I was inspired to write this by something I read in a novel by a friend of mine, Jacob D. Ambos. So credit where credit is do. Some of this was written by me, some wasn't. However I believe all of it was inspired by God. My prayer is that God will speak to you through this as He has me. God Bless. -- AaronToday I feel compelled to talk about the greatest threat to the church today. No, not just today’s church. This my friends is the greatest threat the church has ever faced, and it’s from the source you would least expect. This threat not only threatens to stand in the way of God’s plan for this nation and his world but also to undo some of the great accomplishments that have already been done.
This threat my friends does not come from Islamic terrorists. It is not Atheism, or people who hate Christians. For Christ said in his word that we would be hated for his namesake, so that should be nothing new. The threat isn’t homosexuality, or immorality. It isn’t sexual permissiveness in the media, it isn’t drugs or alcohol. It’s not Republicans or Democrats. It’s not abortion or gay marriage. It isn’t illegal immigration or global warming. It’s not UFOs, it’s not even the very demons of hell or their master Satan.
The greatest threat to the Christian church; is me, and you. The greatest threat to Christianity; is Christians. I was looking at bumper stickers today and I came across one which read. “God, please protect me from your followers.” You know you might chuckle at this but there is a sad truth to this statement. As Christians we have to ask ourselves, not how the world has us wrong. Not about their misconceptions about the churches many failures throughout history. What we need to ask ourselves is what are we showing to the world? Modern Christians did not perpetrate the Crusades, or the inquisition or the holy slaughter of Jews during the Middle Ages. But we’ve murdered abortion doctors in His name. Scientists, politicians and entertainers have received death threats from the very people who take their name from the Prince of Peace. Some even protest funerals in the name of God. Maybe I’m wrong but last I checked God loved all his children, not just the ones who sit in a pew on Sunday mornings. I don’t think the world has us wrong at all. I think they see us more clearly than we see ourselves.
It’s been said that sometimes the only difference between Christians and non-Christians is that the Christians are going to heaven. But when that is the only difference, then there is no difference. If the only way your friends and neighbors know that you’re a Christian is that they spot your car in a church parking lot on Sunday morning, then you’re no longer a help to the kingdom of Heaven you’re a hindrance.
My wife told me a story once of a time before we were married when while driving somewhere she spotted a group of people standing on a meridian waving signs that, please forgive my language, said “God hates fags.” Disgusted by what she realized was a very poor representation of Christianity, she approached the group and asked them how successful they had been in saving people with this message. Confused the group tried to explain that saving people was not the purpose of their demonstration. But my friends what purpose is there as Christians other than reaching out to a lost and dying world? The great commission says “Go and make disciples of all nations…” Jesus said the two greatest commandments were to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul.” And to “Love your neighbor as yourself” What of these three things was demonstrated by the group? Have you ever watched footage of one of those gay pride parades? There are usually two groups represented at such an event. The first and most obvious would be the homosexual community. The second is the Christian community.
One of these groups generally waves signs, their voices filled with hatred as they hurl insults at the other. The other generally remains silent, and when they do respond its usually with little more than a smile, the blowing of a kiss or a wave. One side meets hatred with love, sadly that side is generally not the Christians. I’ll leave you to decide which side better displays the character of Christ.
Some might say that they were simply exercising their right to free speech; that may be true. But just because we have a right to speak doesn’t always mean we should. Besides the government, thank God, is not the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong. Just because you aren’t violating the U.S. Constitution doesn’t mean it was right. The government is not your god. This government is just another Caesar. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars, the Bible says, but render unto God the things that are God’s. We belong to God, He bought us with a price, and that covenant is greater than any constitution ever written.
There is another bumper sticker I’m sure you all are familiar with says “WWJD” What Would Jesus Do? This used to be a good thought, a good idea even. Now it’s a joke. We have made it so. When Jesus was nailed to a cross, left to hang on it, dying in agony, did He call his congressman? Did He rant to a television talk show host? Did He stage protests and heap hatred on the Roman soldiers that mocked Him? Did He even call on the armies of heaven to rescue Him from this great injustice? It was well within His rights to do so, but he didn’t. He prayed for them. He said “Father, forgive them.” He met violence with mercy, He met hatred with love. And when all was said and done, in less than a thousand years, the Roman Empire fell, and Christ’s words were spread across every nation and continent.
The fact is, if Jesus were here today, he wouldn’t be condemning the homosexuals, the prostitutes, or even those with aids. When we look at his life, we see that He didn’t condemn those whom we would call sinners. He was their friend. Christ’s condemnation was reserved for the religious people. The ones who thanked God, that they weren’t like those sinners. The ones who didn’t believe they even needed a Savior. In other words, us.
There is a third bumper sticker I want to talk about. This bumper sticker has on it a quote from Gandhi which says “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.” The word Christian was a derogatory word, invented in Antioch by enemies of the Church. It meant “little Christs”. Now it means something derogatory again. For today it means “Hypocrite.” We are helping to tear apart the nets made by God to save the lost and dying of this world. With our legalism, with our moralizing, with our condemnation of people who need Jesus, who need Him more desperately than any of us can imagine. They are starving, and we stuff our faces and curse them for not having bread.
It’s true. We are hated. And yes, much of this hatred is unjust, and unearned. The forces arrayed against believers are formidable and many. But when we meet violence with violence, and hatred with hatred, we only increase the ranks of those who stand against us. We start giving them real reasons for their hatred. The most powerful force in the entire universe is love. It was God’s love that saved us and offered salvation to the world. It is our love that can spread the news of that salvation to every corner of every heart. The hardest, most hateful human heart can not stand in the presence of love. I know it doesn’t always make sense. We feel we need to defend ourselves, to stand up for our beliefs and our rights. Which is true to a degree, there is nothing wrong with standing up for your self, but make sure to count the cost. God can accomplish much more through our love than through our hatred. So make sure it’s a fight worth fighting before you pick up your sword. Jesus was not a pushover, on numerous occasions He got right into the faces of the Pharisees. But Jesus was also silent in the face of his accusers. Why? Because He understood that sometimes the best speech is the one left unspoken. It was Jesus’ actions which saved humanity not His words. Sometimes it would really benefit us if we really considered. What would Jesus do?
