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May I judge?
by Alfonso Abels The main focus of our discussion is on judgments and discernments. To start with, the definition of the term judge is to form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence or to sit in judgment on something or to determine or pronounce after inquiring into a matter. The term discern can be defined as the perceiving or recognizing something. It is also to distinguish (someone or something) with difficulty either by sight or with the other senses. It is important to check the definitions as it will help to understand our topic. We first need to underline the fact that there are indeed advantages and dangers to the term judge. Being judgmental can in certain cases save you lots of money and even save your life. We, upon continuing, are led to the meeting, and the result of it, between Philip and Nathanael. John 1: 43 52. This meeting eventually led to Nathanael having a extraordinary meeting with Jesus. Philip was from Bethsaida, in Galilee, of which Andrew and Peter also came. Jesus, during one of His many journeys, went to this province to seek Philip, found him and instructed him (Philip) to follow Him. Philip, who obeyed Jesus, later met Nathanael and shared his experience with him. The doubtful Nathanael asked Philip whether anything good can come out of Nazareth. Philip replied:" Come and see" whereupon Nathanael, out of curiosity, joined the journey to meet Jesus. It was later found to be that some people thought that Jesus came from Bethlehem. John 7:40, 42. Jesus, upon seeing Nathanael, stated: "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile."Nathanael was astonished and asked Jesus how He knew him.'Joh 1:48: Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.' Nathanael, upon this answer from Jesus, acknowledged that Jesus is truly the Son of God. Jesus` answered: Joh 1:51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. One must, however, be symphatic towards Nathanael as he lived in an era where the province of Galilee was not widely respected. Galileans were seen as people that were not to be trusted and uncultured. They were seen and accepted as foreigners in other regions. Galileans were not enthusiastic in their observance of scribal rules which was quite a problem to Jews from other regions. A Galilean religious teacher could expect stormy weathers in Jerusalem. Galileans, regarding their language usage, were often made fun of by the Judean Jews. The Galileans had a funny accent. This accent betrayed Peter when Jesus was put to trial. However, Galilee`s grounds were quite fertile resulting in the province`s prosperous citizens. Jesus and his disciples were not easily accepted as a group who was on a mission of salvation. People queried:' How can the Messiah of Israel come from Galilee?' The bottom-line of these conversations is that one should not be quick to judge. Nathanael was caught off guard by this anointed experience by means of his conversation with Jesus. He eventually had no choice, but to follow Jesus. However, Nathanael won the conversation in a small way by having his curiosity satisfied. In his case, it was best to see instead of relying on gossip or any other verbal report. If he had depended on any verbal report, he would have missed this unforgettable meeting with Jesus. Both Jesus and Nathanael received what they longed for. Jesus wanted a disciple and Nathanael wanted his curiosity satisfied. Nathanael changed his perception about Galileans and now saw them from a different viewpoint. It resulted in Nathanael deciding to follow the Man from Galilee. This discussion proves that our or other people`s external bodies ought not to be taken as the ultimate presentation. Too many people have been misled by these unfortunate appearances. Is it not that Satan presents himself in this manner? Therefore it is important that we possess, or long too have one, a spirit of discernment. This spirit will enable us to discern when an evil spirit is present. Sometimes we judge too quickly, and do not realize that someone just is present. This may include an angel or man or woman of God. The absence of a spirit of discernment plays a vital role regarding this matter. The importance of this spirit of discernment is thus vital important. If we had this spirit, we would have identified the presence of Satan and his demons, with what they were busy, and, maybe their goals. I know of a case where a congregation was busy worshipping the Lord at a Sunday morning service. Everybody was welcomed into the presence of the Almighty. Everything went well. Things suddenly changed when a guest was given the opportunity to testify what the Lord has recently done for him. His speech alerted the seniors of the church that Satan has slipped cunningly into the building. The visitor was kindly escorted from the premises as it was found that he was a Satanist. The question I raised at that moment in time was:" Where were the spirits of discernment?" "How was it possible that almost 200 worshippers could not sense the satanic presence?"In this case it would have benefited the congregation to be judgmental. As minister of the Word, I had numerous experiences where I was judged and even undermined. I was, of course, many times upset, but started to realize that I could draw advantage out of the whole process. What is or was the benefit to me? People are often skeptical when a stranger arrives on the scene. Some people will discern you and give the go ahead to the church council to allow me to minister. This discernment helps me in keeping my standard of holiness at a par. I was, a few years ago, invited to minister at a church service in Westbank, Kuils River. Our small group that attended consisted of me, my wife and another sister in the Lord. We arrived at the location and took our seats more to the back. There were members of the local congregation seated. Normally I take a seat at the back until I am invited to take up a seat in the front among the clergy. After a few minutes, a sister approached us and, very rude, requested that we sit right at the back. The seats that we were occupying were reserved for the members of the congregation. She was not aware who we were. I did not intend to inform her. We gladly moved to where she wanted us to sit. The service started and we were invited to take our seats at the front. The congregation was informed that I was the guest speaker. The sister who so rudely moved us to the back got the shock of her life. She could not ask us enough to forgive her. Moral of the story: Be wary to judge, it might just be angel, sent by the Lord, you are wrongly addressing or judging. The reason why we used both term was that they both relate to the order of judging someone or something. Remember, the decision to judge will eventually be your prerogative. Alfonso lives in Mamre, South Africa and is married to Jean. Both are born - again Christians. Alfonso is a full - time minister of the Word and author of Christian materials. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |