Symphonic Service

Tags

Christianity, cybals, faith, love, relationships, Sound, Truth

1 Corinthians 13:1-4 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

The kingdom of God is arising in a way that is creating distinction and separation. Distinction for the sound of the kingdom is love and the sound of the kingdom is service. Separation because those who are not of biblical love, which is actually service to others, is being not separated from the community, but separated from the distinct sound. The bible says, that if you have not love, you sound like a clanging symbol. As the sound of the kingdom, which is love, continues to increase, the lack of love is evidenced in the sound you produce.

In years, past, you could get away with being selfish in a service, whether in church or the community; in the past your selfishness was common, it was a choir of clashing symbols, so no one really noticed that you did not have love, for they did not have love either. But it is a new day, and there is a new way. No wonder Jesus said that new wine needs a new wineskin, for you must be a lover to release the sound of love. You cannot fake love in an atmosphere of love. The kingdom of God on earth, is an atmosphere of love, of service to one another, of 1 Corinthians 13 manifested.

While in a church service, I heard this separation of sounds, this new distinction that is upon us. Being in a service where there is liberty to be the community, means some can prophesy, others can speak, and many have to learn to follow the lead of the one who went before them in order to transition the service well. But when someone does not have love, they are selfish, they want to say their own thing, they want to have their own way, they do not want to join the symphony of sound that is being created in that service, by the Spirit, then they sound like a clanging cymbal or clashing brass. It is no wonder they do not have cymbals in the symphony, they are truly out of place.

The kingdom of God is like a symphony, with one conductor, Jesus, and many instruments, that have different sounds, but work in connection with the other pieces of the orchestra to create a symphonic sound that is pleasant to the ears of the hearers. If you have not love, in what is here and coming in greater influence, you truly will sound like a clanging cymbal. In order to operate like the kingdom of God on earth, we need love, we need to listen to one another and to the Spirit of God, so we can join the song that is being played in that situation. Selfishness, which is you saying what you want, spouting your agenda, passion or personal preference has no room in a symphonic service.

Our conductor, Jesus, will call for different instruments at different times, for He knows the song structure and style. For us to be a success in the kingdom, we must listen to one another, we must be willing to not be heard, we must follow the flow of the sound that is being created in that symphonic service.

What Are You Tapping

Tags

Christianity, faith, Family, Feelings, Image, Party, relationships, Society, Thoughts, Truth

Before I became a Christian, I used to go to parties at people’s houses. At those parties, you would pay for a cup, and then with that cup you could drink whatever beverage they had bought. But, to do this it required you going to the tap, which produces the beverage you were seeking to consume. Depending on the number of “tappers” the host had, would depend on the number of kegs that were tapped at a time. So, you would see kegs without a tap and know either that keg was empty or it was yet to be tapped. No matter how many kegs the host purchased, eventually, the beverage would run out, for those kegs, even though they were tapped, were temporary, there was an end to what was inside of them.

I share that experience because I was listening to a podcast on the way home from the gym today and the preacher, who is well known, very passionate and has a large church, was speaking on being planted in somewhere bigger than you are, so you can grow the greatness inside of you. He said, that small places grow small people, that is why many, despite their titles in small churches, left the small church, to come and sit in his church, because they knew they needed to be planted in something bigger in order to grow. His passion, makes you want to shout AMEN, but the spirit of God spoke to me and revealed that anything we tap other than God Himself is temporary and will eventually run out.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

God has planted eternity in our hearts, so anything you tap that is not God Himself is an idol and it will eventually run dry. Remember when you bought that new car, you were satisfied temporarily; remember when you got that new job with that big salary, then over time you began to want something more; do you recall when you got married, why over time did you long for a deeper love, more passion, something more in that relationship, that the other person was not capable of providing for you? The reason is because God has set eternity in our hearts, He has created us with an insatiable desire for more. Some may call it greed, but I call it eternity and I have learned that no matter the size of the church, no matter the amount of money you make, no matter how big the house is, or how amazing the marriage may be, there is something in our hearts that is eternal and only God can meet that need.

We tap so many temporary things and then wonder why we struggle, fight and compete with each other. James 4:1-3 says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” You are tapping the temporal and it’s not satisfying!

