Ambassadors For Christ

This post originally published at taberstruth/modernchristianliving.com    Bill Petite


I remember the first time I heard the phrase, "ambassadors for Christ", as a very young, in the faith, Christian. The phrase seemed to have such an impact to it; we are ambassadors for Christ, we represent Him in this world. To know and understand what the role of an ambassador is, really brings home the impact of this in our Christian lives. Webster defines ambassador as this: "The highest ranking diplomatic representative appointed by one country or government to represent it in another." Also this: "An official agent with a special mission." The first definition is what we would commonly understand as an ambassador, one representing our country to another while residing in that specific country. But, the latter definition is the one which really defines our role as Christians in this world. When we are saved, we become an agent for Jesus and we have a special mission to perform for Him. This is not the cloak and dagger type of stuff we see coming out of Hollywood. This is a real world type situation. There are many people dying every day without knowing Jesus as their savior and when a person dies without Jesus, they are doomed to hell for eternity. There is that phrase which nobody wants to hear, "doomed to hell." But the truth is, a person who dies without Christ as their savior will spend eternity in hell and we, as ambassadors for Christ, must realize the absolute, in your face truth about this!

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.   Jn. 3:17-18  NKJV    www.biblegateway.com

Jesus tells us here that His first coming was not to condemn but to save. His second coming will be to judge those who failed to give their life to Him; those who refused to accept Him into their lives, as savior and Lord, will spend eternity in hell with the devil and his demon followers. We Christians have a tendency to lose sight of this truth sometimes. We fail to recognize what our role truly is in this world as ambassadors for Christ. This is not a slam on the Christian community, it is a fact and at one time or another, we all are guilty of it. It is easy to get sidetracked or distracted by the things in our lives or those things which surround our Christian lives. The business of Church sometimes gets in the way of what we actually should be doing for Jesus.

“We should be more concerned with reaching the lost than pampering the saved.

― David McGee

I have spoken with Christians who have never witnessed to anyone about Jesus. I remember how scary that seemed to me as a Christian young in my faith. To talk to somebody about Jesus? I was afraid the person would go off on me and tell me where to go! Well, I was wrong; after that first time, I discovered how easy it really is to talk to people about Jesus. Yes, there will be those who really don't want to hear and will tell you so, but overall, it is a blessing to witness to others about Jesus.

I mentioned earlier, as an ambassador for Jesus, we do have a special mission and that is telling others about Him and what He has done for us. He has given His life for us so we can have eternal life with Him. There are so many ways to convey this message; we must pray for the boldness to stand and deliver the message about the good news concerning Jesus. In this country we have it pretty easy when it comes to telling others about Jesus. There are other countries in the world where telling someone about Jesus can cost a Christian their life. It hasn't come to that yet, in the U.S. We know the truth and we must be ready to share that truth with others. Some of us have family and close friends who are not saved; we have to understand the seriousness of this. We have to be in prayer for these people constantly and seek ways to let them know about Jesus and what it really means to follow Him. The world has some crazy ideas when it comes to following Jesus or being a Christian. We have to know our Bible and we must be a student of the word in order to counter these crazy notions and be able to tell them the truth. The world sees Christianity as bigots, money hungry, fools, out of touch with reality, narrow-minded, wimps and as more recently described, "monsters." Monsters?? Really? That was from a government official regarding Christians in the military. But, we must be ready to tell these people the truth about Jesus and what He has done for us and the love He has for us. They need to know how He allowed Himself to be brutally treated and put on the cross to die in our place. Don't hold back on the details; they need to understand the price He paid to clear our sin debt, which we can never pay. Some of these people are really hurting and they can't find any relief. We need to be there telling them where they can find that relief; they can find it in Jesus! Every one of their situations is different but if we know what the Bible says, we can deliver the message they need to hear.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;   1 Pet  3:15  NKJV

 

