We know that believers should pray for others, but should we limit our scope of prayers? The apostle Paul admonished the believers of Thessalonica to pray for him but also wanted those who served the Lord by his side included (1 Thessalonians 5:25). He admonished the believers in Ephesus to pray for all saints (Ephesians 6:18). Then, he instructed Timothy, the young preacher, to pray “For kings, and for all that are in authority” (1 Timothy 2:2). In verse one of the same chapter (1 Timothy 2:1), Paul gave Timothy a much broader scope when he said “that . . . supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks” should “be made for all men.” If believers fail to pray for others, who will take up the slack to pray for those in need?
Prayer is an important subject that has unfortunately been tainted by men’s traditions. Some teach that in order to truly pray, you must bow your head and close your eyes. Others have added that you must also kneel in order to pray properly. The problem with both of these practices is that the Bible does not demand either. In fact, in Bible times, prayer was often made by the lifting up of one’s hands (Psalm 141:2). In other Bible passages, we see that believers might both kneel and lift up their hands (1 Kings 8:54). The Bible also teaches that the bowing of the head was an act of worship (Genesis 24:26). What does all of this mean? The most important aspect of prayer is not the position of the body but the condition of the heart.
Most Christians have an incorrect concept of the meaning of the word praise. Perhaps one reason for this is the fact that some believers have labeled many charismatic tendencies as praise in order to justify their behaviour. Historically, the word was understood to have a connection to value or worth. Even today, people understand this connection when considering the word appraisal. In fact, many verses that deal with praise also include some statement of the Lord’s worth. 2 Samuel 22:4 says, “I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised.” One must declare the worth of the object of praise in order to praise someone or something. If an action fails to declare the personal value of a person or thing, it cannot rightly be considered praise.
Sometimes we forget that the first four letters of the word ministry spell out the word “mini.” Ministry is never about becoming popular or famous or lording over others. Ministry involves decreasing while allowing others to increase. Two of the greatest men of the Bible (Joshua and Elisha) got their start as ministers to their predecessors. Before Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan, he was the minister of Moses (Joshua 1:1). His ministry entailed submitting himself to the needs of the man of God. Elisha, another great leader, did not begin as the great prophet of God that performed miracles. He, instead, began as Elijah’s minister (1 Kings 19:19-21). His ministry included the “lofty task” of pouring water on the hands of Elijah. Far too many young men graduate Bible college with the intention of making a name for themselves rather than humbly serving a God who humbled Himself (Philippians 2:8).
God is love, but that does not mean that everything that people love is of God. Today’s verse warns believers not to love the world or the things that are in the world. God’s people are repeatedly admonished about this because believers are prone to love things and people contrary to the will of God. The Christian’s heroes are generally no different than the world's heroes. We have many Bible examples of men who loved those of whom God disapproved. Samson exemplified this in his love for Delilah (Judges 16:4). Amnon had an unrighteous love for his sister Tamar (2 Samuel 13:1). Solomon failed in this area by loving “many strange women” (1 Kings 11:1). Demas left the ministry because he “loved this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10). Unfortunately, the heart of a believer can be drawn to love things and people displeasing to the Lord. It is always important to consider the object of our love and refuse to make excuses when we know better.
The last few studies have sought to dispel the notion that the Bible condemns judging. Today’s verse is no exception. Notice that the verse begins with a coordinating conjunction. The word but indicates that our verse serves a continuation of the thought that preceded it. The previous verse refers to the natural man which is someone who does not know the Lord as Saviour. Because he is not saved, he cannot discern the things of God. Today’s passage states that the “spiritual [man] judgeth all things.” A spiritual man is not only a saved man but one who enjoys the peace of God and daily fellowship with God. The other scriptural designation for man (in addition to the natural man [unsaved], and spiritual man [saved and in good fellowship]) is the carnal man [saved, but not in good fellowship]. Since the carnal man lacks the proper fellowship with the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:1), he may discern but fails in the proper execution of that discernment. Those claiming that believers should not judge are simply foolish. In fact, a spiritual man will judge all things but do so only based upon righteous judgment (John 7:24).
Carnal Christians and those who do not know the Lord consider judging others as the greatest of sins. The opposite actually holds true. Believers fail when they refuse to judge “righteous judgment.” So often, men judge people and situations simply by what is seen or through an emotional response. Yet, this is completely contrary to the scriptural admonition to judge. Instead, we are to “judge righteous judgment.” How can this be consistently done? First and foremost, we need a righteous standard by which to compare all things. In John 12:48, we learn of that righteous standard when the Lord Jesus said that His words would judge men. The Bible is a perfect Book containing perfect laws and offers a perfect standard for making judgments. Therefore, all judgment should be based upon the infallible standards provided by God within His glorious word. We will never go wrong with judging according to God’s perfect standard.
The Devil works through flattery, but God works through truth. For this reason, the apostle Paul clearly articulated that he did not use words of flattery or operate with a motive of covetousness. God’s men were not assigned the task of pleasing others, rather they were assigned the task of preaching the unadulterated truth of God. Today, men of God are not called to say things that please men, but those things that please the Master who called them into the ministry. Using the pulpit to express flattery cheapens the authority of the preaching and clouds the minds of the hearers. In a day when seminary students are more schooled on the finer arts of secular humanism than biblical doctrines, the church desperately needs a remnant of men standing in the pulpits unapologetically preaching the truth.
Today's verse deals with a period of time prophesied to shortly come to pass called the time of Jacob's trouble. Fortunately, if you are born again by the grace of God, you will not be here during any part of this period (1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:9) when the Antichrist will have his way on this earth. Although Christians will be absent, we still remain responsible to study the word of God concerning this future time. In doing so, we learn from Daniel chapter 11 that the Antichrist will use flattery to obtain his kingdom. As a “vile” leader, he will come in peaceably and say nice things to other leaders in order to get them to agree to associate with him. Ultimately, he plans to take full control. Since we are told that the Antichrist of the future will use these methods, we should consider that the Devil likewise devours believers today using the same modus operandi.
If you have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are no longer appointed to God’s wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9); however, it helps to fully understand God’s hatred for sin. By understanding sin from God’s viewpoint, we can seek to emulate His love for righteousness while never abandoning His abhorrence of wickedness. In the days of king David, the Bible tells us that every man spoke vanity with his neighbour (Psalm 12:2). Men spoke with a double heart and with flattering lips (Psalm 12:2). They claimed that their lips were their own and that they possessed freedom to spew forth anything they chose to say (Psalm 12:4). God promised to rise up in judgment and “cut off all flattering lips” (Psalm 12:3).
