This is not about "us and them" it never has been. We were promised that we would be persecuted. We always have, and we always will be persecuted. That's what we were promised!
These ridiculous arguments don't mean a thing. WE DO NOT NEED TO STICK UP FOR GOD. He is God. He can stick up for himself.
People create this war that they believe we have to fight. Christians vs Atheists. Christians vs Scientists. Christians vs Homosexuals. Christians vs Muslims. Christians vs The World. WHY?
Is this what you think our mission was supposed to look like? Debating whether someone broke this law or that law, on Facebook? Do you think our mission was to win an argument and belittle a social group?
We all know what the answer to that is. I don't even have to tell you.
But I am reminding you.
Jesus told us to make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that he commanded.
God cares about the laws he sent us. They are important to keep us safe and keep us from falling away. But you know what is most important? You do. It's LOVE. Love the Lord and love others as you do yourself.
You believe these people are our enemies but right now you are your own worst enemy. Christians continue to shoot themselves in the foot with the things they say and do.
Are we baited with loaded questions?
Yes.
Are we the victims of judgement and ridicule on each and every one of our mistake?
Yes.
Let me tell you, the outside world doesn't understand that we all sin. That you and I sin. They don't understand the concept that there is nothing we can do to be perfect, and that claiming the title of Christian doesn't magically give us powers to never mess up, break rules, or sin.
They truly believe that by being Christian, we claim to never ever sin again; so when we do we're seen as hypocrites.
Which is why pointing fingers at the other people in the world is the biggest mistake we could probably make. When we tell the world they are sinning, we are expected not to sin ourselves. Doesn't that sound familiar? It almost sounds like we're trying to pick the speck of dust out of our brothers eye while we have a plank in our own.
I am SO TIRED of the "hate the sin not the sinner" schpeel. Why? BECAUSE THE OUTSIDE WORLD CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE. To them it is one in the same. And although you feel like you have your phrasing and your vernacular down to a perfectly harmless politically correctness, it doesn't make a difference to non believers. It just doesn't.
The Bible calls us to judge our Christian neighbors. In the sense that if they are sinning, you're supposed to approach them and tell them their fault. And if they don't listen you're supposed to have an intervention with him with a few people, and if he still doesn't listen, you bring it up to the church leaders. Like, this is real. This is really, really real and in the Bible. (Matthew 18:15-17)
When is the last time you have done this? When have you EVER brought up faults to your brother or sister in Christ? Probably never. I know I haven't. Why? "because it's impolite". You know what else is impolite? Telling a gay person that you hate their sin and not the sinner. What in the world would you do if someone said to you "I don't hate you, I just hate that you're a Christian."
Could you even be friends with someone who said that to you? I most likely couldn't.
You say we are called to honesty and not to water down or dilute The Word. But refraining from saying offensive things is not doing that. In fact, we do it all the time!
When we are spreading the Gospel we start with the basics, which I'm sure you all know. Sin, repentance, forgiveness, revival, love, Jesus, resurrection, prayer, mercy, grace, etc. We don't just jump into theological talks about nephilim, demon possession, Calvinism, old earth vs new earth, submissive wives, or Revelations. Are all these things holy matters? Yes, but they are not really making disciples.
We must take the same care and discretion with choosing our words and what we share with non believers.
There was a time when people could say to a random stranger: "You are a sinner. If you do not repent an ill fate awaits you. But Jesus has already taken your deserved punishment, all you must do is have faith in Him and call him your Lord" and people would totally just go for it. But times have changed, and as Christians we must be aware of that.
As the culture and society shift, so must we to make disciples and spread the Word.
But isn't that going against the fact that God and his Word are never changing? That He and His Word are the same yesterday, today, and forever? No. We are not changing our beliefs. We are shifting our approach to the world.
Here's the big idea (as Bob and Larry would say):
-We need to take a serious look at what our objectives as Christians are.
-We really need to think about what we say and how it's going to be understood.
-We need to pay attention to society and see how the people need to be fed.
-We need to be very serious about loving others as we do ourselves.
-We need to stop fighting a war, and start loving the lost and the broken.
Although this term is used a lot (and usually as a the Christian catch-phrase), I think we should accept it with sincerity..
What would Jesus do?