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.  2 Tim. 2:15  NLT

 Conducting Ourselves As Ambassadors

If an ambassador of our country conducts him or herself in an inappropriate manner, it will have the same reflection on the entire country. It is the same with Jesus; as Christians and ambassadors for Christ, we represent Him to the world. If we conduct ourselves in any manner other than Christ-like, that is the Jesus the world will see. There are many areas of the Church which represent Jesus in a manner which is not true of the real Jesus and what He represents. We must be very conscious of our actions, our language and the way we handle ourselves in general. For the Christian who is a dedicated Bible student, prayer warrior and walking close to Jesus every day, this will not be a problem. But, for the Christian who is a little bit lazy in Bible study or simply just reading their Bible or is not in prayer daily, they might have a tendency to slip up and their conduct will reflect it. Remember what we were called to and how we need to live our Christian life.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.   Col. 3:1-3   NLT

Our lives should reflect what Jesus really is all about; we don't have to change it, soften it, sugar coat it or do anything to it. It will speak for itself. The world doesn't know the real Jesus from the imitation one; there are many ambassadors in the world today who don't represent Jesus but they use His name. They have a different message with Jesus' name attached to it. The world doesn't know the difference but they think they do. I often think about Westboro Baptist Church misrepresenting Jesus to the world and how that sets back any good work which might have been done by any true ambassador. This is a classic example of why we need to be conducting our Christian lives in a way which brings glory to Jesus. When the world sees the real Jesus, they see love and compassion, not the message which Westboro Baptist brings! Yes, to the world which does not know, when they hear these misrepresentations, it does make our work harder but Jesus still paves the way and clears a path for us to do the work. The Apostle Paul, writing to the young pastor Titus, told him this concerning the Westboro Baptists of the world,

They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching.  Titus 1:11  NLT

 

 Paul, here, was referring to the Judaizers who were teaching the need for gentiles to be circumcised for salvation but the point is made and is the same requirement for anyone who misleads those who don't know the truth. Our conduct means everything when we present Jesus to the world. We don't have to be extremely formal or extremely loose either. We need to know who we are talking to or speaking with. If we attempt to use fifty dollar religious terms, which is not understood by the everyday unsaved person, it will sound like gibberish. If we are speaking with highly educated individuals with street slang, the same will be true. Know who you are witnessing to and meet them at their level. Whatever that level is, allow the person or the people to see who Jesus really is and be prepared to answer questions and clear up any misconceptions they might have concerning Jesus and Christianity. And, if you don't know the answer, tell them you don't know the answer and you will find the answer for them. Don't try to bluff your way through. Be the ambassador Jesus wants you to be. He is the one who has sent us out.

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Matt. 28:19  NLT

 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Acts 1:8  NLT

In the world we live in today, we will experience and see some crazy stuff. We will hear people saying things and doing things we would not have 20, 30, or even 40 years ago. The devil has stepped up his plan of attack because he knows that his time is running out. We have to be the ambassadors which Christ has called us to be and tell the world about Him. They have to have the opportunity to know the truth and be saved. We have been called to deliver that message and whether some Christians know it or not, we are ambassadors for Christ.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.2 Cor. 5:20  NKJV

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Healthy Biblical Diet

This post originally published at www.modernchristian living.com   Bill Petite

Christians today have available to them multiple translations and versions of the Bible. In my opinion, there are some of these versions  which have really watered down the meaning of the original language and therefore have lessened the impact of the message. But, there are some very accurate translations available to us. For Christians to grow spiritually, it is important that they have a healthy Biblical diet; this would be the ability to read and understand the true meaning of the word of God from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. Reading the Bible without any type of plan or guidance is like shooting at a target with a blindfold on. The other issue is that many Christians simply don't read their Bible or they read it very little. God did not give His word through the men He inspired to write it as an optional tool for us; it is our manual for life and it tells us a great deal about our God. How hard is it to have a relationship with someone if you know nothing about him/her? The Bible contains more information about God than most Christians will ever know in their lifetime. It should be a goal in every Christian's life to know and study the Bible with the intention to know more and more about God and to enhance their relationship with Jesus. When we are saved, we enter into a relationship with Jesus; other than our prayer life, how do we get to know Jesus more and more? The Bible is about Jesus from Genesis to Revelation so, if we begin to study the Bible, we will then be on track in our relationship with Jesus. How can we know what the Bible is saying to us? Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to help us; in John 14, Jesus tells His disciples He would send the helper, the Holy Spirit.