God has created you to be an eternal being, but to tap into your identity, your design, your image, you must tap into the God of heaven and earth, the Lord of all creation, the Master of everything. Your battle is not with other people, it is with yourself and God. The Israelites rejected the invitation to tap into God Himself and instead chose someone temporal, Moses to tap into, which eventually led them into tapping into another temporal thing, the golden calf. We do the exact same thing, we tap into people, thinking they have what we are looking for, we tap into stuff, thinking it will satisfy our longing, we tap into a company or church, thinking that is the answer to my eternal itch. But the truth is, the only One who satisfies, the only Person who is lacking nothing, the only thing that can quench the insatiable need inside of you for more is God, Yahweh, Yeshua, because He alone is eternal. Until you tap into God, you will always be tapping something temporal and you will live a life of want, lack, or deficit.

The question I want to ask you, honestly, what are you tapping? If it’s something temporal, it will run out, but if you tap into God, He is eternal and to Him and His kingdom, there is no end, that is where I am tapping into and I am still hungry for more, but there is no end, so I can stay hungry, because I tapped Who I was made in the image of and so can you. When you tap into the temporary, it is like sugar, it will give you a spike of satisfaction, but it won’t be long until you are seeking something new to tap, but if you tap into the Lord, it is like tapping into the eternal in which there is no end.

What Are You Seeking?

Tags

Desire, fame, King David, One Thing, relationships, Search for Significance

Everybody is in search of something. For deep sea treasure hunters, they are in search of the box with gold coins that fell off a pirate ship; for the business men and women they are in search of the next sale, promotion or title; for the politician they are in search of the highest office in the land, President; for the religious leader they are in search of the next title of Reverend, Bishop, Cardinal or even Pope; for the single person they are in search of a spouse. The list of things people are in search of is endless and it does not take long on social media to hear and see that people are searching for many different things.

For the Christian, we are not supposed to be in search of anything, but Jesus, King David said, One thing I ask, One thing I seek…as believers we are to be in pursuit of one thing, in search of one thing, on a journey to discover over and over again one thing and that thing is actually a person, the man Jesus Christ. Matthew 6:33 says, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. The context of this verse goes on to say, the Lord knows what you have need of so you do not need to pursue things, but seek first, meaning seek only, the kingdom of God, seek only Jesus the Christ, and all this other stuff the unbelievers are seeking, will be given unto you. But your job, your call, your pursuit is to be after God and God alone. He is the One thing you are to desire, to pursue, to seek after.

What many believers don’t understand is that when you seek fame you may find fame but you won’t find satisfaction; when you seek riches, success, or prosperity, you may find money, but you won’t find satisfaction; when you seek a spouse, you may find a handsome man or a beautiful woman, but you won’t find the love you are really looking for. The reason we are commanded in Matthew to seek first, seek only, the Lord, is because at the end of your pursuit, at the end of your journey, which actually never ends for He is an eternal God, an Everlasting Father, you will find God, but not only God, you will find you are satisfied in your soul, the hunger is quenched and kindled at the same time. When you seek God, you find God and when you find God, you find what your heart is really searching for. The reason we are called to seek God only and not these other things, is because when you spend your whole life pursuing these other things, you will find you are right where you started, even if you find what you think you are looking for.

The heart of man is in pursuit of a relationship, in pursuit of satisfaction, significance, a sense of belonging and none of this is found at the end of success, money, fame, marriage, or any other pursuit you are on, but if you seek God, oh my, you will find so much more than you could ask or even imagine. The Bible says, knock and the door will be opened, seek and you will find, ask and it will be given to you, for whoever knocks, seeks and asks gets God. Revelation 3 says, behold I stand at the door and knock, whoever opens to me, I will come in and eat with him; Matthew 6 says, seek first the kingdom and all these things will be given to you, and John 15 says, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever you will and it will be done for you. He is what you are looking for, He is the pearl of great price, He is the reward for those who diligently seek Him, He is what you need and what you want. I promise you, for I know from experience, if you seek Him, you will find Him and when you find Him, you will have found what you are seeking.

