Christians should not live surrounded by a sounding board of yes-men; only reflecting the speaker’s point of views right back at them. The sad fact for not only Christians in today’s world, but people in general, dissenting views are not welcomed.
“If your views are not like mine, and you voice them, I will shun you.”
This is the truth for many liberals, conservatives, libertarians, anarchists, atheists, Christians, agnostics, natives, whites, blacks, and everyone else.
“If you cannot agree with me, then we aren’t friends.”
Oh, Oh, Wait! I have a better one…
“How dare you have an opinion different than mine!”
Since when is everything so polarized and absurd? When did everyone get so sensitive? Can someone, somewhere, grow some brass?
I may be a Christian, but I welcome many views, ideas, beliefs, and ways-of-life into my circle (and lets be clear, just because a fellow Christian disagrees with you in opinion, doesn’t make them any less Christian).
With all that being said, I am going to focus in on Christians and nonbelievers in this post.
Many Christians may criticize this idea with the biblical platitude, “What place has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) My answer is simple, why did Jesus come to the earth? The law was not good enough! The world needed some light because the religious elite wasn’t doing anything but playing church, jury, and judge to the world; Jesus needed to save not just the Jew, but the gentile. Jesus needed to save the world from themselves, and the church (status quo).
Matthew 5:46
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?
It was never God’s will to have us be lost in a world of law and legalism. The Jewish law didn’t come into existence until after the Hebrew nation was freed from bondage in Egypt. The Hebrews needed guidelines because living for God wasn’t possible on their own (they kept falling into idol worship), and this was before grace was extended towards mankind and Jesus freed us from our debt of inherited sin. Law was NEVER God’s will.
But back to what place light has with darkness…
We are here to lead people into light, and to do that, we need to be HERE FOR PEOPLE. To be here for people, we need to understand them. We need to LISTEN to people to understand them, listening doesn’t mean we need to agree. This concept that everyone has to agree and think alike isn’t even a biblical stance except for when we consider corporate worship/prayer. To lead people to Christ is to reflect first his love. When you examine Jesus’ life in the bible, who did he hang with?
It wasn’t the Sadducees, Pharisees, or any other law-loving, people-bashing, finger-pointing leaders… Jesus was drawn to the people who needed him.
Jesus didn’t come for the people who thought they had it all. He didn’t come for those who thought they were complete in their faith. He came for those hungry for more, for love, for healing.
Mark 2:13-17
9As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.
10Later, as Jesus was dining at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’a For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
God extended his hand to the ones who were meek and needing more than just their holy books. He wanted a PERSONAL relationship with his creation, he wanted to restore some of what was lost back in Eden.
When we look more into being unequally yoked, what can that really mean? A yoke was used to bind two animals together when needing to plow or move something out of the way. Looking at the context in 2 Corinthians it could suggest that Paul is speaking in a more marriage context. It is almost impossible to be EQUALLY yoked when we really look at in a biblical stance. Both parties can attend church, but does that mean you are equal in your devotion, time, and belief in Jesus? No. It may not. When we look at UNEQUALLY YOKED it can be taken as unequally bonded. Do not tie yourself in a intimate friendship/relationship with someone who doesn’t believe. That is all that means. Do not have a strong, unbreakable tie to someone who cannot support you and your relationship with Jesus…
It doesn’t mean the following: don’t associate, don’t be friendly, don’t be friends.
We can be friendly and kind to people who don’t believe in God. We can be sensitive to the thoughts of others. We can be sensitive to the hearts of others. It is about being there for people, about reaching out, and listening. To understand people is to love them, and to love them is to show the face of God. That is all we need to do! We don’t need to shove our beliefs down anyone’s throat. We don’t need to shout the other side down. We don’t need to prove anyone wrong. We need to live our ideals and beliefs… Which means we need to walk in love.
Luke 7
36Then one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37When a sinful woman from that town learned that Jesus was dining there, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume. 38As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair. Then she kissed His feet and anointed them with the perfume.
39When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him—for she is a sinner!”
40But Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, Teacher,” he said.
41“Two men were debtors to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,c and the other fifty. 42When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more?”
43“I suppose the one who was forgiven more,” Simon replied.
“You have judged correctly.” Jesus said.
Now, I am not saying Christians need to DO everything the world does. I absolutely don’t think that. God does ask for us to refrain from some things. The world does some things to fill voids, if we are truly a Christ follower, our void is filled by our relationship with our creator.
What I am saying is this, IF someone isn’t hurting you, let them say what they need to say. Stop blocking everyone who disagrees with you on social media, you are only hurting yourself. The narrower your world, the less you can reach it. The smaller your circle, the less of an impact you have. Your place in this world isn’t to change anyone’s mind. You won’t change anyone’s mind. You do not have that power. It is the Holy Spirit in you that can draw people, trust me, it isn’t you. It isn’t about any of us. Stop taking dissenting views as personal attacks.
Let me just be real for a moment, as much as I would like to block out all the Donald Trump talk, I don’t… And because I listen to people who support him (and even Hilary- YIKES!) I understand why people like him. He is different. If I blocked everyone who likes him and just went on what those who opposed him said, then I’d think every Trump follower was a bigoted, misogynist, racist, who wanted to establish a Nazi regime here in the U.S.
We cannot afford to live life in a narrow mindset that automatically writes off anyone who disagrees with us. We cannot afford to watch people die and go to hell, Christians are great at scaring people off with their in-your-face, and you-are-going-to-hell stances.
How about we say:
I was going to hell, But God…
I was living like this, But God…
I was so lonely, But God…
I was so confused, But God…
We are not here to change anyone, we are not God…
We are here to live life to the fullest, loving all of those we come in contact with; then, and only then, will the world see the hand of God.
The church isn’t here to benefit the people within the four walls of your local assembly. A house of God is in the community, impacting individuals, families, and other places of worship.
Get out. Go befriend someone different than you. Go get involved in some local philanthropy. Go love on a stranger today!
Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Faith in Motion 