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.   John 14:16-18   NKJV   www.biblegateway.com

Jesus did not ascend back into heaven and leave the disciples with only what He had taught them in the previous three years; as He ascended back into heaven He didn't tell them, "Good luck, I hope you remember everything I taught you because you're going to need it. I'll be here with the Father so if you need me, just yell." Jesus asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit as our helper because He knew we would be totally lost and helpless without Him. I say this because if you have ever tried to read and understand the Bible before you were saved, it really didn't make much sense. And, if you are reading this and you are not saved and have tried reading the Bible but could not understand it that is why. Without the Holy Spirit residing in us, the Bible is just another literary document with no meaning or impact at all. Now, that doesn't mean God can't use the Holy Spirit to reach an unsaved soul through the Bible, it is simply a fact that when unsaved people try to read the Bible for any other reason than for salvation, it will make no sense at all. That was my experience; I tried to read the Bible before I was saved and it was a total mystery. I didn't understand what any of it meant. The true meaning of the words in the Bible are best understood when being helped by the Holy Spirit. So, when a person is saved, that person should immediately be instructed to read John for the purpose of getting to know Jesus as our savior and to know how much He loves us. The Gospel of John is often referred to as the Gospel of love since it concentrates on the love Jesus has for us. As a new Christian reads the Gospel of John and has had a good head start on their Bible reading, this person should be instructed on how to develop a healthy Biblical diet in their Bible reading habits. Many new Christians are left to survive on their own with no discipleship at all. The Church is terrible about this; many local churches don't have a discipleship program established for new Christians and therefore these people are many times like sheep without a shepherd. They have no idea what to read, how to read the Bible or how to study the word. Many churches are only looking for the numbers; they are only concerned with filling the seats and putting the number of conversions on a monthly report. There must be a follow-up program for new believers. Discipleship is most important; there are far too many Christians in the Church today who are not willing to serve as a disciple and help new believers. There are far too many local churches who aren't really sure what to do with new Christians. New believers, when left to themselves, will develop bad habits concerning Bible reading or how to study the Bible. A friend of mine, after he was saved, was asked how or what pattern of reading habits he was using. His reply was, "I open my Bible in the morning and wherever it opens to, that is what I read." That's like abstract art, most of the time it makes no sense (my apologies to all you artists). There has to be a reading plan and a study plan; random and scattered reading gains a person nothing and the person will not grow. A scheduled, orderly reading plan will help a new Christian to become familiar with the Bible. Reading from Genesis to Revelation on a disciplined reading schedule will take a person through the Bible at a pace which the person can handle. The reading plan which I have been using for years consists of 23 chapters a week and it will will take a person through the Bible in a year. You can divide those chapters any way you want throughout the week; I read 3 chapters a day on week days and 4 a day on weekend days. This is a simple and easy to use reading plan for any Christian whether new or well matured. If a day is missed, move on and don't worry about make up unless you have the time available to do it. The new Christian should also be taken through a new believers Bible study to help them understand things like the importance of prayer, Bible study, assurance of salvation and many other important doctrines and aspects of the Christian life. It is extremely important that a new Christian have the opportunity to be involved in a discipleship program and learn how to have a healthy Biblical diet. This will get them out of the starter blocks and well on their way to a well-rounded Christian life. It will prepare them for the struggles and the joys of serving God!

“The one indispensable requirement for producing godly, mature Christians is godly, mature Christians.” ― Kevin DeYoung

A Healthy Biblical Diet Of Teaching

One of the biggest problems in the Church today is the fact that the Bible, in its entirety, is not preached. It is common to hear sermons on social issues or some other topic that deals with the world and its problems. Why are we concerned with trying to emphasize the fringe and ignore the heart or the meat of what the Bible says? Mega church pastors give the impression they are attempting to keep up with the Jones', so to speak, as they conduct ministry. If one mega church pastor begins to preach a sermon on sex, they all, like dominoes, fall into line and begin to preach a series on sex, which, by the way, has happened in many of those large churches in this country. One pastor in Texas must have felt he really had to upstage the others as he prepared to begin his sermon series on sex in the marriage. He and his wife spent a day on the roof of the church building sitting on a bed to draw attention to his newly proposed sermon series. Can you imagine the Apostle Paul going into one of the areas he planted churches and pulling a stunt like this? What was Paul's favorite attraction when he went into these unreached areas? Jesus. He taught them about the savior, Jesus Christ. He didn't use gimmicks to reach the people, he simply taught them about Jesus. Can you imagine Paul putting a bed on top of the temple and then start to promote a new series on sex in the marriage? Well, it doesn't stop there. Some pastors have never taught through the Bible. I have nothing against topical sermons as long as the sermon is based on scripture and the scripture is included in the sermon and properly interpreted. But the best way to teach the Bible is to teach the Bible. I have many times been asked to preach/teach a Sunday morning or a mid-week service and I simply take the passage which the Lord had put on my heart and teach it. It didn't have to be a social topic on how to convert the government into a Christian organization or how to stop the violence in the streets! We pray for those social problems and ask God to work in those areas according to His will but we shouldn't take that very valuable time on Sunday morning and talk about it. That time is set aside for the instruction from God's word. We need to know the purpose of God’s word; we need to know how important it is to know His word and why we put so much emphasis on knowing it.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.  2 Tim. 3:16-17 NLT

