May 14 “Judgement Free Zone” Matthew 7:3-5
**CONGRATULATIONS to Caitlin Bailey & Rob Glover on their marriage today! **
ANNOUNCEMENT: Baptist Tabernacle Church will be 100 years old, in 2022. A grand celebration is planned for May 22, 2022, to commemorate the first service as an organized church body! Special information, recognitions, God’s Word, and a catered meal (Parker’s BBQ) will be a part of the celebration. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend the festivities. Additional Note: The Meal will be outside, at the BBQ Shelter Area. There will be transportation provided for those who are unable to walk the distance! The Time is getting closer…
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)
It seems to be the human trait, to blame others for our own shortcomings, and to hold others accountable for their issues, while forgetting our own struggles. Recent events have highlighted the existence of “Judgmental” individuals that are determined to “Blame” others for their own actions and issues! Wow! Unfortunately, this has been a reality since man left the “Garden of Eden!” Matthew 7:1-2 clearly tells us, “Do Not Judge!” “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Satan uses this opportunity to thwart the cause of Christ, by highlighting the hypocrisy that exists, when we judge someone for the same activities that we engage in and feel compelled to point out other’s shortcomings. I have been witnessing to a family, for the past year, and the one overriding factor is the perception that, based on their interactions with some of the people that attend our church, that they (this family) are just as good as the hypocrites (their words) that attend BTC. Wow! I attempted to explain that we are all in various stages of growth and development and that every one of us are “sinners!” The great fact is that, through the shed blood of Jesus, we are “forgiven!” Please know that this message is not about this family that has issues with others, it is about our relationship, our growing relationship, with the Father, through the SON! When we are growing in His Grace, and we are focused on a dynamic and expanding relationship, then we are going to see the world, our neighbor, and others, in the light of Jesus Christ, and not in the judgmental eyes of our humanity! Try it! Before you point out the shortcomings and struggles of others, look in a mirror and apply the same judgement to yourselves! Warning! It may not be a pretty picture!! “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” (Romans 2:1) Stay Strong, Stay Focused…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!