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Monkey
Business Can Kill You
Jim Kaseman
All through the ages people have looked forward to expected revival, not
only in their nations but in their own lives as well. Unfortunately, many
people miss out on what God is doing because they have allowed themselves
to be offended and walk out of love, and, it is very difficult to hear the
voice of God outside the walk of love.
The law of love is the only commandment we have on this side of the cross,
yet it is amazing how much of the world is offended with each other -
including Christians. Jesus spoke of our day in Matthew 24:7, 'For nation
will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.'
I believe we could reword the verse this way and understand more fully
what is really happening today. For nation will rise against nation, and
ethnic group against ethnic group and Christians against Christians!
Since none of us want to miss out on God moving in our lives, let us
examine the biblical subject of offenses and see what love is not so that
we can be sure to do what is right - that is, walk in love!
Offenses
To be offended means you have allowed yourself to be hurt, angry,
resentful, in strife with someone.
Mark 4:17 speaks of a person stumbling or offended when persecution or
tribulation arises for the Word's sake. The enemy steals the Word from him
and he is destroyed.
A person who is offended loses his joy, and the joy of the Lord is our
strength. Deuteronomy 28:47-48 describes a person with no joy and its
consequences, Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and
gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall
serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in
thirst, in nakedness and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of
iron on your neck until He has destroyed you.
1 John 2:10 speaks of a man with no offense, He who loves his brother
abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling (offense) in him.
Catching a Monkey
Before we go any further, let's take a moment and learn how to catch a
monkey.
To catch a monkey you set up a cage and put a moveable stick with bait on
it (a trap-stick) in the cage. Now even though the door to the cage is
open, the monkey is too smart to just walk into the cage and take the
trap-stick. He walks around to the back side of the cage and sticks his
hand through the narrow bars and grabs hold of the trap-stick. However,
the trap-stick is too large to be pulled through the bars. Nevertheless,
the monkey refuses to let go of the trap-stick. And so at their leisure,
men come along and capture the monkey alive or beat him over the head with
a club until he is dead.
If only, the monkey had come to his senses and let go of the trap-stick,
he could have escaped the snare (trap) which was set by men to capture or
kill him!
Acting Like a Monkey
It's interesting to note, that in Mark 4:17, 1 John 2:10 and other places
where you see the word offense or stumbling, it is the same Greek word
skandalon that is used. The Greek defines skandalon as originally, a
trap-stick, a bent sapling, or a moveable stick with bait used to catch
animals. The word then came to denote a snare or stumbling block.
Metaphorically, it signifies that which causes error or sin.
Now, turn to II Timothy 2:23-26. This is a portion of scripture talking
about Christians offended and in strife with each other. It reads as
follows: 'But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they
generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle
to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in
opposition if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may
know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the
snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him (the devil) to do his
(the devil's) will'.
In this case, Christians in strife (offended) are no different than
monkeys. As monkeys refuse to let go of the trap-stick, Christians refuse
to let go of the offense; both the monkeys and the Christians are
destroyed by their enemies!
Got Your Hand in the Cage?
Sometimes Christians don't ever realize their hand is in the cage or that
they have a hold of the offense (trap-stick) until they see someone they
don't like coming down the street and then they get that knot in their
stomach!
Offenses Are Costly
Offenses can cost you your marriage, job, ministry, anointing, finances
and health. They could even cost you your life according to 1 Corinthians
11:27-31.
No Mighty Miracles
According to Mark 6:1-6 Jesus could do no mighty miracles because of their
unbelief. The reason for the unbelief was that they got offended with
Jesus and stopped listening to him teach. Faith comes by hearing God's
Word and unbelief comes by not listening to God's Word. So, the root cause
was the offense and the fruit was their unbelief. Offenses and unbelief
run together! Offended people will not listen to you or God!
Naaman Was Furious
In reading 2 Kings 5:1-14 we see that Naaman was offended because of
unfulfilled expectations. He expected the prophet Elisha to pray for him
personally but instead Elisha's servant was sent to instruct Naaman to dip
in the River Jordan seven times.
Naaman became furious (v.11) and walked away from his miracle.
Fortunately, his servant convinced him to wash in the River Jordan and he
then received his miracle.
Israel Offended
According to Numbers Chapter 13 and 14, the children of Israel never did
enter the Promised Land because they became offended towards God.
Saul Offended
According to I Samuel 16: 21-23, Saul loved David and the anointing in
David's life set Saul free from the distressing spirit as David ministered
to Saul with the harp.
However, in I Samuel 18:6-11 Saul became offended towards David and the
anointing that flowed through David no longer worked in Saul's life.
Offenses will stop the anointing from working in your life!
Reasons People Leave Churches
One set of statistics brought to my attention is as follows:
10% leave to go to be with the Lord
12% prefer another church
12% job relocation
66% offended (bent out of shape)
Reasons People Get Offended
1.Unrealistic expectations (of other people and themselves)
2.Wrong motives (wanting power, money, recognition, etc.)
3.Persecution
4.Self-opinionated (a person full of himself)
5.False prophecy (someone prophesies something to you and it doesn't come
to pass)
6.Wrong teaching (the teaching is not scriptural and doesn't come to pass)
7.Their spouse is hurt by someone else and they get offended
8.Etc...Etc...Etc...
No Love-No Fullness-No Power
I would encourage you to read Ephesians 3:14-21. Notice in verse 19 that
we must know and walk in the love of God in order to be filled with the
fullness of God. Verse 20 tells us that God is able to do exceedingly
abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that
works in us.
But the amount of power that works in our lives is dependent to the degree
that we're walking in love. So it's imperative that we, as Christians,
perfect the love walk.
Walking the Walk
In order to walk in love we have to know what it is so we can do it.
Without knowledge my people perish (Hosea 4:6). Praise God we are not
without knowledge - God has given us His Word. I encourage you to read and
meditate on 2 Corinthians 13:4-8 every day from the Amplified Bible and
simply do what it says to do. It reads as follows from the Amplified
Bible:
(4) Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious
nor boils over with jealousy; it is not boastful or vainglorious, does not
display itself haughtily.
(5) It is not conceited-arrogant and inflated with pride; it is not rude
(unmannerly) and does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it
is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no
account of the evil done to it-it pays no attention to a suffered wrong.
(6) It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices
when right and truth prevail.
(7) Loves bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready
to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all
circumstances and it endures everything (without weakening).
(8) Love never fails
To make 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 more meaningful to you, substitute the word I
for love. Personalize this portion of scripture. God is love, you are born
of love (as a Christian) and this is how God sees you. So, instead of
saying, love endures long, say, I endure long, etc.
No Monkey Business
We can keep our hand out of the cage by not sticking our hand in the cage
when tempted to be offended. Or, if we have been offended, let go of the
trap-stick (offenses), repent, forgive and walk in love.
And Ephesians 4:32 can be ours daily; 'And be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.'
May God's love be evident in our lives today! |
