How to handle criticism and correction.

Criticism and correction are two very hard things to receive.  Often we find ourselves on the defensive in either of these situations.  In fact some people fail to understand the difference between the two and do not know how to handle or respond to them.   It is on my heart today to share some of what God has taught me over the years on these issues.

The Critic ...  Often people in ministry especially seem to encounter this person.  They never seem to be happy with you, they find fault it seems in everything.  So often we tend to write such people off as those who just do not like or support us.  We describe them as difficult, complainers, antagonistic and negative.  They tend to be painted with a brush that places them in a camp of people who have no value to add and only cause problems or issues.   I am not going to say that there is no truth in any of that sentiment but I have come to realize that often people are mis-understood and the more they are mis-understood and they feel that no one is listening to them, they fall into a pattern of trying to be heard.  Often this pattern comes across as very negative and harsh.  Sure there are some that truly are just against us for some reason but many people labeled that way I think are unjustly labeled because of our lack of dealing with things properly.

When we interact with someone perceived as the Critic, we need to take some time to hear them, even if they are upset and we think they are totally off base.  They need to be heard and we need to listen to them for the nuggets of Truth rooted in what they are saying.  Even if someone has poor delivery of the information, there may be some Truth to it.  So we are first to listen to them.

Second we are to ponder what they are saying and truly ask ourselves and God if this is true and if it is then how am I to respond and if it is not how am I to respond.  We must take some time and not respond in a reactive defensive way.  If there is even a small amount of Truth present in the message we have received we need to acknowledge that and express what we intend to do about it.  The portions of the message that we believe are not valid need to be exposed as such, but in as loving and gracious a way as possible.

Third we must pray for the person who has brought this forward, that God would give them proper insight, patience and grace for others and that they would seek to honor God and learn how to interact with others in a healthy way.

The Correcter ... When we receive correction it is important that we not confuse it with criticism.  Too often people feel threatened by even loving and gentle correction and respond poorly.  Biblical Correction is always to be done in love and with grace for the person being corrected.  It is to follow much prayer and study to ensure that the correction is given properly.  When we receive this type of correction we need to respond positively with repentance and a desire to move in a fresh direction.  If you believe that the correction is not based on Truth and is incorrect then you must not get upset and defensive but rather you must expose any lies or mis-representations and proclaim Truth in return with grace and love for the other person.  Make sure you are walking in humility to receive correction properly, or we can sometimes place ourselves in a sinful prideful state by setting out our arguments of defense and winning over our corrector to see our side even if we are in the wrong.  Correction can come not because of our lack of Truth or Logic but because we may have a delivery that causes hurt or division with others.  So we must be even more receptive to correction in a healthy way so we can grow and not continue to hurt others.

Just like criticism can be unfounded so can correction, but both need to be dealt with properly.  I know this blog is not exhaustive on these matters and I do not consider myself an expert.  Rather I have had to learn a lot of these things the hard way, because I was critical, because I was prideful and did not receive correction well.  God can work in your life as He has in mine and crush a heart of stone and replace it with a heart of tender flesh.  

Keep short accounts with each other and walk in love.  Extend forgiveness for the wrongs done and the hurts caused.  If God has saved you and your accuser as well, then the same Spirit resides in you both and is grieved when we fail to show humility, grace and love toward one another.

Let us walk together

Pastor Bruce

Courage and Corruption

Today's sermon will come from John 2:13-25, and the theme is going to be "corruption".   It can be a challenging topic.  Often we apply this word to those in positions of power, sayings like "power corrupts & absolute power corrupts absolutely", are common in our modern culture.  Yet I believe the Truth is far closer to home and far deeper in perspective.

Corruption starts with our sinful selfish state.  Acts of sin are an outflow of our self centered nature we all receive as humans, passed on through our fathers because of the curse of the fall in Genesis.  This sin and its outcomes will cause corruption if it is left unchecked.  If no one brings correction and there is no repentance, the act of remorse and change from our sinful direction, then corruption will seep in.  Corruption will eventually take power and authority and much damage will be done.  Common examples we hear about have to do with money, lies and sex.  But corruption can often fly beneath the radar for a long time.

Lets consider that people often do not like change.  So instead of listening, praying and responding to God and the voice of the Holy Spirit.  They make decisions based on what is "normal" or what is comfortable or easy.  Yet if we are seeking to make decisions on our own, then we are sinning.  If we have allowed such sinful practices to take control then corruption has set in and we are headed for trouble.

Anytime we are allowing our sin nature to be in a position of control we are in danger of corrupt behavior and decision making.  Even things that seem harmless and acceptable can have deep consequences because we are not seeking to live under the Lordship of Christ.  I am not saying that this is easy to avoid.  It is hard.

We must be courageous, we must make the hard decisions to follow God and seek His voice, regardless of what "we want".  Our own selves should not be the barometer for our decision making.  Our likes, dislikes, emotions and traditions can not be trusted.  God can be trusted.  So please join with me in a stand to be courageous.  Let us be Honest about our fears, hopes, dreams, challenges, etc.. yet let us walk with Integrity, not allowing such things to have a hold on us.  May we be Transparent, not hiding our weakness and failures, but having a true spirit of humility so that God is glorified in us.