There are many churches today which have compromised for the purpose of filling the seats. They have given in to worldly practices in order to attract people to come into their sanctuaries. They compromise on the Bible teaching so they don't offend or step on toes; they will do these things in order to keep the people coming back. If something is used to draw in the people, well that is one thing, but when you have them in the seats, teach them what the word of God says. Don't cheat them out of the opportunity to know who Jesus really is and how to know Him as savior! It is very difficult, if not impossible, to bring a person to the saving knowledge of Jesus without teaching the word and telling them about Him. Teaching a "feel good about yourself" message or giving a motivational speech and occasionally mentioning the word god, will not allow people to know who Jesus is. How do they know what the Bible really says if it is not taught to them and they have no encouragement to read it?

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?   Rom. 10:14  NLT

We can't afford not to teach those in attendance every time the doors are open for service. We can't cheat, those who don't know Jesus, out of the opportunity to hear the good news about Jesus. There are simply far too many other things going on in our churches today that cheat people out of the good news of Jesus; they may never hear what Jesus has done for us. In the Church today, there must be a healthy Biblical diet available for the people. Without a healthy diet of Bible teaching and instruction, the average Christian will grow stale. Another important concern is many pastors only teach what they want to teach; some will concentrate on prophecy and end times and others will never teach these areas. Some will teach an evangelistic message every week and everyone in the church is already saved. In one local church which I attended, the pastor would take suggestions from the people for his summer long Sunday messages. There has to be a healthy balance of teaching which includes the entire Bible; teach the whole counsel of God so the people will receive a well-balanced Biblical meal over time. Hot topics related to worldly social issues will never help a Christian to grow and entertaining the church will result in nothing more than a church full of entertained people.

“The "show business," which is so incorporated into our view of Christian work today, has caused us to drift far from Our Lord's conception of discipleship. It is instilled in us to think that we have to do exceptional things for God; we have not. We have to be exceptional in ordinary things, to be holy in mean streets, among mean people, surrounded by sordid sinners. That is not learned in five minutes.”
― Oswald Chambers

The Church has become a place to be fed, with food, to be entertained and given a feel good message. It has treated the Bible as a document you might want to read or take a look at if you get time. There is little encouragement to bring one with you to services or to read it on your own. Bible studies are not organized to teach the Bible but instead some book which was written by a woman or a man and seems to be the hottest topic around the church. Bible studies without the Bible??! It is so important for Christians to find a local church which teaches the Bible, regardless of topical or exposition (verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book) format. Attending a local church because it has all the newest fads, technology or food vendors is the wrong reason. God wants our undivided attention when we are in service for Him; He is a jealous God and cares very little about the technology or food vendors in the lobby. His concern is for your hearing the word and receiving it and applying it to your life. So, that is why it is important to have a healthy Biblical diet in your life. Regardless if it is in the church you attend or your private reading and study habits, it is extremely important for the Christian to be Biblically well fed!

