Speak for yourself. I am one with the TRUTH and LIFE at all times.
John 5:31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
John 7:18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Try some humble pie and join the rest of us that are totally dependent on Christ for all things.
I insult no one any more than Jesus insulted the religious leaders by calling them children of the devil.
Not all professing believers actually believe in the real Christ or follow his sinless example. Most of them are following a false Christ as they continue in their sins.
Jesus addressed the little ones as those that can go astray & to warn believers how they treat them as if they are not His at all.
Matthew 18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
Then Jesus expounded on that by addressing how believers were to address those astray within the church.
Matthew 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
If you have doubts that Jesus will get that lost sheep that is an unrepentant believers that just got excommunicated from the church, reread Matthew 18:10-14 again.
Paul says the same thing when addressing the falling away from the faith in 2 Thessalonians 2nd chapter as these saved believers will be damned ( inferring becoming a vessel unto dishonor in His House to be left behind at the pre trib rapture event to be resurrected after the great tribulation to serve the King of kings during the milleniel reign of Christ for the coming generations ) and continues to address those that go astray in the
3rd chapter as those that have not faith, that walk not after the tradition taught of us and are disorderly ( verses 1- 7 ), that we, as believers, are to not treat them as the enemy, but admonish them as brothers by withdrawing from their company ( Verses 14-15 ) in the hopes that the Lord will lead them to repentance before He comes as the Bridegroom otherwise, they will be led to repentance by His excommunicating them from the Marriage Supper.
So the little ones can go astray and be lost, and so you are not to condemn them as not saved nor not His but to correct them brotherly and rebuke them when necessary because they are His.
Did Jesus consider how he gave the word to others when he told the Pharisees who claimed to be believers in God that they were blind fools? Was that offending "little ones"? Was he building them up or telling them they were wise for believing in God? Was he encouraging their belief in God?
If a child is offended by being told to grow up, they need to get a LIFE and actually grow up and stop whining about having hurt egos.
They profess to never have believed in Him; therefore you cannot treat those that profess to believe in Him in the same way.
Paul gives a guideline for ministry outreach to those that are astray in and outside the church.
2 Timothy 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Excommunication is to be done when they refuse to repent, but this is not to be done out of hatred towards them but the iniquity that they do. They should be treated as a heathen or a publican as Jesus said, but Paul clarifies that as not treating them as the enemy, but as you would a neighbor since he is being admonished as a brother still. Once he repents, he is allowed back in. He does not need to be saved again when he is already saved. He just needs His help as his Good Shepherd to help him discern the iniquity by His words in the KJV so he can ask Him for help in departing from that iniquity.
So see Christ in every professing believer, but see Christ loving even those that have gone astray to get them even after He excommunicates them at the pre trib rapture event for they have been bought with a price and sealed as His but not every saved believer will be found as abiding in Him as His disciples to be ready as well as willing to go when the Bridegroom comes.
May God cause the increase in both our walks with Him in the light of His words.
