Introduction
Many of us, in our Christian walk, notice that as we read and meditate on the Word of God and grow in our faith, actions and attitudes that once seemed okay may no longer feel acceptable. At times, we feel a conviction from the Holy Spirit when we engage in even minor behaviors that were once normal for us. As we mature in our faith, we sense the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts and disciplining us more. We might feel rebuked for using inappropriate language, gossiping, thinking negatively about others, or wishing others harm. We may recall phrases our parents often used when we act foolishly. They might have seemed harmless, but the Lord may convict us of avoiding such words, reminding us that they can be hurtful to others and to our children. For example, we might say, “this is stupid,” until the Lord leads us to reconsider that phrase. And many of us have numerous instances where we’ve felt the Lord’s rebuke in our hearts. However, when we experience this sense of rebuke and heaviness in our hearts, it can lead to frustration. We may feel as if nothing we do pleases the Lord, leaving us uncertain about how to behave and interact with others. In these moments, we might even consider distancing ourselves from church or avoiding interaction with fellow believers, thinking it might be easier to avoid meeting or talking with anyone.
In this blog, we aim to offer encouragement for our Christian journey on this earth and guidance on how to engage with those around us, whether they are fellow Christians or non-Christians, and to help us not feel discouraged by the Lord’s disciplining.
We Should Show Love to All Without Judging
As followers of the Lord Jesus, we must always remember that the Lord loves all souls. He died for everyone, not just for us, and He desires that all people—regardless of their appearance or the marks on their skin—repent and come to Him. Therefore, if we find ourselves disliking someone, instead of gossiping, we are called to pray for them and ask for the Lord’s mercy upon them, so that He might reveal His light to them. Everyone deserves a second chance; we are all sinners who make mistakes. The Lord looks at the hearts of people, not at their appearances. Unlike us, who can only see the exterior, the Lord sees the heart, and He judges people by their hearts, not their outward appearance. Therefore, let God be the judge of people. Our role is simply to be the light for those around us, both in the church and outside of it.
Nowadays, we see individuals with all kinds of tattoos, and tattooing has become a popular trend. We believe a Christian should not tattoo; however, before judging these individuals, we must ask ourselves: Is the sin in the tattoo on the skin, or is it found in what lies within a person’s heart? Since we can’t know the true status of someone’s heart—only God knows—we cannot judge any person. Another important question to consider in such cases is: Does the blood of the Lord Jesus have the power to cover a tattoo and forgive a person? Let’s imagine the following hypothetical scenario. Imagine two individuals who both worship idols: one has an idol tattoo on his face and body, while the other has none. One day, the tattooed person receives the Lord Jesus in their heart and repents, but cannot afford to remove the tattoos. Meanwhile, the other person without tattoos never repents. In this scenario, has the blood of the Lord Jesus covered the tattooed man’s sins? Does His blood have the power to save this individual? Although we believe that Christians should refrain from getting tattoos, our point is that the Lord possesses the power to forgive people regardless of their outward appearance. We have also written an article titled “Man-Made Darkness,” which discusses why Christians should not get tattoos. You can refer to it for more details.
The Lord’s Discipline Brings Life to Our Souls
We may find ourselves judging others for various reasons, or we may act in ways that do not please the Lord, prompting the Holy Spirit to rebuke our hearts. When we experience this conviction, what should we do? We need to kneel and ask the Lord for forgiveness and commit to making a change in our lives. It’s important to remember that the Lord disciplines those He loves; after all, we are His children, so it stands to reason that the Holy Spirit would guide us through discipline. However, we must strive to be obedient children, not disobedient ones. Many Bible passages relate to the Lord’s discipline. In this section, we will share a well-known passage from Revelation 3:19-22 and another from Hebrews 12:3-11 to aid in our meditation on this topic. Additionally, we will discuss three Gospel passages in which the Lord Jesus provides rebukes to His disciples.
Revelation 3:19-22: “As many as I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and open the door, I will come to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me. The one that overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father on His throne. The one that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Hebrews 12:3-13: For consider Him who has endured such great hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you shall not grow weary, fainting in your souls. You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin, and you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with sons: My son, regard not lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint, by Him being reproved; For whom the Lord loves He disciplines; And He scourges every son whom He receives. Endure into discipline; God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father disciplines not? But if you are without discipline, whereof all have been made partakers, then you are illegitimate children, and you are not sons. Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to discipline us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? For they indeed for a few days disciplined us as seemed good to them; but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. All disciplining seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields peaceable fruit to them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness. Therefore, lift up the hands that hang down, and the enfeebled knees; and make straight paths for your feet, so that that which is lame be not turned out of the way, but rather be healed.”