A Christian Response

This post originally published at www.modernchristianliving.com   Bill Petite

There are many times in our Christian lives when we will be questioned or asked to reply to
the world concerning its lack of understanding about Jesus or our faith in general.
Depending on what the question or inquiry might be, will determine how we answer. There are always going to be those times when we will be challenged about our faith in Jesus or about Christianity in general. Sometimes, these challenges can be presented in a mocking or abusive way and we will be challenged to simply keep our cool while responding. A

Christian response to any question or challenge must come from the heart first and then from our head. If we allow our ego, pride or flesh to roar and get out of control, the world or the non-Christian will have won a victory and we will have had our witness for Christ tarnished. A Christian response to anything the world throws at us should be thought through and even quickly prayed over and then given in a manner which will allow the world to see the love and compassion of Jesus. Remember, we represent Jesus to those who do not know Him and it is extremely important that they see the real Jesus, not our flesh. I always like to read the comments to articles on a certain Christian web site. The comments from the non-Christians and self-proclaimed atheists are typical of those who love to instigate and aggravate; some are very clever and some are simply rude and abusive. We expect that from those who don't know Jesus and are not saved but, what bothers me is not the comments from those who are not saved but from those who call themselves Christians. I remember reading some comments following an article on the Gay victory in the Supreme Court and one individual commented that "we will have the last laugh." It is comments like these, coming from Christians, that turns the world off when people talk to them about Jesus. Does God laugh when an unsaved person dies? Does He laugh because He knows that person will spend eternity in hell because they died not knowing Jesus as his/her savior? NO! God is a God of love and compassion and wishes to see nobody spend eternity in hell.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  2 Pet. 3:9   NKJV

This scripture tells us that God doesn't want anyone to die and spend eternity in hell so to make a comment saying "we will have the last laugh" is ridicules. When world events, elections or social agendas turn in the world's favor, we are not to ignore but we really need to pray over any response we may want to give.

A Christian Response To Worldly Agendas

When Christianity is challenged and mocked and Christians are referred to as bigots and such, we need to be very careful not to get caught up in worldly arguments. It is so easy to get on Facebook or Twitter and start proclaiming our ideas on such injustice or anti-Biblical social schemes. We open ourselves up to the attack and mocking of the world (and sometimes blow our witness); these people love to bash Christianity and if, in our ignorance, we open the door for them, they will jump at the chance to oblige. Social media is an excellent place to expose the world to Jesus and the Christian faith but we need to seek the Lord's guidance on this as we would any other form of evangelism. We have a president in this country who is the first president to publicly and openly endorse a sinful social agenda. What I mean by that is other presidents have been involved in sinful situations and some have been exposed (Clinton sex scandal, Nixon Watergate) but this one has openly and publicly endorsed sinful agendas and congratulated their victories. He has praised Planned Parenthood and in his ignorance, asked God's blessing for it. That incident proved the man's lack of knowledge and understanding of who God really is and what He is about. I realize how difficult it is for some Christians in this country to control their emotions when Gay marriage is legalized or when abortions continue, and when it is referred to as women's health. That last one really bugs me, but I have to keep my emotions in check, pray and seek the Lord's guidance before I make any response. Consider the following comment on the gay lifestyle.

I have nothing but compassion for those trapped in the homosexual lifestyle. Those who strongly believe in the Bible and God’s will regarding sexual behavior, also strongly believe in unconditional love and forgiveness. To say that authentic Christians hate, or fear, those trapped in the homosexual lifestyle demonstrates a gross misunderstanding of the principles of the Christian faith. To “speak the truth in love” simply comes from a desire to honor God, and to truly love and care for others. Times change but God’s standards do not change. No matter how many laws are passed in favor of same-sex marriage, it will not change God’s mind. His principles are guardrails through the canyons of life. They don’t prevent us from enjoying life; they protect us from falling.  -Pastor Shane Idleman

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/regaining-lost-ground/read/articles/a-biblical-response-to-gay-marriage-part-2-14308.html

This is a very loving and sound Christian response to the gay lifestyle; most Christians feel this way and are not bigots and haters. The Christian who is harboring an attitude of hatred and bigotry is in serious trouble with his/her faith and needs to repent. God is a God of compassion and we are saved because He had love and compassion for us.

Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, Christians used to form picket lines in front of abortion clinics or handcuff themselves to the front doors of those clinics. It got pretty radical and out of hand and finally it got way out of hand.

·    March 10, 1993: Dr. David Gunn of Pensacola, Florida was fatally shot during a protest. He had been the subject of wanted-style posters distributed by Operation Rescue in the summer of 1992. Michael F. Griffin was found guilty of Gunn's murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

·    July 29, 1994: Dr. John Britton and James Barrett, a clinic escort, were both shot to death outside another facility, the Ladies Center, in Pensacola. Rev. Paul Jennings Hill was charged with the killings. Hill received a death sentence and was executed on September 3, 2003. The clinic in Pensacola had been bombed before in 1984 and was also bombed subsequently in 2012.

