repentance and turnaround! Love covers our drunken nakedness until we can sober up and with clear understanding rectify our sins and indiscretions in our own minds and hearts.

My prayer is Lord saturate me with an all consuming love for You and open my eyes to see through your eyes of compassion and forgiveness! Let me see others as You, Jesus saw the woman caught in adultery and fill my mouth with words of wisdom that will speak to her guilty accusers as well as just releasing her to go and choose not to sin anymore!

Yes I want to live in His mercy... mercy is what we get when we are guilty... showing mercy is what we get to do for others... bringing them a right now personal experience with unconditional love in action!

Mercy sometimes looks like they got away with it! But mercy is the inward working of love that can produce a quicker permanent outward change! I believe all those present that day got a clear perspective of the Golden Rule; Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you. I believe we too can look at each circumstance in this life political, emotional, spiritual, or other wise and put ourselves in the position of the other party and from that higher position choose to put down our stones and just move along! When I defend the law of Moses, the scripture, political view of the day, or any other law than the law of Love without considering myself in that spot I just may be putting myself in line to be the next one stoned!

I believe our righteous indignation has been misdirected! We have directed our indignation at the offender when in fact Holy Spirit uncovered the event so we could war on their behalf with the enemy that was trying to devour them!

We are maturing into adults that will separate the sin from the person, love the person and let the Holy Spirit deal with the sin!

Even as I am rereading this for editing purposes. Holy Spirt is convicting me of this very thing in my own life.

Looking at the perceived shortcomings of my husband no matter what the facts are. He deserves to bring his own cluttered things to the Father without me as his guide, time keeper or audience. The scripture says to confess your faults one to another that you may be healed. This scripture doesn’t say that I can look at my husbands faults and bring them up to him and he will be healed. This scripture is a great principle that allows a safe place for us to choose who, how and when we release the emotional details and memories of an event. It allows for us to empty out the files of offense and be set free from the clutter of our hoarded past.

Matthew 7:1-5 (KJV Strong's) 1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

Matthew 7:1 (Passion Translation NtT) 1 “Refuse to be a critic full of bias toward others, and judgment will not be passed on you. 2 For you’ll be judged by the same standard that you’ve used to judge others. The measurement you use on them will be used on you. 3 Why would you focus on the flaw in someone else’s life and yet fail to notice the glaring flaws of your own? 4 How could you say to your friend, ‘Let me show you where you’re wrong,’ when you’re guilty of even more? 5 You’re being hypercritical and a hypocrite! First acknowledge your own ‘blind spots’ and deal with them, and then you’ll be capable of dealing with the ‘blind spot’ of your friend.

I believe as we practice the spiritual principles of judge not, lest we be judged. We will see not only a joyous life unfolding, but the richness of grace exploding in our lives! I am not talking about a mental exercise here, but a God given Holy Ghost revealed truth!

The ability of God given as a gift to us that causes us to with compassion and empathy truly not judge another actions. Separating the truth of the act from my opinion as to why the person committed the act. Being willing to not deny the truth of the event, but to place ourselves in the position of the other person and not with pride declare I would never do that. But humbling ourselves enough to see that in some occasion in my own life I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God’s expected best for my own life.

We are maturing into adults that will embrace those around us with not just tolerance but with deep soul felt love and through this radical love the mental and emotional chains of self judgment will fall and many will be set totally free!

Us included! Yes, Lord, LET IT HAPPEN!