How To Harness the Power of People 1.3.16

Tags

Christianity, church, kingdom of God, People, Powerful people, relationships, Teenage Rebellion

People are the most powerful people on the face of the earth. When we recognize we all carry power, we will realize that there are people, systems, institutions and organizations that will seek to stop you from being powerful. The only people that don’t want you powerful are people who want all the power for themselves. Most places are one big game of king of the hill. As kids we used to play king of the hill and the goal was to get to the top of the hill and reign as king. From that position on top of the hill you could throw people down the hill, so you could remain as the king. But it usually wasn’t a very long reign because all of our friends were coming for the one at the top of the hill, seeking to be the next king. As a kid, this was a fun game, as an adult this is problematic, because some people will do anything to maintain their status as king of the hill in business, politics, education, religion or even the home.

 

Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 10:42-43, “…You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.” The disciples were concerned that James and John, who just prior to this statement by Jesus asked if they could sit at His right and left hand in glory, those two boys wanted to be the kings of the hill, but Jesus responded by saying, we don’t play king of the hill in My kingdom. As the world is jockeying for position, seeking to maintain hierarchy, control and dominance, the kingdom of God is operating with an underground movement of servants who are laying down their lives for one another, not trying to be the king of the hill, for we know there is only one King and His name is Jesus.

 

So, how do we harness the power of people? No matter your age or your gender, everyone is powerful. Few know how to harness their power, so they cause more problems than solutions, but people are powerful nonetheless. We come out of the womb with the power of our voice, we progress in our power by crawling, walking and talking. As people we are constantly testing the boundaries of our power, unless someone or some system has taught us we are powerless and we believed it. Words are powerful and they can empower you or silence you and cause you to believe you are powerless. So, be careful who you listen to, because they are either empowering you or seeking to silence you.

 

From babies to teenagers, from men to women, from college age to middle age, from youth to the wise, we are all powerful and I want to show you how to harness your power and how to help others harness their power.

 

1. Powerful people live within boundaries.

a. Rivers without banks become floods that destroy things, but rivers with banks give power to cities. Every major city in the world is built on a river. You are that river, you are powerful, but you must live within boundaries.

 

2. Powerful people can control their tongue.

a. Our words are powerful and we can use them to bless or curse others. Being able to control what you say and use your tongue to bless is a sign of being powerful.

 

3. Powerful people correct others up, they don’t put them down.

a. Everyone needs correction, this is how we grow, but being able to correct someone up and not shame them, condemn them or put them down is an indicator of someone that is powerful.

 

4. Powerful people are gold diggers.

a. Anyone can be critical, but powerful people find the gold in others and bring it to the surface so the person can see themselves as the treasure they are.

5. Powerful people are teachable.

a. Living with a constant understanding that what you know is limited at best is the sign of being powerful. Always being willing to listen and learn is how you remain powerful.

 

6. Powerful people are lovers.

a. The greatest invisible power is love, I Corinthians 13 tells us what love is, and if you want to be powerful, you must be a lover. Love will take you places money never could.

 

7. Powerful people are givers.

a. When you know who you are, you do not fear lack, for you know that you are an unending source of tangible and intangible gifts. Generosity is a telltale sign that you are powerful.

 

If we can begin to treat each other as powerful and help each other harness our power for the benefit of others, we will see ourselves gain favor with God and man. Our kids are powerful and if parents can learn how to harness their power, I believe we will see a decrease in teenage rebellion, for all they are trying to do is express their power. When husbands and wives see each other as powerful, we can begin to see that we are stronger together than we are apart, but we both must be allowed to be powerful. Finally, if the church can catch the vision of this, we will train, equip and deploy people to do the work of ministry, rather than just want them to come to church, so we feel powerful. This is how we harness the power of people!

Fine Lines

Tags

Anger, Boundaries, Control, passion, relationships

When I was a child my mom would make my younger brother and I sit on our side of the car and keep our hands to ourselves. In the backseat of the car we would draw an invisible line and command each other not to cross it. Inevitably someone would stick their hand over the imaginary line and the other would shout, “Mom, __________ crossed the line!” Lines are very familiar to us as people, there are double yellow lines on roads, so people do not cross them and go into oncoming traffic; there are lines at department stores to keep people in the place they need to be until the cashier is prepared to serve them. Lines are so much a part of life that when we cross them, we usually know, because they are visible, but the invisible lines are the ones that we cross many times unknowingly.