·    December 30, 1994: Two receptionists, Shannon Lowney and Lee Ann Nichols, were killed in two clinic attacks in Brookline, Massachusetts. John Salvi was arrested and confessed to the killings. He died in prison and guards found his body under his bed with a plastic garbage bag tied around his head. Salvi had also confessed to a non-lethal attack in Norfolk, Virginia days before the Brookline killings.

·    January 29, 1998: Robert Sanderson, an off-duty police officer who worked as a security guard at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, was killed when his workplace was bombed. Eric Robert Rudolph, who was also responsible for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing, was charged with the crime and received two life sentences as a result.

·    October 23, 1998: Dr. Barnett Slepian was shot to death with a high-powered rifle at his home in Amherst, New York. His was the last in a series of similar shootings against providers in Canada and northern New York state which were all likely committed by James Kopp. Kopp was convicted of Slepian's murder after finally being apprehended in France in 2001.

·    May 31, 2009: Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed by Scott Roeder as Tiller served as an usher at church in Wichita, Kansas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion-related_violence

Now, not all these crimes were committed by Christians but it is obvious that some were. Operation Rescue handing out wanted posters with doctors names on them? Is this something Jesus would approve of? Shooting abortion doctors and handing out wanted posters and blocking the entrances to these clinics? I don't think we would have ever seen Jesus taking part in any of these activities. Does He approve of what is going on inside these clinics? No. But He would have never picked up a rifle and killed an abortion doctor and we don't have the right to do that. Instead of shooting them or blocking the entrances, there needs to be prayer for these doctors and everyone involved with these facilities. Prayer and counsel for the women who consider abortion; ask God to change their hearts.

There is a way to let the world know that we Christians stand against the murdering of babies and we disagree with the Gay lifestyle without becoming violent. We don't need to react in the same manner as the world does; the world reacts with hatred and abusive language and with demeaning type remarks. Why would we as Christians even consider a response such as that? But, it can be found on Christian web sites or heard in conversations. We Christians have to understand that this world is not our home. We live here but this is not our home; our home is in heaven and some day we will inherit that home and reside there for eternity. Consider what Peter says about this:

 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.  1 Pet. 2:11  NLT

I remember when I was young and attending school. My mother would tell me not to pick up any bad habits or bad conduct from anyone in school. The school I attended graded us on how we conducted ourselves and my mother put more emphasis on that grade than any other. She didn't want me acting like a fool or any other way except proper. She raised us to conduct ourselves in a very polite and cordial manner. If I brought home any grade less than an A in conduct, I was disciplined for it. The Lord is the same way; He knows we live in this world but He doesn't want us picking up the habits of this world. He told the Israelites to run the foreign nations out of the land when He led them in because He knew they would start to worship the false Gods of these nations and that was a no-no. It is the same with the Church. He doesn't want us to get involved with the practices of the world. If we are hanging out with the world, we will begin to act like them and our responses will be like those of the world. Shouldn't we be more concerned about our real home instead of this world? Remember, we are just passing through so don't get too attached.

So, when elections don't go the way we want or when the Supreme Court renders decisions which go against our faith or if the government threatens to take our guns, we must seriously consider how we respond. A Christian response should be one which brings glory to God and plants seeds in the minds and hearts of the unsaved. When these social/political events go the way of the world, we need to see them as opportunities to share our faith in a manner which is not arrogant or argumentative. The world needs to see Jesus in our response and they need to know who He really is, a God of love and compassion. The world needs to know Jesus as Lord and savior, not as a bitter, hateful God as some have portrayed Him to be. A Christian response should be................you fill in the blank.

 

A Politically Correct Jesus?

