Dear Pondering:
The short answer is that you approach
him (or her) with all humility, respect for
him as a spiritual leader, and after much
time spent in soul-searching prayer be-
fore the Lord.
Those who are living their lives in will-
ing surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ
are now considered part of the spiritual
family of believers; they are brothers and
sisters in Christ. They share a common
bond and new mindset through Jesus.
An important facet of their continued
spiritual growth is the selection of and in-
tegration into a community of Christians,
a corps, a church.
God has called some Christians out
from among the community of believers,
and given them spiritual authority over
and responsibility for the community.
This is a solemn obligation; for on that
day when God holds each person who
has ever lived accountable for the con-
duct of their earthly lives, these leaders
will additionally have to answer for their
care of the flocks He entrusted to them.
The proper handling, teaching and
modeling of God's holy Word is essential
among the responsibilities of the corps
officer. Despite this holy calling, the of-
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Questions appropriate for printing in the War Cry will be answered through this column.
ficer is not infallible, nor perfect; he faces
many challenges to his time, energy and
ability. He is not protected from Satan's
attempts to lure him into sin. Occasion-
ally, the treatment of God's Word suffers.
This is where the other believers in the
community come in. God expects each
Christian to personally study and know His
Word. We are to check all spiritual teach-
ings against the Bible. If the teaching can-
not be supported in Scripture, or is being
applied incorrectly, we should take serious
note. Action should be considered based
upon the severity (getting a major teach-
ing wrong versus a minor mistake) and/or
number of errors observed.
This concern should be bathed in
prayer: prayers for God's presence, guid-
ance and counsel in this entire situation;
prayers for yourself, that any impure
motive would be revealed and removed;
prayers for the officer, prayers for the best
way forward. When something sounds dif-
ferent than your understanding, it is also
important to ask the Lord if you may be
the one who is wrong and your corps offi-
cer is the one who is right. Whatever path
God reveals during this time, make sure
that you include sharing your observations
with the officer in private, in respect, and
with sincere care for him.
Dear Totally:
He is a forgiving God! The ultimate dem-
onstration of that was the sacrifice of His
only Son, Jesus, as payment for the sins
of all mankind.
God had given a message to his
prophet Isaiah, which contained a rebuke
of one of the two kingdoms of Israel
(Judah) and the capital city of Jerusalem
for their present sins. Throughout the
Old Testament, God's chosen people, the
Israelites, repeatedly gave their hearts to
the worship of false gods (idols). They
turned their backs on the one true God.
He longed for their return to Him, repeat-
edly sending prophets to warn them of
the consequences of this sin. Sometimes
the people repented. Too often they con-
tinued with their idol worship.
To understand any verse of Scripture,
read the chapters before and after it.
Get to know who the characters are and
when, where and why it was originally
written. Using other Bible translations
and commentaries is helpful as well.
The Basic English Bible version reads,
" ... the poor man's head is bent, and the
great man goes down on his face ..."
(Basic English Bible).
There is a great diminishing effect
brought on both poor and wealthy alike
through the sin of bowing down ("head is
bent") and humbling oneself (by "going
down on his face") to powerless images
carved of metal, wood or stone. "Do not
forgive them" is God's message to that
great number of Israelites who stub-
bornly cling to their idols: He has now
turned His back on them, and given them
over to their enemies. It is also important
to realize that God will not forgive them
because they are not asking Him to. For-
giveness is freely given to the penitent,
but that person must ask God. The Lord
knows that some continue in their sinful
ways and will not humble themselves.
Therefore forgiveness is withheld.
This warning contains a message
for us today. If we continue to turn our
backs on Him and run after the ways of
the world, He may give us over to our
enemies. Despite the media's notion that
all nice people go to Heaven, only those
who have sought the Lord as Savior have
a right to claim His forgiveness.
Dear Aunt Sally:
How should I approach my
corps officer if his Bible
teaching is incorrect?
-- Pondering in the Pew
32
The War Cry | APRIL 2013
Dear Aunt Sally:
In Isaiah 2:9, God says, "So peo-
ple will be brought low and ev-
eryone humbled-- do not forgive
them.' I thought He was a forgiv-
ing God. Why would He say this?
-- Totally Surprised
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3/14/13 2:33 PM