A fine line is a thin demarcation between one thing and another. When someone crosses the line, it can be hard to identify for the one that crossed it, but the one that has been crossed can usually sense it immediately. Some of the fine lines that people cross and don’t realize until after they cross it include, but are not limited to:

1. Passion —————– Anger
2. Boundaries —————- Walls
3. Order ———————-Control
4. Correction —————- Character Assault
5. Intimacy ——————– Idolatry

Passion can crossover into anger; boundaries can feel a lot like walls; order can seem like you are being controlled; correction can cross into character assaults; and intimacy can become idolatry if we are not careful. Many of us can think of other fine lines that if we are not careful we can cross in our relationships with other people. We are living in a world that does not recognize the difference between passion and anger; boundaries and walls; order and control; correction and character assault; or intimacy and idolatry. The lines have become so blurred that we demand people conform to us, rather than us adhering to them.

When a Samaritan village refused to accept Jesus, James and John, two of Jesus’ disciples said, do you want us to call down fire on them, like Elijah did? Jesus said, you do not know what spirit you are of! (Luke 9:51-55) Many people do not know what spirit they are of, so they are crossing lines from passion into anger or correction into character assault, not because they meant to, but because they do not discern the spirit they are of. There are invisible lines being crossed in the spirit by many Christians, because the love of many is growing cold, due to the increase of lawlessness (Matthew 24).

We need to discern ourselves more today than ever, has our passion crossed over into anger? Have the boundaries we set, turned into walls? Have we become controlling of others and yet we call it just keeping order? Have we spoke a word of correction that was actually a character assault? Have we entered into an intimate relationship and now it has become an idol? We must discern what spirit we are of, for in the world in which we live, the spirit of anti-Christ will push you over the line and you will not even recognize it, because there are so many fine lines.

The Power of Proximity

Tags

church, marriage, Nearness, power, Proximity, relationships

Much has been spoke about on the power of momentum, the power of speech, the law of attraction and so many other success principles, but very little is spoken about as it pertains to the power of proximity. In a culture that is more digitally connected than ever before and yet more disconnected relationally than in times past, one has to wonder, what is the problem? My theory is, most people are really busy doing nothing. We spend time, energy and money on things that have no eternal value and we neglect that which has eternal value to us, because technology has made us look connected while being very disconnected. We have sought our significance in something rather than someone, so we spend hours and hours doing nothing of significance, yet wonder why we struggle with significance.

Proximity is defined as nearness in space, time, or relationship. Proximity is the invisible success factor that becomes visible in our lives as we exercise it consistently. The first issue people have as it pertains to proximity is their nearness in time or relationship with an invisible God. We go to church, we pray and sometimes we read our bible, but nothing changes because we have not seen the value the power of proximity brings to our relationship with the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 15:8, “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me…” This is a great example of a proximity problem in our relationship with God. The truth is, if we drew near to God, He would draw near to us; if we would seek Him with all our hearts, we would find Him; and we would begin to harness the power of proximity which would manifest in our understanding of identity as sons and daughters of God.

Another undervalued relationship for most people is that of their spouse. The divorce rate is out of control, because people in marriage are not valuing the eternal person and covenant they have in their life. We may live in proximity to this person so the nearness in space and some would argue time issue is there, but the nearness in relationship is lacking, so we are not seeing the power of proximity manifested in our marriages. When we value marriage as an eternal covenant, which will yield rewards that have yet to be seen on earth and in generations to come, what is invisible will become visible to the other members of this covenant, mainly the children. The power of proximity will yield generational blessings if we only could recognize the eternal nature of our spouse; the eternal nature of us as a couple, for we have the power to create something the world has never seen before, just look at your children; and the eternal nature of God who uses marriage as an analogy of Christ and the Church.

