Matthew 5 and Titus 3
We are walking in today: 30 Day Tongue Fast, The Divisive Tongue, Day 5
Psalm 12:2 Everyone tells lies to everyone else; they talk with slick speech and
divided hearts.
Torah: Exodus 14:16, 14:21; Numbers 16:31
Prophets: Nehemiah 9:11; Ezekiel 30:16
Writings: Psalm 78:13
2 Kings 2:14 Elisha hit the water with Elijah’s ·coat [cloak; mantle] and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it divided to ·the right and to the left [one side and the other], and Elisha crossed over.
Teaching from the book: 30 Days To Taming Your Tongue, by Deborah Smith Pegues
Witness divide throughout the Bible: H1234 baqa` spelled beit, qof, ayin--to split, cleave, break open, divide, break
Psalm 12:2 Everyone tells lies to everyone else; they talk with slick speech and
divided hearts.
Torah: Exodus 14:16, 14:21; Numbers 16:31
Prophets: Nehemiah 9:11; Ezekiel 30:16
Writings: Psalm 78:13
2 Kings 2:14 Elisha hit the water with Elijah’s ·coat [cloak; mantle] and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it divided to ·the right and to the left [one side and the other], and Elisha crossed over.
Matthew 5:9 “How blessed are those who make peace! For they will be called sons of God.
Titus 3:9-10 9 But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, quarrels and fights about the Torah; because they are worthless and futile. 10 Warn a divisive person once, then a second time; and after that, have nothing more to do with him. 11 You may be sure that such a person has been perverted and is sinning: he stands self-condemned.
Do discernment and divisiveness go hand in hand? Is it true that the term discernment is often employed as a cover for a contentious or critical spirit?
Let’s acknowledge that there are unscrupulous people who, under the guise of “biblical discernment,” engage in unbrotherly criticism. Their tactics often include innuendo, character assassination, guilt
by association, and other dishonest methods. They weave conspiracy theories, sensationalize their attacks against others, and favor personal slurs over substantive doctrinal analysis. Militant
fundamentalism has made this type of criticism its specialty. As a consequence, that movement has steadily lost its influence, forfeited its credibility, and fragmented into tiny, warring factions. My appeal for discernment is not a call to that sort of facetious attitude. In modern usage, the word discrimination carries powerful negative connotations. But the word itself is not negative. Discriminate simply means “to make a clear distinction.” We used to call someone “a discriminating person” if he exercised keen judgment. “Discrimination” signified a positive ability to draw the line between good and evil, true and false, right and wrong.
If we are going to be discerning people, we must develop the skill of discriminating between truth and error, good and bad. The original languages of Scripture convey this very idea. The main Hebrew word for “discernment” is bin. That word and its variants are used hundreds of times in the Old Testament. It is often translated “discernment,” “understanding,” “skill,” or “carefulness.” But in the original language, it conveys the same idea as our word discrimination. It entails the idea of making distinctions. The word bin “is related to the noun bayin, which means ‘interval’ or ‘space between,’ and the preposition ben, ‘between.’ In essence, it means to separate things from one another at their points of difference in order to distinguish them.” Discernment, then, is a synonym for discrimination.
Acts 15:9 that is, he made no distinction between us and them but cleansed their heart by trust.
Ephesians 4:-6
3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I will make every effort to speak words that engender peace and to refrain from any communication that creates disunity.
Titus 3:9-10 9 But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, quarrels and fights about the Torah; because they are worthless and futile. 10 Warn a divisive person once, then a second time; and after that, have nothing more to do with him. 11 You may be sure that such a person has been perverted and is sinning: he stands self-condemned.
Do discernment and divisiveness go hand in hand? Is it true that the term discernment is often employed as a cover for a contentious or critical spirit?
Let’s acknowledge that there are unscrupulous people who, under the guise of “biblical discernment,” engage in unbrotherly criticism. Their tactics often include innuendo, character assassination, guilt
by association, and other dishonest methods. They weave conspiracy theories, sensationalize their attacks against others, and favor personal slurs over substantive doctrinal analysis. Militant
fundamentalism has made this type of criticism its specialty. As a consequence, that movement has steadily lost its influence, forfeited its credibility, and fragmented into tiny, warring factions. My appeal for discernment is not a call to that sort of facetious attitude. In modern usage, the word discrimination carries powerful negative connotations. But the word itself is not negative. Discriminate simply means “to make a clear distinction.” We used to call someone “a discriminating person” if he exercised keen judgment. “Discrimination” signified a positive ability to draw the line between good and evil, true and false, right and wrong.
If we are going to be discerning people, we must develop the skill of discriminating between truth and error, good and bad. The original languages of Scripture convey this very idea. The main Hebrew word for “discernment” is bin. That word and its variants are used hundreds of times in the Old Testament. It is often translated “discernment,” “understanding,” “skill,” or “carefulness.” But in the original language, it conveys the same idea as our word discrimination. It entails the idea of making distinctions. The word bin “is related to the noun bayin, which means ‘interval’ or ‘space between,’ and the preposition ben, ‘between.’ In essence, it means to separate things from one another at their points of difference in order to distinguish them.” Discernment, then, is a synonym for discrimination.
Acts 15:9 that is, he made no distinction between us and them but cleansed their heart by trust.
Ephesians 4:-6
3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I will make every effort to speak words that engender peace and to refrain from any communication that creates disunity.
Shema Selah let us pause and consider our tongue--our words are to uplift and draw us together!! Facebook LIVE video
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