This post originally published at www.modernchristianliving.com   Bill Petite

The secular society in which we live is determined to force its agendas on everyone, regardless of personal beliefs. There is a demand in this world that calls for everybody and everything to be politically correct. As Christians, we need to resist these demands; it doesn't matter if it comes from family, friends or co-workers. Jesus has called us to speak for Him, not the world and its ideas. This world system would have us to recognize all forms of religion as being acceptable and paths to heaven, paradise or whatever hereafter you prefer. This secular, politically correct system would not have us be critical of those religions which are not in sync with ours or the one each individual practices. If we, as Christians, attempt to share our faith with anyone, we are seen as forcing it on them, demanding they accept our way of life and our religion. (News flash: Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship! Our God is alive!! A person cannot have a healthy, active relationship with a dead person or a fictitious god.) I'm sure there are Christians who are too forward or somewhat demanding in their witness, but I believe for the most part Christians practice a style of witnessing which Jesus directed us to use. Don't be forceful, tell them about Jesus, give the person time to consider and do it in love. Don't demand that people be saved. Allow the Holy Spirit to warm the heart of the person and if they choose to decline, we don't begin to force it on them or ridicule them or threaten them with eternity in hell (although this is the result of their refusal to accept Jesus, there will be a time to explain hell). These are the ideas of the secular society; they see Christians as forcing our belief in Christ on the world. That is not being politically correct. We are refusing to fall into line with the rest of the world and worship all the human aspects of this world. Well, that is mostly right; we will not or should not play their politically correct game of life but not for the reasons they believe. The world believes the Bible is just a document which was written by some men; well, that is true but they were inspired by God to write the words He wanted written. That is where they draw the line; they firmly believe this book was the work solely of men and there was no input from any god or from God. They insist we accept this and stop with all the fairy tales. The politically correct way of speaking about the Bible is to accept it as a book that teaches one of many religions in our world today and it should not have any more special recognition than the book of mormon or the koran (lower case intentional).  Jesus claimed to be the only way to God the Father and the secular world calls us narrow minded bigots for believing it.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.    Jn.  14:6   NKJV     www.biblegateway.com

This is definitely not a politically correct statement. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, Franklin Graham had this to say about Islam,

Franklin Graham told Greta Van Susteren tonight, "What I said after 9-11 was that Islam is wicked and evil. I don't believe Mohammad can lead anybody to God."     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04rpb0iVFmU

Wow! Franklin, that is not politically correct and I'm not sure, but I think that cost you a trip to the White House. I remember when he made this statement and the secular world was in an uproar. He actually called Islam evil! This is a great example of speaking the truth for the one and only true God, Jesus Christ! No, it is not politically correct but, it is the truth. We are living in what is often referred to as a postmodern world. Here is one definition,

"In essence, postmodernism is based on the position that reality is not mirrored in human understanding of it, but is rather constructed as the mind tries to understand its own personal reality."       http://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/gengloss/postm-body.html

Well, what is truth? According to this philosophy, it is what you want it to be or what you think it is. Hence, the Bible is not the true word of God because it is not believed to be so by many in the politically correct, secular society of our current time. One last thought here, a lot of people are in for a big surprise if they don't accept the truth of who Jesus really is!

In 1985, a group of people established what is known as the Jesus Seminar. This group set out to rewrite, or should I say edit, the words of Jesus. They used a voting system based on different color beads to determine which passages or words of Jesus were actually true, according to them. When they finished, approximately 80% of the words of Jesus were removed from the gospels. Well, I guess if your religion doesn't meet your agenda, you simply change it. The word of God warns us about adding to and subtracting from His word,

You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.   Dt. 4:2   NKJV

and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.   Rev. 22:19  NKJV

Both of these verses are very straight forward warnings; but again, the secular world doesn't believe this fairy tale stuff from the Bible. To them it is just some hocus-pocus stuff that only we superstitious, narrow minded Christians are afraid of. The secular world is more concerned with being politically correct than of offending God.