In the Gospels, the Lord Jesus often corrects and disciplines His disciples. Here, we highlight three significant examples of His discipline that also apply to us as His followers. In Matthew 18:1-5, Jesus addresses the disciples’ ambition. In Matthew 8:26-27, He rebukes their fears. Finally, in Matthew 16:23, He admonishes Peter.
Matthew 18:1 In that hour came the disciples to Jesus, saying, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of the heavens?
Comments Matthew 18:1. “Who then is greatest in the kingdom …” This question is general among humans; everybody wants to be important. However, the question opens the way into jealousy, so all believers should watch out; think hard about this question.
2 And having called to Him a young child, He set him in the midst of them,
3 and said, Truly I say to you, Except you change, and become as young children, you will not enter into the kingdom of the heavens.
Comments Matthew 18:2-3. Here, in these verses, the Lord Jesus does not teach that we need to be childish; rather, these verses teach us to trust the Lord like children. Be innocent in faith and trusting in the Lord like children.
4 Therefore, whoever will humble himself as this young child this is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens.
Comments Matthew 18:4. This word here refers to the world to come, when we will have the heavenly body that has been prepared for us; note that flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of the heavens. The greatest in this verse refers to those who have a chance to be face-to-face with the Father. When you are in the heavenly body, you will not only be in the presence of the throne but face-to-face with the Father, and you will receive orders straight from the Father; those are the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens. In human terms, they will be called the closest servants of the Father.
5 And whoever may receive one such young child in My name receives Me.
Comments Matthew 18:5. “Young child” here refers to a person with a clean heart who follows and believes the teaching of the Bible as the Word of God.
“Whoever may receive” refers to someone who accepts the one who comes in the name of the Lord, whom the Lord sent.
Matthew 8:26 And He says to them, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? Then having arisen, He rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27 And the men marveled, saying, Of what manner is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?
Comments Matthew 8:27. The Father created the situation with the sea storm to build up the faith of the disciples to follow the Lord Jesus. The Father wanted them to see that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God, and that they should listen and obey Him. Building up their faith was important because the Lord Jesus’ disciples would face many challenges ahead, and they would need a strong faith to persevere. To follow the Lord Jesus was not easy for them. Their life no longer belongs to themselves; they belong to the Lord Jesus.
Matthew 16:23 And having turned, He said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me; for you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.
Comments Matthew 16:23. This plainly means only that Satan works with our weaknesses and tries to cover us. Our own weakness makes us have a weak point to be attacked. Fear led Peter to be trapped, but this rebuke from the Lord Jesus helped Peter. Chase fear away in the name of the Lord Jesus; the rebuke from the Lord Jesus has saved Peter.
Conclusions
The Lord disciplines us because He loves us and desires for our souls to be saved. While we may often be preoccupied with our earthly lives, the Lord focuses on ensuring that our souls reach heaven and that we complete our journey on this earth victoriously, without losing our way. We should remember that after the Lord Jesus rebuked Peter, He told His disciples: “If anyone desires to follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” By accepting the Lord Jesus, we are no longer our own; we are called to live for Him. We belong to the Lord, and we are not supposed to do things that are against the Word of God, but we are to follow every word completely. When the Lord Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him, He means to carry the call that the Lord has put as a burden on our heart to do. Some may have small burdens, while others may have more significant burdens in doing something for the Lord. The Lord knows the ability of each person, and He will never give more than we can carry. The heart to follow the call is the key to working for the Lord.
Let us pray that we are receptive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and discipline in our hearts. May we remain open to His voice and act according to His will and direction. We should always remember that He loves us, which is why He disciplines us—to help us become more like His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. If we feel heavy-hearted due to His discipline, let us surrender our hearts to the Lord and thank Him for His love.
Meditation Tasks
- Let us meditate on our discipline status and reflect on whether we have grieved the Holy Spirit by failing to respond to His discipline.
- To fully experience the victory that comes from following the Lord Jesus, every believer must encounter the miracle of baptism in the Holy Spirit. We encourage all readers to take the time to read and meditate on two of our blog articles: “Take Up Your Cross and Follow” and “The Baptism in the Holy Spirit.”