I have always been troubled about how some denominations punish people who are leaving their sect to seek deeper spiritual growth.
Some have to be rejected with a ban of fellowship that the church holds against those that leave. The leaders attempt to place a blight upon such in the name of religion.
Some of these spiritual people have endured a denominational curse-like suffering because they love God. It is like blood stains on a coat intended for betrayal. A true Christian should pray and ask for the removal of this through the name of Jesus and it will be gone. As a leader, you will never walk without responsibility for putting such a condemnation upon a child of God.
This is a form of imputed punishment upon a believer. The Bible is clear in saying to bless and curse not, even your worst enemy. I do understand the justification for doing this but it does not to belong to a born-again person even if you disagree with him.
Genesis 37:31 And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
It was Joseph’s brothers – patriarchs of the tribes of Israel. They put the blood of a goat on Joseph’s coat of royalty. They smeared his coat of many colors with the death of a goat’s blood. This bloody coat was a declaration of death to the father of the son the coat had been presented to.
The saints of God are arrayed in robes of white, clad with the righteousness of Jesus. These are robes that have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Many have taken blood of their own goat nature and smeared the white robes of the holy saints of God with the blood of jealousy, envy, hate, disdain, gossip, lies, imagination and all sorts of evil and even false accusation.
This picture becomes a brother’s presentation to the Heavenly Father to declare one dead evil or no good. What God calls clean call thou not unclean?
Joseph lost his second coat of royalty after he was falsely accused of a sexual sin he never committed. Many saints have been stripped of their royalty in the view of mankind because someone was a false witness.
This put Joseph in a dark and filthy prison for several years. He was told that he was filthy and now he gets thrown into a filthy, dark, prison. So he must have been guilty, right?
Oh, the awful damage that brothers and sisters can bring against each other when the plaintiff has lost his first love for Almighty God and therefore joins ranks with the enemy and accuses a brother or sister.
Our presentation of Jesus on the cross to the Father was a most horrible act of evil and unconscionable wickedness. We stripped off our Savior’s seamless, royal robe and tore it to pieces. Upon it was the blood of His friend, Judas through betrayal, and the beating of the scourge that happened in the garden after Peter cursed and said he knew nothing of this man.
We presented Jesus to the Father and crucified Him upon a cross as naked, worthless, destitute, and friendless. We left Him to die as no good! We esteemed Him not and were ashamed of Him.
If we have done it to a brother or sister we have done it unto Jesus. I wonder how many of us would have stood against Jesus based on what we have done to each other?
Matthew 25:40 Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
After the great revival in the upper room there was great boldness upon the disciples. Stephen was full of the Holy Ghost and spoke boldly!
Acts 22:20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
Before Paul was converted, he consented to the stoning of Stephen without throwing one stone. He simply protected the garments of the persecutors and executioners. There are many that would never throw a stone but will protect the guilty and approve their actions.
Let us be greatly challenged by this message. How have I presented Jesus in someone else to the Heavenly Father? Did I stain the robe of righteousness with the blood of death and thoughts of evil intention against any child of God?
Let us never forget, it is not my blood that paid for my brothers’ and sisters’ salvation. It was the blood of Jesus! Knowing this, let us never stain with our blood any garment that Jesus paid for and cleansed.
Have I ever put blood on someone’s coat because of my own problems and misunderstanding?
Jesus said this regarding Judas, “What is that to you? Follow thou me.”
