Twenty-twenty was a crazy year, if the pandemic wasn’t enough; the election made things worse. Everyone was crying about losing their freedoms to the pandemic, most people were afraid.
When the results came in, the faith community started protesting. After seeing the hateful reactions in my local community, I posted something on Facebook to remind everyone our Heavenly Father is still on His throne, what an awesome God.
Jews view God as the Father of all creation and the nation of Israel (Psalms 103:13, Proverbs 3:12, Isaiah 1:2.) In the Jewish community, the father has specific duties: provider, protector, comforter, and teacher.
This is why God gave specific laws to a chosen people about honoring their mothers and fathers (Exodus 20:12.) A father’s love is tender, yet firm and respectful to his children; because he is the head of the household. Sometimes that means giving tough love. Godly love doesn’t look like worldly love, it helps us grow.
Tough Love!
A father’s love is unconditional, it’s his job to correct his children, not give them wounds. Scripture is clear discipline is one of the most loving things a parent can do for a child (Proverbs 13:24, Hebrews 12:11.) God loves you too much to leave you where He found you!
We don’t make Christian love clear in the church with our feel-good only version of Jesus. Most pastors skim over the times when Jesus rebuked people for not obeying God (Matthew 21:12–13, Luke 10:41–42.)
Correction and rebuking have become lost doctrines in the church today (Proverbs 15:10, 2 Timothy 3:16.) With this understanding, we see discipline isn’t punishment, but teaching; God’s not done with you.
I grew up with an Army Sergeant, a father who didn’t hesitate to discipline me. I didn’t understand or like it at the time. However, as a man, I am grateful for all of those times that thick Army belt met my behind.
It taught me how to act, respect my parents, and kept me alive a lot longer. I remember one time when I was five years old and we lived in Italy when I caught our dog house on fire playing with matches and lighters.
It is easy to remember because at that point my father’s discipline didn’t hurt and I laughed at him as he tried to spank me harder. Somehow the pain didn’t hurt as much anymore, I had been up that road before.
Pain is one of the best teachers in life, no wonder our Heavenly Father allows it into the lives of His children. After spending six years living in sin and out of the church, it took me nearly dying in a car accident for God to get my attention.
It is a time of discipline I will never forget. We get our word discipline from the same root word disciple comes from, mathētḗs (μαθητής,) one who engages in learning through instruction from another, pupil, apprentice.
After the hard lessons I learned from my accident, I was able to hear what God was saying like He was next to me. It became easier to learn how God works and understand His ways.
I was tired of drowning in my selfish desires. Jesus called His disciples and disciplined them in His teaching. His teachings weren’t the same as other rabbis and often went against the teachings of the Jewish Pharisees.
Jesus used Scripture to correct both the Pharisees and His disciples. On one occasion He rebuked His cousins about seeking positions of greatness in God's kingdom (Matthew 20:23.)
They asked their Rabbi to do what they wanted (20.) Discipleship doesn’t work that way, students don’t tell the teacher how things work, they learn from Him. Jesus quickly told them, no, no, no. Only God the Father could do that, woo—real love!
After years of studying Jewish scriptures and learning from Jesus, His cousins failed the test. Every good teacher tests his disciples, like fathers test their children, they won’t stop. A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted and there is no victory.
Tested?
Good God Almighty, testing is part of learning, it verifies we have been learning from our teachers. We cannot learn from others and not use it, which is foolishness.
Tests don’t always feel good. But, for believers, it serves a specific purpose. We were never meant to just get saved and live a fairy tale life on earth, and our salvation isn't just so we can go to heaven and be lazy for eternity.
Pastor Brady Boyd says it best, “Christians aren’t sent to Disneyland, they are sent into the world for a purpose.” Comfortable Christianity doesn’t pass the test of true discipleship. I don’t care how popular it is.
True Christianity is dangerous, Jesus told His disciples He was sending them into a world like sheep to the wolves (Matthew 10:16.) Discipleship prepares us for the hard times ahead.
Jesus promised we would have trials in this world because our Rabbi had trials in this world (John 16:33.) When I was in high school I was told that if the devil wasn’t after you, it was because he already has you. If you aren’t facing trials in this life, then you’re not a child of God.
This is why I and many theologians abhor false teachers like John Hagee, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyers, and Paula White; they are teaching another Jesus (Mark 7:3-9, 2 Corinthians 11:4, Galatians 1:6.) They teach worldliness not godliness and have failed the test; God allows false teachers, to see who loves and follows Him (Deuteronomy 13:1–6.)
In the Old Testament false teachers and prophets were to be dragged into the streets and stoned for their lies (Deuteronomy 13:5,) now that’s tough love!
