Our Consciences:God's built-in warning system
Our Consciences: God’s built-in warning system
I have come across many people who have left the church because of the ill-treatment they received from Church members and Church leaders. Sometimes the reasons some gives are so petty that one could easily tell that they are not willing to be devoted followers of Christ. At other times the reasons are so genuine and touching that I have wonder if such treatment could ever come from those who claim to be followers of Christ. Many have been subjected to undue exploitations by Church leaders. These are People who genuinely wanted to serve God, but were let down by those who were supposed to encourage them.
I realised that often times decisions made in the Church that turned out to be an offence to people, are decisions made without seeking the face of God in prayers and even when prayers are made, prayers are said just to fulfil all righteousness; because people have set in their minds what they are going to do. Sometimes these decisions are made with total disregard to their consciences, because we tend to run church as a secular business. I feel that things of God should be done with full application of the literal teachings of the Word of God
Dietrich Bonhoeffer a revolutionary theologians of 20th Century. Wrote that “disregard for the call of conscience will necessarily entail the destruction of one’s own being, not even a purposeful surrender of it; it will bring about the decline and collapse of human existence.” The church which is supposed to correct the moral decadence and the collapse of human existence in our World today and to serve as haven to the marginalised, rejected, abused, and the let downs, are by the callousness of some of her members and leaders, thrusting those who have come to them, back into the World of hopelessness and pain. Those who have enough fortitude to remain in the Church, have to put up with the pain of the open wounds inflicted on their hearts by the “Brethren”, trusting God to bring a permanent healing to them someday.
These callous actions that are devoid of conscience, are affecting the church adversely. It appears that we have failed to realise that the Church is not about us, but about Christ and His kingdom; when we lose sight of this understanding, we will be treading on dangerous grounds with reckless abandon and thereby endangering our souls and those we have certain level influence over.
Apostle Paul says in Acts 24:16: “I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people”. Here is expressed the humility and god-likeness of Paul. Paul said he tried always to “maintain a clear conscience before God and all men”. I am sure, Paul made the resolution to maintain “a clear conscience before God and all people” because of his encounter on the Damascus road with Jesus Christ: “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks”. (Acts 9:3-5). Until this time, Paul has been resisting the truth. Against all testimony, and against all evidence, he had been rushing in his mad career of resisting the Gospel, ignorant of the fact that by doing this, he was lifting his heel against God; and always anyone who does this only ends up driving a hot iron deeper into their own flesh, because no one can resist God, God’s work or His chosen people.
Jesus said “it was hard to kick against the pricks”, Christ knew that Paul was kicking against his own conscience, and was bleeding inwardly from its spikes, as all sinners who are against Christ and His followers are against their conscience bleed. But after this encounter, he decided to live a life dedicated to keeping his conscience alive at all times.
A man by name J.Wolff, states that after he had finished reading this story of Paul’s encounter with Christ to a Persian, who was a man of great power; the man said, “There is one thing I find in Christianity which I do not find in our religion; it is a religion of the heart, it speaks to the heart.”
Christianity is a religion of the heart, but unfortunately many Christians and leaders in the church live as if their conscience is dead; these types of Christian lifestyle give non Christians reasons to doubt the Christians and Christianity.
God's built-in warning system in us is our conscience. We ought to be happy when it hurts us. We ought to sad when it does not hurt us
If our conscience is dead, it could mean that we never had a genuine encounter with Christ like Paul had. And if we ever had an encounter with Him, it could mean that we are backslidden and we have lost our first love.
A Christian life devoid of conscience is given as one of the signs of last days “But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils,
Through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;” 1Tim.4:1-2.If we find ourselves in that place on our Christian Journey, where our conscience no longer hurt us when make decisions that inflict pains into peoples’ life or disobey God’s word, we ought to pray and to ask for revival because if we continue like this, we are most likely to miss heaven. Pray for your conscience to be alive at all times for you to be happy when it hurts you and be sad when it does not hurt you.
We are to let our actions to be controlled by love and compassion's. If our professing of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is devoid of conscience and compassion, we are merely professing religion. Statements like this “I realise that this will make life difficult for you at this point but we do believe that God will open the right way for you and your family.” From a supposedly leader in the Church of Jesus Christ, is an epitome of what religion and religious people does. Apostle Paul enjoins us to “And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tender hearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.” Eph.4:32 (Amp.).Are you compassionate and tender hearted towards those under you? Or are you a wise business man, doing the business of God with knowledge acquired from Leadership books or by one of the renowned authors and eloquent speakers, instead of using the knowledge of the Word of God?
Let God speak to your heart.