The power of proximity is limitless, for the kingdom is all about relationships. In the age that just ended in the spirit, rules, righteousness and a variety of other issues were paramount indicators of spirituality, but Jesus when He came to earth and ushered in the first transition from Law to Grace said, repent for the kingdom of heaven is here. That meant, think differently, not modify or eradicate some behavior. Jesus was telling the people to think differently about people, about relationships. Look at the people Jesus touched (lepers); let touch Him (prostitutes); or that He made a part of His band of brothers (betrayer, tax collector and doubters). The power of proximity is about to go from invisible to visible as many have harnessed its power in secret and are about to share their success stories with the world. It’s never too late to recognize the power of proximity.

Transistor or Resistor

Tags

Flow, power, relationships, Resistors, Transistors

Everything about God is relational. – Bob Hazlett

One of the greatest things about being in a relationship with God is that He makes you smarter than your IQ and wiser than your years. I find the more time I spend with Him, the more He teaches me about spiritual truths, using natural things that I know nothing about. But, He does know that I live in a day and age, where if I am a learner, I can learn about anything He speaks, thank God for Google. So, while in prayer I had one of those moments where God began speaking to me about something I knew nothing about, or so I thought I knew nothing about it. For as I studied it out, I discovered it was something I knew, but did not have such creative language for. Only God can affirm who we are while calling us into who we are not yet.

While praying for people and places, the Lord dropped the words transistors and resistors into my spirit. I kept praying, but could not shake these two words that the Lord had dropped in my spirit. What I discovered is that transistors are amplifiers, they amplify a signal, they amplify power, and they amplify sound. Resistors are reducers, they limit flow, they lower voltage, and they lessen power. In the electrical world transistors and resistors work together to release an appropriate balance of power to flow through a socket or terminal. But, in the spirit, these are opposing forces that cause confusion in a place where people gather to experience God.

The Lord has spoken to me consistently that the hold up for revival, the presence of God, power, whatever we desire spiritually is not Him, but us. If we don’t make room for Him, He is not going to force Himself upon us. He already poured out His spirit upon us on Pentecost, now He wants His spirit to come out of us, but we have too many cross currents happening in ourselves and in our gathering places. When we want to be a transistor one minute, but then are a resistor the next, we balance the power and stay the same. Or if there are both transistors and resistors in the same room, we balance the power and nothing changes.

In Acts 2, the Spirit of God came in like a rushing wind on a group of people who were one transistor, the Bible says, they were in one accord, in one place. They were all transistors, all wanting to amplify the presence of God, all wanting to admit a signal to earth about the power of God, there were no resistors in the upper room. So, when the spirit fell upon them like tongues of fire, they amplified the word of God on the street in everyone’s language, and the power of God was seen in healings. Transistors gathered together in one place, lifting up one voice, amplifying one message, and 3,000 people were saved that day.

Transistors amplify the signal they are receiving, while resistors limit that which they are seeing or hearing. When believers that are created to be transistors of the presence of God, become resistors of it, we see the manifestation of religion. Some started as transistors, but have become resistors due to bad theology, poor leadership and sheer laziness. Others were resistors, but have become transistors and as they amplify the power of God, the resistors rise up and balance out the current, so there is limited or low power flowing in the room. When we resist, what we are to transist, we get what we see in the majority of churches today.

We were created to be transistors, we are built for power to flow through us, but we must stop resisting that which we don’t understand and then we will see the spirit breakout, for Christ in us is the hope of glory. So, the question each of us needs to ask ourselves is, am I a transistor or resistor of the presence of God, the word of God and the power of God or am I a resistor and that is why where I am there is limited power?

Connected Mission

Tags

marriage, men, relationships, women

When I was a kid there was a show I used to watch called the Wonder Twins. This brother sister duo had the power to transform themselves into the form of something and when what they were transformed into, combined with what the other was transformed into, it created exactly what they needed for the situation they were in. For example, one would say, form of water and the other would say form of freezer and they would become ice that would become their weapon against whatever it was they were fighting. It was a fun show to watch for us who were born in the 70’s, because we would pretend with our friends to be wonder twin powers and we got quite creative with what we activated.

