Man, celebrating the empty tomb was awesome! I hope everyone had an incredible weekend.
As I returned to the world of social media, I could not help but notice the overwhelming number of posts from "Christians" concerning many hot political topics! So I thought man I don't want to miss out on this frenzy let me find a catchy quote from Jesus concerning government and their agendas.
I was sure I would find scripture where Jesus commanded the Roman government to legislate His will. Furthermore I was sure I would find Jesus sending out His disciples to make a stand to defend their "God given rights!"
Turns out I didn't do much better than Peter when he would go fishing without Jesus. I got nothing!
It seemed that Jesus was far more concerned with His disciples loving people and fulfilling His purposes than He was any hot political topic of the day. I mean after all Jesus did know that the government would one day join forces with the good religious people and crucify Him right? So why not speak loud and proud against that government? Why wasn't He more concerned with the government?
There is more than one topic happening here, so let's break them down one at a time. First topic, "we need to speak up for our rights." Listen I am all for our American liberties and freedom! But should we become offensive and ruin any testimony we may have with the other side to defend our thinking? In fact, if I read the Gospels correctly the day I became a follower of Christ I denied myself and lost all of my rights. Unless of course I only read the Bible literally when it applies to the blessings I shall receive.
Ready? Marriage...oh no! Listen God's design for the institution of marriage has been under attack since the beginning of time! Why does homosexuality bother us more than adultery, lust, pornography, debt, and countless other atrocities that are tearing apart the institution of marriage? Why are we not storming Washington demanding legislation be written to prevent those attacks? I would suggest that it is because it is easier to call out a particular sin when we are not dealing with and wrestling with it ourselves. And the sin in our lives well, it's just issues we are working through we don't need Washington for them.
Now the above paragraph is circumstantial I know, and mostly fueled by my anger at ludicrous, hurtful, and barbaric comments from people claiming to LOVE JESUS AND OTHERS! So let's leave my ranting for a minute and get to facts.
Read Luke 6:27-42 in it's entirety because I am going to summarize...
"LOVE YOUR ENEMY" Now let me set one thing straight someone dealing with a homosexual lifestyle is not an enemy! However, if someone living in homosexuality read our fb posts, or our tweets, or overheard our conversations with our Christian friends it would not be far fetched for them to feel like our enemy. So with that explained remember LOVE?
What does love mean because we seem to have lost sight of that meaning as well. "Love is patient and KIND; love does not envy or boast; it is not ARROGANT or RUDE. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful..."
Now many are wanting to push back right now with we are not being rude we are just speaking the truth. I would suggest that our truth speaking is not in love. Here is why I would make such an audacious claim. Whenever we vent on any social media site or converse with our Christian friends about current topics, homosexual marriage, abortion, anything else that fires us up. We are pushing the very people who Christ is pursuing further away from the TRUTH!
Listen the 5 or 10% of the obnoxious outspoken agenda pushers and politicians don't give two hoots about our status updates. They don't care how many signatures are on our petitions or how many likes our posts have generated. The only audience we are reaching is an audience that doesn't have an agenda but may have real struggles and questions about life. Our truthful statements have achieved NOTHING except to create a larger separation between those living differently than us and a Savior who died for THEM.
Listen if we truly want to make a difference let's stop pushing people away and hurting people before we even give them a chance! Instead of posting our crazy abortion pictures, spend time showing a pregnant mother who is scared and confused that they really do have options. Step back for a minute put yourself in the shoes of a scared teenage girl. Is it possible that she hears the church condemning her first for becoming pregnant and then screaming at her that abortion is murder? Yet when she looks at the system and in the streets she sees kids that nobody wants to care for, and thinks there really are no options. Shouldn't that girl be the one pointing the finger and saying you know what your right it is murder but you and your country club have done nothing to help provide an alternative. And you certainly don't love me because I messed up and my life will never be as pretty as yours!
And while on the abortion topic, instead of posting our pictures that reminds the woman who deals with regret every single day of her life how awful we think she is, maybe we should be reaching out trying to get her to the God who LOVES her and wants to make her BRAND NEW! If we really feel the need to post a comment or picture regarding murder, a cross may be a more fitting display.
Jesus didn't command Caesar to legislate love, He commanded us to show the world His love! Maybe the solution is not in legislation, but in us leaving our comfortable bubbles and getting dirty! It's time for us to stop trying to clean everybody up, making them look like we think they need to look, and realize we just need to GET THEM TO THE SAVIOR!
And some of you are reading this thinking well if I don't speak up someone might be offended or think I am not a true Christ follower! LISTEN YOU WILL BE IN GOOD COMPANY THE RELIGIOUS WERE OFFENDED BY JESUS! THEY QUESTIONED HOW HE COULD TRULY BE GOD AND TRIED TO INSULT HIM BY CALLING HIM "A FRIEND OF SINNERS!'
Are you willing to actually make a difference by getting off the soap box and starting to love people? Listen God doesn't need us to make a radically offensive stand with our aggressive public displays! He needs us to radically love those who are not like us or Him. Follow the example of Jesus, He welcomed and loved those neglected by the religious system who were nothing like Him. And the most beautiful thing of all those who were nothing like Him, LIKED HIM! Can the same be said of us?
