I wrote about this topic from a different perspective in may, but here is what I am still finding in "the American Church":
A LACK OF H U M I L I T Y.
What is bringing this thought on, Shauna?
Great question.
And here is my answer: Politics and Social Media.
Just a couple of days ago, the media decided to "call the election" and declared Biden the winner of the 2020 Presidential Election.
That did not shock me as much as much as watching believers take to social media to make not just their opinions knowns, but their beliefs, conscience's and quite honestly, judgements known.
I've seen statements like, "I don't know how or think someone can be a Christian and believe x,y,z", "I wouldn't want that blood on my hands" and even, "if you voted for Biden/Trump, I have every right to question your [Christian] character and integrity and to take you out of my life."
Exact statements.
From both sides.
From believers.
So tell me: Who's right? If "both" Christians have the Holy Spirit inside of them and if "both" Christians are truly voting according to their conscience?
When contemplating -- and watching-- all of this happen the past 48 hours (and let's be honest, the last several months), a passage from Scripture comes to mind. To preface this, it is not a perfect example of the current situation, but one that I feel is applicable.
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul is exhorting the believers in Corinth to, well, do a lot, but to encourage them to prefer one another over themselves. The issue at hand: is eating meat sacrificed to idols a sin? And because this is not a hot topic in our day and age, let us briefly unpack this topic. In ancient day Greece, Corinth was the epi-center for gods & goddesses- a belief system. One had hundreds of gods and goddesses to choose from, and you could offer sacrifices to them. Slaughtering an animal, being one of the ways that they offered sacrifices to whatever God they chose. In turn, the temples then sold the meat left from the carcasses for a profit. People could then go to the market and purchase this meat. The profits then, in many if not most cases, went right back to the temple(s) where people were sacrificing to these gods & goddesses.
Back to the Scripture passage, starting in verse 18: Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?... that food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons..." ie, don't give thanks to the demons for what you're about to eat, or be thankful someone sacrificed an animal to a god for what you are about to eat. For, in verse 26 we read, "For the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof."
A verse down in 27 we read, "If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, "this has been offered...", then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience-- I do not mean your conscience, but his."
So what is Paul saying this people?
Eat the meet and give thanks to God! For it comes from Him! But, if you get the hint from your friend or a stranger that it would offend them to eat it- then don't! And give thanks to the Lord for what you do eat- because it all comes from Him anyways! Oh, and don't seek to pump yourself up with your liberty to do so! It gives more glory to God to preserve someone's conscience then to do what it is you feel you have the freedom to do!
How does this relate to politics and social media?
I see too many believers declaring that their way is the only one, and slapping their declarative opinions in the faces of others. And I see too many believers judging others for either not having their same ideas & believing that God can only be in their beliefs. Basically, there are too many Christians out here eating meat in front of people that find it offensive.
Now obviously, things like murder, abortion, etc: wrong wrong wrong... but who a person votes for? A personal choice. And why do I believe it is a personal choice? Because at least in America, as much power as the President holds, he is not the only one making decisions for our country. (And I know that there is a lot more to it than that, but, I'm keeping it generalized for the sake of this post.)
The most wrong thing a believer could do is to go against their conscience. In fact, James 4:17 tells us, "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." ie: if you go against your conscience, you are sinning.
Back to to politics: Let me give the most declarative and bold statement I can give: BOTH CANDIDATES ARE SKETCHY AND MOST LIKELY NOT DESERVING OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY. That's why voting on a candidates' platform- and for the Senators & Representatives of each state was so, SO important this year (and every year, but I digress.)
The issues of abortion, immigration, Covid-19 policies, etc are near and dear to the Father's heart- as they should be ours. So here are some questions for us to consider as we enter conversations on these topics:
1.) Is who your friend (or social media friend) voted for more important than your personal relationship with them?
2.) Are your words speaking life into someone? Or are they speaking condemnation?
3.) Are you holding people's souls as importantly & as tenderly as God has called you to do?
4.) Are you viewing your opinion as more important than theirs?
5.) Are you listening to others to truly understand where they are coming from, or are you mostly only reacting to what they are saying?
And what is the underlying theme in each of these questions? HUMLITY.
Let's look super briefly on the topic of humility & the tongue.
1 Corinthians 10:24: Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8:Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all thing. Love never ends.
1 Corinthians 14:1: Pursue Love
Galatians 5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Galatians 6:10: So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Ephesians 6:12: We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Colossians 3:12-13: Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
James 3:13, 17-18: Who is wise and understanding among you? by his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom... but the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 4:1: What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
James 5:16: Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
James 5: 19-20: If anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back (ie, discipleship) let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
And last but not least: Matthew 7:1-5: Judge not, that you be not judged. for with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?.... You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
And those are just a few verses.
The reality is this: You're never going to influence -or disciple people- by yelling at them. You're never going to influence people by condemning them. You're never going to influence people by discarding them.
Jesus did not go around condemning people to hell.
Jesus did not go around and demand perfection before they followed Him.
Jesus did not go around and make sure that he knew & understood every person's political stance before He began discipling them.
Spiritual maturity takes time... years even [sometimes].
And sometimes there is just a differing of opinions (research the Apostle Paul his disagreements with other disciples for studies on that.)
Now, do not hear what I am not saying:
I am not saying do not vote.
I am not saying do not vote.
I am not saying do not share an opinion.
I am not saying to not stand up & against evil.
What I am reminding us of is this: We will never win people to Jesus or influence other's by yelling or demeaning them or by just throwing Scripture at them and walking away. We will never win people to Jesus by caring more about the "do's and don't" than we do their souls and hearts. (Research God's wanting to obliterate Job's friends- Job 42:7-8.)
Again, sin is sin and there are for sure times and places we need to speak that.
But more than likely, it is with a close friend or mentee when we're out for coffee.
Or it's in a private conversation with someone, in email or over messenger even.... but not where hundreds (or thousands) of others can witness the fighting.
It may be a bold statement but what I don't imagine Jesus doing is discrediting or discarding believers. Maybe He'd put up a healthy boundary. (But let's be serious, because Jesus has the heart of the Father and eternal-unending-patience so He can handle it.) I'm sure Jesus would take (and he did) people aside and say, "Bro: what are you doing?" -- But those conversations would always come from the perfect heart of God.
Because, if we are engaging in the opposite of the heart of God and we are taking it upon ourselves to judge others, then we're only doing the dirty work of the devil: causing and stirring up division. And as Proverbs 6:19 tells us, "The LORD hates... [the] one who sows discord among brothers."
I leave you with this final thought, as I've been rereading the story of Brother Yun, in his book, The Heavenly Man (for the 3rd time: because it has been THAT life-changing to me, ha!)
We as American Christians have this mentality of, "Well, I have every right to defend myself and to make sure that people only think well of me" when the reality is: Scripture speaks mostly to the actual reality that Christians will usually be taunted, looked down upon and honestly: tortured. And he quotes a passage that really hit me:
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, and that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
1 Peter 4:12-14
I think that we as American Christians really need to humble ourselves and ask ourselves- and the Lord- about what is most important in heated conversations: being heard or praying for the heart of the people we're engaged with. And quite honestly, remembering that we don't always have to defend God: He does a pretty good job of that on His own and sometimes we just get in the way of that.
<3