I believe this old cartoon has application for today as it pertains to what God is doing with people in the kingdom of God. First of all, it was a male and female team. They were not in competition with each other, but they complemented each other. They both had something the other needed in order to face the situation they both found themselves in. In Genesis 1:26-28 when God created humanity, He created them male and female with two distinct and different makeups, but one mandate. They were called together to take dominion, not over other people or over each other, but over the earth, the animals and the land. They were to work together to multiply who they were, to rule and reign together and to subdue every enemy that sought to come against them. Eve was not Adam’s enemy, nor was Adam, Eve’s enemy. They were the wonder twins and together they would activate the kingdom of God on earth.

In Genesis 3 the enemy of this dynamic duo interrupted the original intent of this duo and deception led to a behavior that destroyed the original design for this power couple. Throughout the whole Old Testament we see that the mandate to take dominion over the animals, land and their enemies continued, but one other dominion was alive and well and that was the dominion Adam took over Eve. In Genesis 3:16 we see that part of the curse that was pronounced over Eve for her disobedience to the Word of God, was to live in subjection to her husband. But, Jesus! John 3:16 is the beginning of the breaking of the curse placed on Adam and Eve for their disobedience. Jesus, who was obedient even unto death, broke the curse that was pronounced on Adam and Eve and everyone after them by dying on the cross. Not only that, he restored to them the keys of the kingdom that they were originally given in Genesis 1.

The wonder twins were restored at the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. We are still distinctly different, and understanding those differences will help us to work together once again as the wonder twin powers, who are called to activate the kingdom of God on earth. John Gray in his book men are from mars, women are from venus began the process of outlining the differences between men and women, but God knows our design and distinctions so only He can really help us understand how we were created and how we work together in a complimentary, not competitive fashion. What most of us do not realize is that men were created for mission and women were created for connection. When we only focus on mission, we tend to go it alone. When we only focus on connection, we tend to go nowhere. But, if we could recognize that women want to be connected so they can be on mission with their man, men would be more effective in their mission, because their wife is created as their helpmate not their enemy.

The enemy has no new tactics, he does the same thing over and over again. He has deceived us to believe the enemy is our spouse, but actually our spouse is our greatest ally. The bible says, that when a man finds a wife, he finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord (Proverbs 18:22). Favor is grace, which is divine empowerment for success. The bible also says a woman of strength and integrity turns her husband into an honored king (Proverbs 12:4). When men and women stop competing and start complementing each other, we will realize we are the wonder twin powers that God created to activate things on the earth, that will usher in the kingdom of God. Together we engage in a connected mission.

People Are Not Disposable

Tags

Christianity, faith, relationships, valuable

Psalm 55:12-13 “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend”

People are your greatest asset and people are your greatest liability. The kingdom of God and its advancement is designed to use people. God does nothing on the earth without the use of His people. We are co-heirs with Christ, created in the image of God, filled with the power and presence of God, we have been given authority. Our words create, our words heal, our words, are containers of power. The Lord has entrusted us with the privilege of being His representative on earth. This is why people are our greatest asset.

People also have a free will and they can choose to use all their God given authority and power to tear down, to destroy, to hurt, to hinder others. People can resist God, resist authority, resist the very ones God put in their lives to bless them. People can say no to God’s will for their life, they can choose destructive behaviors, attitudes and actions. People have been given the ability to choose, and sometimes those choices do not benefit humanity and the advancing kingdom, sometimes those choices actually defeat the purposes of God.

As Christians, we have the power to be both of the aboveforementioned people, however, we have the word of God to guide us, lead us and reveal to us the truth about who we are called to be. The challenge is, many Christians are unaware of how they treat others. We can get so consumed in our own lives, that we miss the response of those around us. People are constantly giving us clues to who they are, what they are feeling and what they are experiencing when they are around us. Yet, many of us, believers, do things to other believers that is very painful and unlike God, and we are either unaware or we don’t care.

People are going to hurt other people, but when a Christian hurts another Christian or treats a fellow believer as less than they deserve to be treated as a child of God, it is possibly one of the most painful things we can experience. If unbelievers do unbelieving things, there is an understanding that they don’t know any better. But when a Christian treats people like unbelievers do, there is sting that happens, which is hard to describe, because we expect them to know better. Jesus never threw anyone away and as believers we are to follow the example of Christ. We are called to treat people as valuable, for that is how Christ treats us. People are not disposable, to God they are valuable and they should be just as valuable to us.