minus the ribbon.
yikes!
It was a pretty extreme statement. The men who obeyed were essentially saying "I so trust God, it's so important that I be identified as a member of God's family, it's such a priority for me to obey God's every command, I so revere God's Holiness, that I will endure anything... pain. humiliation. being different. anything."
(I imagine they were saying a few more things than that, but for the purposes of application and keeping a pg rating on my blog, I'll move on...)
In my opinion, Christians today are constantly faced with the risk of pain, humiliation,and being different- but not just from the obvious source. I think many of us are prepared for the fight against the world. We knew that 'they' wouldn't understand. The thing that surprises me is the war within the Christian community. I have been accused (in a roundabout way, never directly) of being both not 'Christian enough' and 'Too Christian.' The 'not Christian enough' side has been around since I can remember, but the 'too Christian' thing from fellow believers lately is really unsettling.
Yes, I agree, there are some hateful FREAKOS out there. I have cringed many times as I've witnessed people behave horribly in the name of Christ. Being militant and harsh and hateful is clearly wrong. I also agree with Kim, who has experienced people who wear their 'righteousness' like a badge of honor- proudly and obsessively waving their own homemade 'thou shalt nots' in an effort to promote shame, inferiority or whatnot in others who are not living as 'holy' as they are.
But what's killing me right now is the trend of even Christian leadership being so afraid of looking like one of those freakos that they are over-correcting... big time. 'As long as you love everybody, it doesn't matter what you do.' and 'You concern yourself with your sin and let everyone else do what feels right to them' 'I don't want to be legalistic' and 'I don't want to be so heavenly minded that we're no earthly good' seem to be our new anthems. Issues that were formerly black and white are downgrading to a weak shade of grey.
Satan, from the original sin, has been whispering in people's ears that God's rules are really not that important. I think that he's cracking up with glee each time we justify sin because we don't want to be 'legalistic.' Yes, Jesus was clear that loving God and loving others were His top two commandments. But Paul and the other writers of the New Testament spend page after page telling Christians how to behave and be set apart... so that among a world filled with liars, adulterers, drunkards, fornicators, users of foul language and idolaters, the people who are following God can be easily found.
Not for bragging rights...
Not to earn one's way into heaven...
Not to impress others...
But so our light would so shine,
That people would see our good works
And glorify our Father in heaven (Matt 5:16)
If we are hanging around the darkness, if we are exercising our liberty to the point of abuse, if we are justifying our sins by not wanting to be extremists, how are people going to see God for who He is? How will they know we serve a Holy God if our behavior is unholy?
It IS important that we love one another. It is the MOST important thing. In fact, it's equal, Jesus says, to loving God. But one way that we can show our love to each other and to God is to keep His commands. (John 14) Our Holy, amazing, perfect God deserves our reverence, respect, and obedience. And here's the cool part- we don't have to do this on our own! He's given us the Holy Spirit to help us live in a way that glorifies God. Why wouldn't we want to be set apart for our Holy God? Our hearts need to be right so that we will willingly circumcise anything from our lives that would not be pleasing to Him.
Even if it hurts. Even if it's humiliating. Even if it separates us from the crowd...
The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile .....For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.
Romans 2:25, 28-29
6 comments:
"But what's killing me right now is the trend of even Christian leadership being so afraid of looking like one of those freakos that they are over-correcting... big time." Oh Sister, I am so right there with you. You have elegantly stated exactly what has been on my mind this week. "'I don't want to be legalistic' and 'I don't want to be so heavenly minded that we're no earthly good' " - I have heard this so many time that it makes me nauseous.
Absolutely agree. I think what it really comes down to (as always) is more of Him and less of us. If we're too busy judging the judgers or hating the haters or justifying the sin, we take our eyes off Him. Somehow, if we were all a little more singularly focused on Jesus, the fruit would almost ripen itself in terms of the Great Commission.
Beautiful rant.
OOPS forgot : RANT ON SISTER!
Loved this! So heavenly minded that you're no earthly good has always been a question mark in mind. I know what "they" mean but it seems to me that, when the focus is true and God-centered, being heavenly minded actually makes us more earthly good! We understand with a clearer purpose that which we are called to do and have a better understanding of Who is ultimately "in charge".
Thanks, again, for the study!
Can I stand and raise my hands and sing "HALLLLELUJAH!!!" Oh sister, you have expressed my exact thoughts.... Makes me wish I was doing your study! But even without, this post is timely and relavent!!! Going to go share the link on FB now. xoxox
So well said!! Amen sister!!
Post a Comment