One of the most common statements that people have about people who profess to be “Christian” is that “they are all hypocrites!”
That angers some people who consider themselves to be followers of Christ. But it shouldn’t produce anger—but maybe humility. And possibly even lead to an enroute to show people the type of love Jesus would have us show the world.
When we are getting to know people and they are hostile to “the church” or disgusted by Christianity, it really should not surprise us. It definitely shouldn’t give us an excuse to turn our backs on them.
- There are people who truly have been hurt extremely bad by people who are “churchy.”
- There are people who are angry at Christianity because they don’t understand why we hold to absolute truths from God’s Word—instead they think we’re choosing which things we oppose on our own compass.
- People who have spiritual blindness and who do not understand the Bible cannot grasp, on their own ability, the depths that Christ is in His word.
- People see and experience “evils” in everyday situations—therefore it’s difficult to understand why Christians still say God is a “good” God with so much hurt and evil.
We should expect people to have misunderstandings about our lives and why we’re so involved in the lives of others who make up our local assemblies. But it may be a very true gauge of our hearts if we are not loving to those who oppose us.
Love should be the overarching goal when we’re dealing with people anyway. Whether we’re joking and playful with people or in serious and sobered conversations—love needs to be the mindset we have and what they walk away with.
I had a conversation with a professor at USC while we were at a summer project in L.A. who kept pressing that we Christians were not only hypocrites, but also frustrating because we were trying to tell people they were going to hell.
I answered by saying, “If I am one of those radicals who actually believes that people are facing the wrath of God, in their sins, if they are not living for Jesus—if they are not changed by the news of forgiveness and reconciliation that He has provided—If I said I believed that but then never told you about it—wouldn’t that prove to be the most unloving thing I could do?”
But If I tell you these things that I believe are true—a message that is eternally significant—wouldn’t that move me from the category of hypocrite to “true friend? I would think that might be the most radically loving thing I could do for you.”
Sure, you may still disagree or reject what I tell you about Christ. You may choose to believe there is no God or no God worthy of submitting your life to. But if I sincerely believed this—as in staking my life on it for this lifetime and the next—and I kept that truth from you—now that would be a hypocrite.”
This guy was a philosophy professor at USC—so needless to say he thought my beliefs were silly. But he responded in saying that he had never thought about it from that perspective (and again, this was a philosophy guy!).
The point is this: Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you.”
In another place Jesus said, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves.”
Our words and actions are to be loving whether they receive them or not. Jesus was mocked and
We should not be surprised at all when people around us are indifferent at best, and hostile at worst to our beliefs, lifestyles, and commitment to Christ.
Jesus clearly told us that ravenous wolves would be attacking us as if we were defenseless, weak sheep. He already told us that. No surprises then.
He told this warning while at the same time saying, “Love one another, as I have loved you. In this way the world will know that you are My disciples, by the love you have for one another.”
So not only are we to bear with, have extreme patience, and put up with attacks from “wolves” around us—but we’re to still “love” people when they don’t even see the harm they are causing.
People may not even receive the love we are trying to sharing. Due to hardened hearts, hatred, and complete spiritual blindness they are incapable of it. We should be broken and saddened by their state of being.
We need to embrace that we are hypocritical and will fail people. We also need to engage with difficult people in showing the love of Christ with people who are very hostile to the message we’re sharing. We need to share the radical love of Christ with people who radically oppose it. We need to be a people known by this same type of radical love.
Sankie P. Lynch
No comments:
Post a Comment