What We See

The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever.
1 Timothy 5:24-25

The apostle Paul writes to Timothy and reminds him that some kinds of sin are super obvious. These are the sins that are all too easy to judge. If someone has an addiction to nicotine or marijuana or food, these sins become very external and obvious. If someone is engaging in an openly gay relationship or embraces gender dysphoria, they often wear their sin on the outside. Their sins are obvious and seem to go “ahead of them” as they walk into a place, especially a church environment.

But we need to be careful not to judge those whose sins are external and obvious. First, judging others for their sin has a boomerang effect on our own life according to Jesus:

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Luke 6:37-38

If we judge others for their sin, that judgment boomerangs back upon us. Yet, if we show grace, love and generosity toward others, that too boomerangs back upon us.

But another reason we shouldn’t judge others for their obvious sin is because most sin is more like an iceberg. The hidden sins in people’s lives are often the sins that are most damaging.

Anyone who has worked in ministry any length of time knows that there are deep, dark sins that many people hide. A person can look great on the outside, all put together and healthy, and yet be full of darkness and death behind-the-scenes. This was the case for the Pharisees in Jesus’s day. These sins “trail behind” people and aren’t immediately obvious. These sins seem to receive less overt judgment from others in the church community yet are just as deadly and damaging to a person and to the church.

As a pastor who has the honor and responsibility of being on the front row seats of many people’s lives, and as a minister who regularly does inner healing and deliverance ministry, I can assure you that the person most church-goers thinks is the “biggest sinner” in the room isn’t.

If we could see what God sees, we’d stop thinking there was such a thing as a “biggest sinner.” God sees the beauty and the ugliness in us all. And as someone who gets to partner with the Holy Spirit to see people get set free from demonic oppression in their life, there are many people sitting next to us at church who are dealing with darkness that we can’t see on Sunday mornings.

Paul tries to remind Timothy that these hidden sins will eventually be exposed and cleansed by the Light of Christ. We get to decide if that happens in private now or in public later (1 John 1:6-9). He also reminds Timothy that our behind-the-scenes good deeds will operate the same way. If we’ve been faithfully serving Christ in obscurity, that too will eventually come to light for all to see. Jesus said as much in Luke 8:

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
Luke 8:17

Paul’s point to Timothy is that this principle applies both to sin and to service. Things won’t stay hidden for long, whether good or evil.

So next time we see someone with obvious sin that goes “ahead of them,” let’s check ourselves and guard our hearts against judgment. For most of us church people, we have more sin that “trails behind” us and is hidden than we do obvious sin. Is it possible that we escape other people’s harsh judgment simply because we’re better at hiding our sin? But God sees it all.

Let’s be people of grace and purity. Let’s be people who are better at hiding our good works than our sin. And let’s be full of generosity and compassion toward those whose sin is external and obvious.

A Word for A Stylist

When I pray for people at church, I often ask the Lord how He sees the person I’m praying for, I listen, then I share what I hear the Spirit put on my heart or an image that comes to mind. But these kind of prophetic words aren’t just meant for inside the walls of the church. So I do this same exercise in listening when I interact with people throughout the day.

For instance, I’ve made it a practice to ask the Lord how He sees the person who is about to cut my hair. I go to one of those places where I have a new hairstylist just about every time. Here’s what I heard the Lord say yesterday when I got my hair cut.

Usually, my stylist is a woman. Yesterday it was a heavily-tatooed African-American man. I asked the Lord, “How do you see him?” Here’s what I heard, “He’s an artist but he grew up in an environment that didn’t appreciate art. He’s creative like me.” (When I say, “Here’s what I heard…”, I don’t mean the audible voice of God. I mean a conversational thought goes through my mind–a still, small voice–that I recognize as not my own.)

A few seconds later I mustered up the courage to start a conversation with him by saying, “So what other kinds of art do you do?” He looked shocked and said, “What makes you think I do art? How do you know I do art?” Instead of telling him the real answer just yet, I told him I assumed because of his tatoos that he was an artist. He told me he paints and draws and wishes he could do more with his art. We then had a conversation about art and artists. I said to him (based on the other part of the word from the Lord), “You probably didn’t have people around you who really appreciated art, did you?” He confirmed.

Later, when he was shampooing my hair, I heard the Lord say, “His mom is a praying woman.” When the Lord speaks to you, He often wants you to do something with it. Since I heard the first word correctly, I knew the Lord was asking me to step out and take another risk with this second word. After I mustered up the courage, I asked, “Is your mom a praying woman?” He said, “Ohhh yeah. She definitely is.” Then I said, “She’s a church lady, huh?” He opened up a little, “She very much is. But I’m not fully convinced.”

That’s when I decided to let the cat out of the bag. I told him I was a pastor and that I usually prayed for whomever cut my hair. I told him how I would ask God how he saw the person and then try to listen.

He asked, “What did He say about me?” I told him, “God said you were an artist but you didn’t grow up in an environment that appreciates art. That’s why I originally asked you about your art. God also told me your mom was a praying woman. I want you to know that God gave you that creativity. He loves that about you. You’re creative like He’s creative.”

After that we exchanged some small talk about my church and about his vacation coming up. But I hope that he has a better picture of how God sees him. God loves him and is for him. God created him uniquely and with purpose. I hope that he got a glimpse of how God sees him through the gift of prophecy. Prophetic words aren’t about “thus saith the Lord.” They are about revealing the heart of the Father to a world who needs to know how much they are loved.

Ask the Lord

..when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the Israelites, “We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.”
…The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them…
Joshua 9:3-6, 14-15

This story is a great example of why it is so important to hear from the Lord. The people of Gibeon knew Joshua would never make a treaty with them if he knew they were neighbors in the Promised Land. But, if Joshua thought they were from a distant country, he might make a peace treaty with them. And he did.

Their ruse worked! Joshua had to keep his word not to kill the people of Gibeon. The ruse worked because Joshua and the people of God used their physical eyes instead of their spiritual eyes to try to discern the truth about the situation. In order to have eyes to see and ears to hear, we need to check in with God and hear from Him. We need to see what He sees and hear what He hears.

As the Lord told the prophet Samuel about David:

“Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7

We need to listen for the voice of the Lord, hear the voice of the Lord, and obey the voice of the Lord. Without the ability to hear from God for ourselves, we are blinded by what our eyes see in front of us. We must develop the discipline and practice of first inquiring of the Lord. We have to posture our lives in such a way that we are in continual listening mode to the Holy Spirit.

If you don’t feel like you know how to hear from the Lord, this sermon is one place you can start. If you want a couple books to help you become better at hearing the Lord, try this one and this one.