Ike Idegbema
Crusade for Africa Discipleship
I have come across many people who have left the church because of the ill-treatment they received from Church members and Church leaders. Sometimes the reasons some gives are so petty that one could easily tell that they are not willing to be devoted followers of Christ. At other times the reasons are so genuine and touching that I have wonder if such treatment could ever come from those who claim to be followers of Christ. Many have been subjected to undue exploitations by Church leaders. These are People who genuinely wanted to serve God, but were let down by those who were supposed to encourage them.
I realised that often times decisions made in the Church that turned out to be an offence to people, are decisions made without seeking the face of God in prayers and even when prayers are made, prayers are said just to fulfil all righteousness; because people have set in their minds what they are going to do. Sometimes these decisions are made with total disregard to their consciences, because we tend to run church as a secular business. I feel that things of God should be done with full application of the literal teachings of the Word of God
Dietrich Bonhoeffer a revolutionary theologians of 20th Century. Wrote that “disregard for the call of conscience will necessarily entail the destruction of one’s own being, not even a purposeful surrender of it; it will bring about the decline and collapse of human existence.” The church which is supposed to correct the moral decadence and the collapse of human existence in our World today and to serve as haven to the marginalised, rejected, abused, and the let downs, are by the callousness of some of her members and leaders, thrusting those who have come to them, back into the World of hopelessness and pain. Those who have enough fortitude to remain in the Church, have to put up with the pain of the open wounds inflicted on their hearts by the “Brethren”, trusting God to bring a permanent healing to them someday.
These callous actions that are devoid of conscience, are affecting the church adversely. It appears that we have failed to realise that the Church is not about us, but about Christ and His kingdom; when we lose sight of this understanding, we will be treading on dangerous grounds with reckless abandon and thereby endangering our souls and those we have certain level influence over.
Apostle Paul says in Acts 24:16: “I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people”. Here is expressed the humility and god-likeness of Paul. Paul said he tried always to “maintain a clear conscience before God and all men”. I am sure, Paul made the resolution to maintain “a clear conscience before God and all people” because of his encounter on the Damascus road with Jesus Christ: “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks”. (Acts 9:3-5). Until this time, Paul has been resisting the truth. Against all testimony, and against all evidence, he had been rushing in his mad career of resisting the Gospel, ignorant of the fact that by doing this, he was lifting his heel against God; and always anyone who does this only ends up driving a hot iron deeper into their own flesh, because no one can resist God, God’s work or His chosen people.
Jesus said “it was hard to kick against the pricks”, Christ knew that Paul was kicking against his own conscience, and was bleeding inwardly from its spikes, as all sinners who are against Christ and His followers are against their conscience bleed. But after this encounter, he decided to live a life dedicated to keeping his conscience alive at all times.
A man by name J.Wolff, states that after he had finished reading this story of Paul’s encounter with Christ to a Persian, who was a man of great power; the man said, “There is one thing I find in Christianity which I do not find in our religion; it is a religion of the heart, it speaks to the heart.”
Christianity is a religion of the heart, but unfortunately many Christians and leaders in the church live as if their conscience is dead; these types of Christian lifestyle give non Christians reasons to doubt the Christians and Christianity.
God's built-in warning system in us is our conscience. We ought to be happy when it hurts us. We ought to sad when it does not hurt us
If our conscience is dead, it could mean that we never had a genuine encounter with Christ like Paul had. And if we ever had an encounter with Him, it could mean that we are backslidden and we have lost our first love.
A Christian life devoid of conscience is given as one of the signs of last days “But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils,
Through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;” 1Tim.4:1-2.If we find ourselves in that place on our Christian Journey, where our conscience no longer hurt us when make decisions that inflict pains into peoples’ life or disobey God’s word, we ought to pray and to ask for revival because if we continue like this, we are most likely to miss heaven. Pray for your conscience to be alive at all times for you to be happy when it hurts you and be sad when it does not hurt you.
We are to let our actions to be controlled by love and compassion's. If our professing of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is devoid of conscience and compassion, we are merely professing religion. Statements like this “I realise that this will make life difficult for you at this point but we do believe that God will open the right way for you and your family.” From a supposedly leader in the Church of Jesus Christ, is an epitome of what religion and religious people does. Apostle Paul enjoins us to “And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tender hearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.” Eph.4:32 (Amp.).Are you compassionate and tender hearted towards those under you? Or are you a wise business man, doing the business of God with knowledge acquired from Leadership books or by one of the renowned authors and eloquent speakers, instead of using the knowledge of the Word of God?
Let God speak to your heart.
Ike Idegbema
Crusade for Africa Discipleship
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