Images and Impressions

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that hostility towards Christians and the Christian faith is on the rise. I'm not talking about people who just "get mad," but those who openly express their deep anger towards Christianity, God, the Bible and the Church. To them, everything associated with Christianity must be silenced, removed, marginalized and mocked. Anger that spews forth venomous wrath, vile language and actions of blind furry towards all that is sacred.

They seem to be on an energetic crusade to have anything and everything that is "Christian" stripped away and wiped clean from our society. WHY? I wonder why they are so adamant about stopping Christianity because it sure doesn't seem that they are overly concerned about stopping the message of other faiths.

I think I might know why! Could it be that we, as Christians, are setting a poor example to others about God? Are we REALLY portraying God the right way? According to Nehemiah 9:7, our God is a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. God is very patient towards all of us as proven in Romans 2:4 (NLT), "Don't you realize how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Or don't you care? Can't you see how kind he has been in giving you time to turn from your sin?"

I could never understand why some Christians feel like it is their god-given right to openly "condemn" others by using such vicious and condescending language towards those they feel are "sinners." Shaming someone out of a behavior or habit will never work…in fact, it probably will just make things worse. With the way most non-Christians are treated, I can better understand why they have such a bad taste in their mouths towards Christianity. Could the reason why they are so hateful to us is because Christians have been hateful towards them?

It is not our "job" to make the alcoholic sober nor the homosexual a heterosexual. We are not commissioned to change the liar into an advocate of truth. Our mission is still the same as when Jesus commissioned us in Matthew 28:19, to "...go and make disciples of all nations...."

I am calling on all Christians to chill out with all the name-calling, finger-pointing, Facebook “MEMES” and posts and all the legal and morality crusades towards the people caught up within the ills of our society. We are called to live out Christ-likeness. We love the sinner despite the sin.

Instead of wasting time pointing out the sins of others and quoting Scripture to try to get them to change, we should be loving and praying for them while working on our own sin-issues and be found investing our time dealing with those areas.

What image and impression of God are you sending to others? A patient and merciful God who loves them like crazy or one that is condemning, intolerant, and mean? Who will you begin to showing more love to this week?

Tetelestai!

Just before Jesus gives up His spirit on the cross, He utters a very powerful word. The word that He cries out is “ tetelestai” (tih-tellis-tie). When literally translated, this word means, “It is finished.” It can also refer to something completed or accomplished. The word occurs in John 19:28 and 19:30 and these are the only two places in all of the New Testament where it is found. In the John19:28 passage, it is translated, “After this, when Jesus knew that all things were now completed , in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, ‘I thirst.’” Two verses later, he utters the word himself: “Then when he received the sour wine Jesus said, ‘ It is finished ,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” Did you know that the word tetelestai was also written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to show indicating that a bill had been paid in full? The Greek-English lexicon (by Moulton and Milligan) sa...

The 50-Days of Easter

Jesus rose from the dead. Period! He is alive. We are “easter people” and live daily as proof that He is risen from the dead. He did walk out of the grave. He conquered death. Jesus not only came back to life, but He stayed on earth to be seen by many witness. 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 , “ He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.” After the resurrection, Jesus spent forty days on earth before He ascended back to His rightful place (1 Peter 3:22), and then there were ten more days after that before the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-47). Jesus accomplished many things in this time between His resurrection and return to Heaven. One of the most important was actually a command to us. We refer to this impor...

Not Rejected

I think we could spend hours, if not days, in just the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel. If there is one thing that is made clear in this writing is that God is passionately pursuing us and bidding us to have a relationship with Him that is restored by His Son, Jesus. There is one verse, in particular, that stands out to me. John 6:37 , “However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.” Those that come to Jesus will never be rejected. If you come to Jesus, just as you are now, he will not turn you away. He gladly welcomes you to come to him. It is not God’s design or plan that we live separated from Him. He makes the way for that relationship to happen. He initiated the plan. He paid the price. He gives freely. He gives us free-will to choose or reject that offer of reconciliation through Jesus, His Son. God makes His intent clear: Ezekiel 33:11 , “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the ...

Clever Free Methodist

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