How we perceive people is not only acquired within the amount of personal time that we spend with them. If I get off the train every morning, walk the same few blocks to work, see the same homeless person in the same place each day for a year or more, I can easily presume that person has no initiative to change.
No matter the reason or circumstances for why he remains in that state, that statement is a truth, and the foundational issue he must address if he desires to alter his situation.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2nd Tim. 2:15)
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
If you sit in a church pew with a person for many years, spending time occasionally with them in conversations, and each time the topic begins to revolve, at least on your part, around the Word and will of God, and they do not respond in kind, but shy away from the subject matter of the Scriptures, attempting to divert the conversation towards the world, we can perceive that the Holy Spirit does not reside within them.
“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” (James 1:26)
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,” (Heb. 6:4)
That man on the street in the depth of his soul may not want to be there, but he does not have the initiative, the inner drive to change himself, and unless the root cause is severe mental illness, then it is not a disease, but a choice.
We perceive people by the choices they make. The initiative and drive they reveal, and whether you like it or not, that is called judging, and that word has been cast aside as vile, as unrepresentative of those who have been born-again by many of those who stand behind the pulpits today.
“Judge not, that ye be not judged.” (Matt. 7:1)
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7:24)
A great fear has been misplaced upon many in the body of Christ, not of perceiving wrongly and being judged, but of judging anyone in any shape, manner or form, and as such, many of the people of the Most High have refused to stand in the evil day. Search the Scriptures on that word “judging” and you will see that almost always it refers to the one who is judging yet is doing the same thing himself. And so here 1st Corinthians 11:31 is left to the side of the road in context.
“For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”
What does the last part of Matthew 7:5 say? “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.”
Judge yourself first, take a close, personal, deep and prayerful look into your own life first, if you do not see that mote in your eye, if that sin is not prevalent in your life, then judge that person with righteous judgment.
“I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?” (1st Cor. 6:5)
No, many who profess to serve the Lord Jesus Christ will not, because they fear a judgment that may fall upon them that does not exist.
The enabled society is in part our fault my friends. The unsaved, the spots and blemishes that sit within houses of worship are allowed to stay there because of those who will not judge with righteous judgment.
I know of a man who was attempting to lead the members of an Evangelical church in this area astray, offering false doctrines of devils to all who would listen in the assembly. The pastor spoke with him personally about this evil, but instead of removing him and not allowing him entrance to the church, he told him that he could stay if he no longer spoke of those things.
How you see that pastor’s decision will reveal much to you about the truths written here, and how you judge with righteous judgment, or if you do at all.