A Politically Correct Church

Some parts of the Church today have fallen right into step with the politically correct secular world system; they don't want to teach on certain topics because it might offend someone and they really don't want to offend anyone. Some of the old Main Line denominations have moved so far into the world they are hard to be recognized as a legitimate church. You will never hear a convicting message or sermon from one of these churches; they don't want to offend so you will never be convicted by what they might say when someone is in the pulpit speaking. You will never hear them teach that homosexuality is a sin like adultery is a sin. Actually, you will probably never hear them speak against adultery. They won't speak against homosexuality because they have ordained homosexuals and allowed them into ministry. The Episcopal church ordained V Gene Robinson who is openly gay and it tore that denomination apart worldwide; the Presbyterian USA has followed in the same manner and is experiencing the same results. The secular society can't express their respect for these organizations enough. Openly gay leadership in the Church is comparable to allowing the inmates to run the prison. I know there are, right now, people who are screaming at comments like this; maybe some are reading this and freaking out, thinking what a narrow minded bigot I am. No, I'm not a bigot and I don't hate gay people and I'm not homophobic! (Those who are Gay and practice that lifestyle are people, just like everyone else. They are not freaks and should not be treated any different than anybody else we might know. They need to know about Jesus as much as anyone else who is living in the flesh and allowing the sin nature to run their lives) I am not politically correct nor will I cater to this politically correct society. I will say what is true, the real truth, not relative truth. Again, there are those in the Church who will not even discuss this topic and risk offending someone. Jesus spent a lot of His time in discussion with the religious leaders of that time and He refused to surrender to their religious ideology. This is very evident in the four gospels. Jesus set the ultimate example for us and we need to follow it. Will the world hate us? Or, better yet, does the world hate us?

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Jn. 15:18-19  NKJV

Jesus knew the world would never agree with His teachings and the doctrines of His word. The secular society lives for themselves and is interested in promoting, pleasuring and satisfying themselves. So, it is only natural they would hate us since our belief and practice of Christianity stands firmly opposite of their ideologies and ways of life. So, as long as we keep teaching that the homosexual lifestyle is a sin, the politically correct secular society will continue to paint the Church and Christianity as a barbaric ignorant, bigoted group. The last report I heard on the approval of Gay marriage in this country, a poll stated that 50% of the people in the US agrees with gay marriage. That is half of the people in this country! The Church, or those parts of the Church which believe the truth of the Bible, is at odds with a lot of people if this poll is accurate.

So, it is time for Christians to take their stance against these topics which are considered areas too controversial to speak out about. How many Christians have had the opportunity to speak out about gay marriage and what the Bible says and have neglected to do so? How many Christians have had the opportunity to speak out against abortion and have failed to do so? This politically correct world will have us all agree with them on these topics and far too many Christians are yielding to their demands. At work, at the park, at the store or where ever we might have our belief challenged concerning these hot topics, we must stand our ground and defend the faith in these areas. Don't be intimidated by the secular world and their harsh words or their relative truth.

Speaking of abortion, the world will tell you it is a woman's right to decide if she should kill her baby or not. Think about this; a woman has the right, in this country, to decide to have an abortion, or kill the fetus. It is legal according to the Supreme Court’s decision. I can't kill the baby; if, when my wife was pregnant with one of our children, I decided I didn't want any more children and put a knife in her and killed the baby, I would have been arrested for murder, the murder of the baby. I would deserve to be arrested for the murder of the baby; the woman who has the fetus, a human being, killed by the abortion process is not guilty of murder because she has a right to do with her body what she wants to. But, the fetus is not her body! She has committed murder and it is legal. How crazy has our world become? It is not politically correct to speak out against this because if you do, you are considered a racist and a woman hater. I'm sure most people have heard the story of Tim Tebow's mom being encouraged to abort him because of complications with her health. Being a Christian, she refused; there are many stories and testimonies out there of people who survived and were not aborted when the mother either considered it or the process was started. If you are reading this and you think this is more radical, crazy Christian foolishness, go to an ultra-sound and listen to the heart beat of the baby in the womb. If you can walk away, unmoved by this, then you might qualify as one who could commit the murder of a baby. This has changed many people's minds about abortion; years ago, I worked with a young man who didn't see anything wrong with abortion. His wife was pregnant and they were not considering abortion but when he went in with her for the ultra-sound, he was a firm believer of life in the womb. He came to work and told me he knew then he was wrong and realized the baby was a life in the womb and abortion would be murder.

The Church needs to take its stance against the politically correct, secular world; it needs to be firmly grounded in the word of God. Christians need to be ready all the time to defend the faith in these controversial areas; make a stance and don't be intimidated by the politically correct society. Again, Jesus set the example for us and he has given us the Holy Spirit and He will fight our battles and give us the words to say (Mt. 10:19). We do not serve a politically correct Jesus, we serve Jesus, the God of the universe and creator of everything. He is our savior and He will, one day, return and take us out of this politically correct world!