In talking with an old friend last week I was dumbfounded, and then angered, by the following exchange:
"Tell Arnie he should drive the bus into a brick wall."
I had do idea as to why this person would want my husband to drive into a wall.
He then replied, "But He should jump out of the bus first."
Again, I was stumped, "Why on earth would he do that?"
"Well he's driving the QUEERS ON WHEELS tour."
(My husband is currently on tour with the STARS ON ICE.)
In reading the above how did it make you feel? Shocked and appalled or did you agree with the sentiments of my old friend? I know it took less that a second for my heart to register what my ears and brain had processed.
This is a person whom I have known for nearly 11 years. A 'go to' guy in whatever church he has served in. And this, THIS is what he shared with me?
I am going through something in my life that is challenging my response to those in the world. Not just the CHRISTIAN world, but the one we live in outside of the
church walls. I am daily being reminded of the two commandments that JESUS CHRIST himself stated we, HIS FOLLOWERS, were to obey:
Luke 10:27And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
I don't see Christ stating to ---Love your neighbor as yourself ... unless they are GAY...unless they are divorced, liars or drunkards. etc, etc.
And how often we forget that God says, 1 John 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
You may not be Gay or Lesbian. That may not be your particular 'sin' issue. For you, it might be GLUTTONY --- a much IGNORED sin in the worldwide church.
You may be someone with a propensity for LYING. You may be someone right now, realizing the truth of your ADULTEROUS AFFAIR is about to be revealed to your spouse.
You may be a well thought of highly esteemed teenager in your youth group who is SEXUALLY ACTIVE with your boyfriend or girlfriend. You may be a believer who is WITHHOLDING THE TITHE.
Or a woman who cannot stop COVETING what her best friend has, whether it be a Dolche and Gabana satchel or the latest pair of Prada shoes.
You may be a man who has brought great emotional harm to his wife and is now walking the lonely road of DIVORCE. You may be an employee who delights in GOSSIP MONGERING.
You may be eaten alive with PRIDE and SELF IMPORTANCE. You may be a Christian who has UNFORGIVENESS in your heart for someone who deeply hurt you.
Regardless of what 'sin' the secret part of your heart holds, there's a very powerful and meaningful truth --- a wake-up call to everyone who claims to be a follower of Christ and believes they have it all under control. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
That ALL includes Y-O-U! Grab a mirror and take a good long look at the face you call your own.
Do you remember what it is YOU have been saved from? How wretched and dirty your own soul was and at times may very well still be? Have you forgotten the very sin in YOU that Christ shed HIS BLOOD to cover?
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world (the drunks, the liars, the gluttons, the covetous, the sexually immoral) that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not die but have eternal life."
Do you believe that Christ's sacrifice covers their sin or just the more acceptable ones you occassionally dabble in?
If Christ told us to love, to go into the world sharing the GOOD NEWS --- was that with a religious bat or with the truth of HIS LOVE?
Are you being Jesus with skin to your neighbors? Not only the straight ones but those who are very much the modern day 'lepers' of our society --- your gay and lesbian neighbors? They are indeed part of the world. And just like you and me they are, more often than not, hurting wounded people.
Are you being Jesus with skin to your neighbors? Not only the straight ones but those who are very much the modern day 'lepers' of our society --- your gay and lesbian neighbors? They are indeed part of the world. And just like you and me they are, more often than not, hurting wounded people.
You may want to dig alittle deeper today and see what CONDITION your HEART is in.
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8 comments:
ARGH! I had this big ol' long comment and something happened with Blogger. In a nutshell:
I think the biggest turnoff and roadblock for nonbelievers is the hatred and hypocrisy that spills out of many of today's so-called Christians.
Matthew 7:3, people.
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." (Gandhi, of course.)
(Forgive my ignorance, but who exactly is Arnie with now?)
OLYMPIC STARS ON ICE produced by Scott Hamilton.
I loved your blog!! I agree with everything you said. I take my mothers words and apply them to my life ..."keep your eyes on the Lord" - if I kept my eyes on "Christians" I would certainly not want to be one sometimes. I want to share Jesus with the world but if I condemn anothers sins I am not going to get far in sharing am I. We ALL have things we need to deal with but loving is the way. Thank you Judy!!!
Amen, Honey. And I am moved and inspired by the messsage... one you can't take credit for, as you know, since Jesus wrote it first. :)
God, give us your eyes for just one second so we can drink deeply of compassion and not spit in the face of the mercy we have received.
PS. I would clarift the first section of the blog so we know what the comment means.
Amen to you Judy! WE are all sinners. God sees it all the same, there is no sin worse than another in His eyes. We are to love the sinner while hating the sin. And if they are to crash into a brick wall, where will their souls go? There is always hope that someone will turn from their ways and accept Christ as long as they are alive.
You took the words out of my mouth. I feel so strongly about this issue. It is so sad that many gay people are afraid to go to church or when they do, they are condemned and judged and their eternal salvation is lost in the process...I don't think that is what Jesus would do at all. He would embrace them and welcome them and LOVE them and lead by EXAMPLE. Jesus did not surround himself with model citizens...he hung out with thieves and prostitutes. ENOUGH SAID..and by the way...you need to give this "sermon" at every church in America!!
I like that you're digging into a much-needed, controversial topic, but the more I study salvation, the more I disagree with Calvinism (which keeps us in our pre-salvation rags).
Jesus definitely came to save all people, and all people are sinners. But there are great warnings for those who proclaim Christ, yet create 'strange doctrines' by incorporating their sins into their 'Christianity.'
Forgive me if I'm wrong. I'm trying to differentiate between the world and the Bride of Christ. It's not called a narrow road for nothing! :)
Looking forward to seeing more of what you write. Much love, Donna
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