As we take on the path of courage, in following Jesus fully.  Part of the path is for us to show great amounts of grace to our brothers and sisters who are struggling with their own selfishness and weakness.  We are to walk with them and help them, not slaughter them like enemies.  Such a negative attitude is from our prideful selves, please do not hold up righteousness in order to damage your brothers and sisters.  True courage to follow Christ sets His glory first and follows the Biblical model for how we are to grow together.

Walk with humble courage!

Pastor Bruce

Passion for Life

What is given, often abused, taken for granted, not appreciated, taken from others, seen as a choice and expected to be easy but never is? the answer is LIFE. I have found that our world today does not have a healthy understanding of life. It is unfortunate that some of the views and expressions about life that are seen as "champions" of the cause are so very wrong. Many things we hear about life in our culture are based out of humanism. In a nutshell, humanism is a belief, a philosophy, where by humanity is highly valued, I would even say humanity is supreme. So often a lot of the positive life language we hear is actually coming from a humanistic belief. Statements like "you can do anything if you want to", "you deserve a break today", "take time for yourself", "if you put your mind to it and work hard you can achieve it", "be all that you can be", "good people are the answer to the world's problems", "if we work together we can achieve anything", "today will be what you make it to be" and many many more are all around us everyday. Often they have an element of truth to them and yet there is a deeper lie that is present.

The lie of humanism is one of achievement and perfection gained by people. It is based on a belief that people have unlimited potential and capability to be good. I have even heard countless pastors use humanistic phrases as the basis for their teaching, it can be difficult not to at times because of the wide spread use and acceptance in our culture. One of the worst is the concept of "free will", this short phrase is used time and time again by Christians and emphasized as being Biblical. Yet this is not found in the Bible, it is found in the teachings of humanism. People do not have freedom in their will, freedom is about the removal of boundaries. Our will is about our decisions and determination. The essence of this concept is that people have the freedom to choose to be who they want to be, to choose what they want to do, to move without limits, to think without measure. Unfortunately it is not True. The Bible teaches us that people are corrupt and sinful (Romans 3) and in our natural sinful state we are dead (Romans 5) and slaves to our own sinfulness (Romans 6). People are not "free", their wills are bound, bound by sin. Sure the obvious is also true that we are bound by the laws of nature, physics etc... But more important is our spiritual state, we do not have our own freedom to be good, to be righteous.

The Biblical view about life is more than a movement to stop abortion, though I think that is a good thing. It is about spiritual life.

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. - John 10:9-10 (ESV)

True life can be found only in a relationship with the one who grants us that life, Jesus. Jesus, God in the flesh, who came and paid the price for our sins. This Jesus that 3 days later rose from the grave and now sits in Heaven holding all authority to judge the living and the dead. This Jesus will give you true life. He will give you true freedom. All you have to do is recognize Him as God. Recognize your sinfulness and then repent of your sin, apologize to Him for your sinfulness and ask Him to forgive you of your sin and He will. Make Him the lord of your life and live for Him and not yourself. This is where we find the true life and freedom that we seek.

If you are a Christian then you are to live with a thriving passion for Life! Not in a save the environment, the whales, the poor, the sick, etc... kind of way. But instead a passion for helping people find the True Life in Jesus and then helping them to live that life. We should clean up the environment, because it is Gods and we are supposed to be caretakers of it. We should want to care for animals, God appointed us to be their caretakers as well. Biblical teaching calls for us to care for the sick and the needy, people were made by God and He instructs us on how to care for them. We are to make a difference in this world, but only out of the True Life that Jesus gives us. Those who are Spiritually dead need to experience Life more than anything else. This needs to be our priority, our passion.

May God be glorified in our lives today as we serve Him.

Pastor Bruce

Attitude

"but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as Holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect."

1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)

As I have been reading, praying and pondering this morning, I saw this verse come up as the verse of the day on Youversion.  What a great reminder not only to place the Holiness of Jesus in your hearts and minds.  But also for us to be growing in wisdom.

Wisdom is more than knowledge, it is knowledge applied and contained within an attitude of humility.  We are not to be prepared to make a defense with prideful war drums.  rather a defense with respect and a gentle spirit.  This passage is about how we respond to those who question us about the Hope we live with and express.  This Hope is found in Jesus and His completed work on the Cross.

So when a non-Christian inquires about what you believe, even if they are antagonistic we are not to join in that type of attitude.  Instead we are to gently and humbly present Truth.  This can be difficult but we should strive for it.

The bigger challenge for us I think is that we need to employ the same attitude within Christianity as well.  We need to grow and practice this with each other.  Often we as Christians have a tendency to be harsh with each other when we are questioned about something we believe.  Yet if we  are  to respond in this attitude of gentleness and respect to those who do not know Christ, then how should we respond to others that have Jesus as their Lord?  

We are to treat each other better than we treat non-believers.  We are to love one another with a humble heart as it honors God and is a testimony to others.  So I would ask you to take up this challenge with me.  Let's strive to treat one another with healthy respect and a gentle spirit.  Let's not be harsh with one another.  Let's stay away from attempts at humor at a brother or sister's expense.  Sure we will have differences and we want to laugh but let's not hurt each other in the process.

Remember that as a Christian Jesus resides in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.  The same Lord and Master for us all.  Let's not mis-treat His servants, His Children.

Let us walk together!

Pastor Bruce