God’s “Standard”
- Do not use demeaning language, and snide comments, when referring to other brethren.
- Temper righteous anger with mercy, remembering your own weaknesses.
- Cut out of your lives those things that feed temptation based on personal weaknesses.
- When questioned, answer directly with “Yes” and “No”, without unnecessary verbal garbage.
- Do not seek recompense for evils done to you. Let the matter rest.
- Be always ready and willing when someone requests your help.
- Be generous with your help, doing more than requested where appropriate.
- Ask God’s blessing on those who attack you, whether verbally or physically.
- Remove hatred from your heart, and thereby become a reflection of God’s own character.
- Do not parade your righteousness before men. Instead cultivate true humility.
- Do not advertise what you do with your tithe money. Give as God directs and be silent.
- Do not weary God’s ears with long prayers. Say what you want and have done with it.
- Exercise the grace of forgiveness, even when it produces no immediate reconciliation.
- If you fast, let it be done in secret. Don’t advertise the fact. Only God needs to know about it.
- Do not build a store of coveted temporal possessions.
- Learn instead how to build up a bank balance in your heavenly deposit account.
- Do not allow the evil eye of covetousness eat into your soul.
- Learn to trust God for your daily needs, rather than being forever anxious about tomorrow.
- Before confronting your brother’s fault, check that he is not able to find even more in you.
- Share pearls of revelation sparingly, lest the untutored class you as heretics.
- Let your basic behaviour towards people be governed by “Do as you would be done by”.
- Shun the broad road of popularity and success. Seek rather the narrow road of obedience.
- Learn to distinguish false brethren by their behaviour.
- Don’t just say Amen to a good sermon. Make sure you put it into practice.
- Don’t go to church to worship God until you have settled the problem between you and you brother.
- Confess the Lordship of Christ in your life as opportunity allows, and Christ will confess your name before His Father in Heaven.
Discipleship means discipline. No man can rule in the Kingdom of God who has not first learned to rule himself.
All the above 26 points, taken from the Sermon on the Mount, speak to those who are already the children of God. They have nothing to do with the gospel message of “salvation”, which is “by grace and not by works”. The “Gospel of the Grace of God” must always be distinguished from the “Gospel of the Kingdom of God”.
