Dear LFTP: judging versus holding accountable
- Where is the line between not judging someone and holding them accountable for their behavior?
A listener asks where the line is between not judging someone and holding them accountable. The hosts land on posture and permission: accountability is permission-based and works through encouragement, not force — you can't make anyone change. 'Judge not' forbids writing people off as unchangeable (looking at people without hope); discernment plus hope is the goal. A stark warning about the natural consequence of choosing separation from God — darkness and torment in the absence of his attributes — can shake someone awake, but Jesus offers glory, not threats. The Secular answer: judging implies holding yourself above someone; accountability is a boundary, not a verdict.
More on Accountability
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Do accountability partners actually work?
- Do accountability partners actually do anything?
Mike raises his accountability-partners question: the standard dude-circle advice to get a buddy to hold you accountable for Bible reading, porn, church attendance, and drinking.
From No. 598 · Emphasis | Accountability, Worship and Praying with Strangers
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Telling your spouse about past sin: pornography, the granola bar, and the Holy Spirit
- If you have repented of a sin your spouse never knew about, do you have to tell them?
The hosts work through whether a repented-of sin a spouse never knew about must be confessed: a pornography habit versus a stolen granola bar from fifteen years ago.
From No. 579 · Wanted: Paul and Hope | Paul’s Persecution of Christians and Radical Redemption
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Feeling spiritually meh: causes, experiences, and ways through
- Have you ever felt spiritually meh, what does it feel like, and how do you get out of it?
The main discussion: what it means to feel "spiritually meh" — not rebelling against God, but not wanting to do the prayer, Bible reading, and other connecting practices you know are good.
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What does it mean to make disciples
- What does it mean to make disciples — is it just giving information, or does it involve accountability and structure?
The hosts take up the third topic: two extremes of disciple-making. On one side, being only an information provider and leaving everything to the Spirit; on the other, running…
From No. 545 · By Invitation Only