WILL WE EVER LEARN?
PROVERBS SAYS - Proverbs 17:28 (NAS) Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.
These are very wise words to live by. In the world of Facebook so many people simply can not resist that wickedly tempting comment box. I can't imagine how many relationships have been broken, how many jobs have been lost and how many fools have been found out, all because people can't help but spew their hateful putrescence all over the world wide web.
I adopted a pretty serious self imposed rule when I was pastoring that I have found to be a life saver. It's simple, don't create conflict with anyone on social media. When I do have the very rare "conversation" that has enormous potential to "Break Bad", I either take it to email and a private conversation or I pick up the phone.
Relationships are bridge building endeavors that take time and patience, thinking you are going to change someones political or religious position with a Theologically incorrect or chastising FB post is foolishness.
So I've been watching FB and every other social and political media I can keep up with as a few very volatile issues have been brewing and boiling over in a pretty ugly way. It is painful to watch as men and women sitting in pulpits and broadcasts around the USA have been attacking the Homosexual community and our country's Supreme Courts Ruling on Same Sex Marriage. As I've watched this all unfold, it feels so familiar and I have to ask myself are we missing something big here?
First, it is worth noting as a matter of fact, the Supreme Court makes ruling on matters of the Constitution and the Law, it's interpretation, the intent of the original author and modern "conflicts". The Supreme Court does not evaluate Holy Scripture.
Is it our job and duty as Christians to point out others sins? Have we become so dependent upon our country (USA) making choices for us, have we forgotten that it is God that we are called to put our trust and faith in? What is the Great Commission and is the modern church doing it's job as described in Acts?
So many questions, so much hate and finger pointing. I have been drawn to two storys in the Bible that have great truth and importance in regard to how we (as spirit filled Christians) are to treat others. In the Book of John, chapter 4 you can find this account of Jesus and his encounter with a Samaritan Woman. You need to really understand the powerful and significant importance of Jesus, a Rabbi, a Man, A Jew, Speaking to A Samaritan Woman. This is not an acceptable "meet up". I'm posting the entire text below, take a minute and read through it when you get a minute. Let it sink in a little. The second is the story of the Harlot being dragged out to be stoned but they bring her to Jesus and ask him to Judge and sentence her. Jesus' reaction is not what they expected.....put down your filthy stones.
Here is the hard and ugly truth that, it appears the Christian community seems to be completely freaked out about. If Jesus physically walked the earth today, He would be engaging the Gay community, He would be sitting down to dinner with them, He would be a guest at their weddings, He would do business with them, When a Gay couple walked into His carpentry shop He would take the order and make the Headboard and footboard for their bed. He would build a relationship with them, not because He supported their life choices but because He loves them. He would not do it to be the "cool, hip" Messiah friend but because his love for people compels him to reach out to everyone and He needs to build a relationship that affords him the ability to speak into their world.
You will never gain anyones trust while you point a loaded gun in their face and demand that they comply with your demands. (by the way, that goes both ways)
For anyone who has read the Bible, particularly the Gospel's of Matthew, Mark, Luke and most Especially John, it seems quite clear what the overwhelming message that Jesus is communicating to us, to all of us, even those who don't know Him yet is, "I (Jesus, God the Father and The Holy Spirit) Love you! Even before you knew me, I loved you, before time existed, I loved you. When you rise and when you fall, I love you. When you are a mess in a puddle of sin, I Love You! When you worship me and when you run away from me, I love you!" The Gospels are a map of sorts to decoding the great mysteries of God's (The Father) heart and will for mankind.
If we (Christians) fail to live our lives reaching out to the lost and sin-filled world with a compassionate and grace filled heart, without a sober awareness of our own condition, then all of our "good works" and "tithes and offerings" are of absolutely no use or value to God or anyone else.
We are no longer building alters for our living sacrifices to God. We are building egotistical monuments, massive religious museums, void of the power and the presence of God. We are living in a time when everything comes before obedience and submission to our Lord, yet we still look out at the "World" through our blood stained glass windows and point our disapproving fingers at everyone else's sin and faults.
God plan and purpose for his church and His people is so much bigger and better then we have displayed recently.
I'll finish with this scripture and simply mention as a point of context, this is being spoken to believers not the heathen.
2 Chronicles 7:14New International Version (NIV)
14 if my people, who are called by my name,(A) will humble(B) themselves and pray and seek my face(C) and turn(D) from their wicked ways, then I will hear(E) from heaven, and I will forgive(F) their sin and will heal(G) their land.
Below is the story I mentioned above.....the Woman at the well.
John 4,1Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John(A)— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea(B) and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria.(C) 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.(D) 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”(E) 8 (His disciples had gone into the town(F) to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan(G) woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”(H)
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well(I)and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.(J) Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water(K) welling up to eternal life.”(L)
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty(M) and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.(N) 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain,(O) but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”(P)
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming(Q) when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.(R) 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know;(S) we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.(T) 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come(U) when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit(V) and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit,(W)and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ)(X) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”(Y)
The Disciples Rejoin Jesus
27 Just then his disciples returned(Z) and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.(AA) Could this be the Messiah?”(AB)30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi,(AC) eat something.”
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat(AD) that you know nothing about.”
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will(AE) of him who sent me and to finish his work.(AF)35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.(AG) 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests(AH) a crop for eternal life,(AI) so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’(AJ) is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
Many Samaritans Believe
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town(AK) believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”(AL) 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”(AM)
Thank you,
Stephen Alexander
