We Are Responsible

Fires Of Revival

It is wrong to neglect to watch over your brothers and sisters in Christ. How often have you broken your covenant to watch over them in the Lord? How little do you know or care about the state of their souls? Yet, you are under a solemn oath to watch over them. What have you done to become acquainted with them? With how many of them have you taken enough interest to know their spiritual state? Go over the list and, wherever you find there has been neglect, write it down.

How many times have you seen your brethren growing cold in faith and not spoken to them about it? You have seen them beginning to neglect one duty after another, and you did not reprove them in a loving way. You have seen them falling to sin, and you let them go on. Yet you pretend to love them. What a hypocrite! Would you watch your wife or child go into disgrace, or fall into the fire, and hold your peace? No, you would not. What do you think of yourself then, when you pretend to love Christians ( and Christ ) while you watch your brothers fall into disgrace without saying anything.

Discipleship And Self-Denial

Neglect of self-denial. There are many who are willing to do almost anything in religion as long as it does not require self-denial. When they are required to do anything that requires them to deny themselves — that is asking too much! They think they are doing a lot for God, as much as He can reasonably ask. They are unwilling to deny themselves any comfort or convenience for the sake of serving the Lord. They will not willingly suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus Christ. Nor will they deny themselves the luxuries of life to save a world from hell.

They have no idea that self-denial is a condition of discipleship. They do not even know what self-denial is. they have never really denied themselves even a trinket for Christ and the gospel. Some give great sums, and they do not fell the loss because their offering comes out of their surplus. These people often have the audacity to complain about others who give less than they. Yet, those about whom they complain may be giving out of what they need. That poor woman who puts in her dollar has exercised more self-denial than they have in giving thousands.

From these we now turn to sins of commission.

Active Sin Choices

Worldly mindedness. What has been the state of your heart in regard to your worldly possessions? Have you looked at them really yours — as if you had a right to dispose of them as your own, according to your own will? If you have, write that down. If  you have loved property and sought after it for its won sake to gratify lust, ambition, a worldly spirit, or to lay it up for your family, you have sinned. You must repent.

Pride. Remember all the instances you can when you have found yourself acting or thinking with pride. Vanity is a particular form of pride. How many times have you been vain about your dress and appearance?

How many times have you thought more, and taken more trouble and time decorating your body to go to church, than preparing your mind to worship God? You have attended church caring more about how you appeared physically to other people than how your soul appeared to the heart-searching God.

You have, in fact, set yourself up to be worshiped by men, rather than to worship God yourself. You sought to divide the worship of God’s house, to draw the attention of God’s people to your pretty appearance. Do not pretend that you do not care anything about having people look at you. Be honest about it! Would you take all this time with your looks if every person were blind?

Envy. Look at the times when you were envious of those whom you thought were above you in any way. Perhaps you have envied those who are more talented or more useful than yourself. Have you not so envied some, that you could not stand to hear them praised? It has been more pleasant to you to dwell on their faults than their virtues, their failures rather than their successes. Be honest with yourself. If you have harbored this spirit of hell, repent deeply before God, or He will never forgive you.

A critical spirit. Remember the times you have had a bitter spirit and spoken of Christians in a manner that did not show charity or love. Love requires you to hope the best that a situation will permit and believe the best about any ambiguous conduct.

Slander. the times you have spoken unnecessarily about the faults, real or imagined, of members of the Church or others behind their back. This is slander. You do not need to lie to be guilty of slander.Telling the truth with the intent to injure is slander.

Lack of seriousness. How often have you been light-hearted before God as you would not have dared in the presence of an earthly sovereign? Perhaps you have been an atheist and forgotten that there was a God. Or you have had less respect for Him and His presence than you would show toward an earthly judge.

Lying. Understand what lying is. It is any kind of designed deception. If the deception is not designed, it is not lying. But if you decide to make an impression contrary to the naked truth, you lie. Write down all those incidents you can remember. Do not call them by any soft names. God calls them lies and charges you with lying. You, too, must charge yourself correctly. How numerous are the falsehoods perpetuated every day in business, social situations, words, looks, and actions. All are designed to make an impression on others, for selfish reasons which are contrary to the truth!

Cheating. Remember all the cases in which you have dealt with an individual and done to him that which you would not like to have done to you. That is cheating. God has laid down a rule for this case. “All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12). That is the rule. And if you have not followed this rule, you are a cheat. Notice the rule is not that you should do “what you might reasonably expect them to do to you,” because that is a rule which would permit every degree of wickedness. But it is: “As ye would they should do to you.”

Hypocrisy. For instance, hypocrisy may exist in your prayers and confessions to God. Remember when you have prayed for things you did not really want. You will know this is happening if, when you have finished praying, you cannot remember exactly what you have prayed for. How many times have you confessed sins that you did not mean to stop committing? Yes, you confessed sins when you knew you would repeat them, just as you expected to continue living.

Robbing God. Think of the times you have misspent your time, squandering the hours which God gave you to serve Him and save souls. Maybe you spend too much time with idle pastimes; more than working to bring people to Jesus. Maybe you do absolutely nothing. Think of cases where you  have misapplied your talents and mental powers. Where have you squandered money on your lusts, or spent it for things which you did not need, and which did not contribute to your health, comfort, or usefulness?

Bad temper. Perhaps you have abused your wife, children, family, co-workers, or neighbors. Write it all down.

Hindering others from being useful. Perhaps you have weakened another Christian’s influence by insinuations against him. You have not only robbed God of your own talents, but tied the hands of somebody else. What a wicked person is he who not only loiters himself but hinders others! This is done sometimes by taking their time needlessly; sometimes by destroying Christian confidence in them. By doing this, you have played into the hands of Satan, and you have not only proved yourself to be an idle vagabond, but prevented others from working.