Christians: The "softer, kinder, gentler" approach ain't working.
One
of the perpetual myths well-intentioned Christians indulge in is that
if we are just nice enough, winsome enough and persuasive enough,
everybody will love us and eventually agree with us.
This
is a pernicious and fatuous lie. It is a deception forged by the father
of lies to induce Christians to be passive, meek and timid instead of
bold clarions of truth and true justice.
By
believing this lie, we have neutered ourselves in the public arena.
Rather than winning others to our side, we have earned only their
dismissive contempt. Rather than respecting us, they now feel free to
punish us by shutting us up and shutting us down, and sending us off to
re-education camps if we won't cooperate.
It's
been tragic to watch as one pro-family leader and organization after
another has lost its nerve and gone to ground rather than going to the
mat. Organizations that once stood as beacons of light for the entire
nation are now largely forgotten and ignored. They no longer have a
message that the world fears. They have been domesticated.
But we do not serve a domesticated king. We serve the Lion of Judah, who is not, any more than Aslan was, a tame lion.
It's
time to be done with the "nicer than Jesus" mentality. It never has
worked, and it never will work. It only fools us into thinking we are
being Christ-like when in reality we are only being wimps.
The
odd thing is that Christians who have lost their spine and have become
silent and soft are often harshly critical of those Christians who do
stand publicly and without apology for the time-honored truths of
Scripture. This is especially the case when it comes to things such as
declaring that homosexuality is not a benign alternative to
heterosexuality but a form of sexually deviant behavior.
Jesus
wasn't crucified for being nice. He was crucified for being bold and
confrontational. Don't misunderstand: He was the kindest man who ever
lived. But he wasn't a sap. He knew when kindness was called for, and he
knew when it was time to get up in somebody's grill and challenge them
with the truth.
Jesus
had no hesitation about speaking truth to political power. The
Pharisees and the Sadducees were the politicians of Jesus' day. They
passed laws that controlled the details of the ordinary, daily lives of
everyone who lived in Israel. They could arrest people for violating
those laws, detain them, put them on trial, flog them, and even persuade
the Romans to put them to death.
Thoroughly
unintimidated by their police powers, Jesus rebuked them publicly and
directly and even knew when to call them "a brood of vipers" (Matt.
23:33, ESV) and the spawn of Satan: "You are of your father the devil"
John 8:44).
So
let's not hear any more of that nonsense about how Jesus was not
involved in politics. He was involved in politics, and in the end it
cost Him His life.
Bottom
line: God has not called us to be nice. He has called us to be good.
Nice people never confront evil and error, but good people do. It is the
truth that sets men free, and genuine love will drive us to declare the
truth no matter the cost. It's time to put on the full armor of God,
unsheathe the sword of the Spirit, and go to war.
PREACHING LIES http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-1jM
BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-Zn
CESSATIONISM http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-1Rc
NO MORE http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-1SH
ALL OUR NEEDS http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-1zY
THE BIG MISTAKE
http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-1Jc
GOD WANTS YOU WELL http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-1ry
THE FALSE BROWNSVILLE REVIVAL http://www.scribd.com/doc/211818062/
NATIONAL AWAKENING http://www.scribd.com/doc/226939087
THIRD WAVE SEDUCERS http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/news/with-real-concern-for-the-third-wave-word-of-faith-signs-wonders-laughing-charismatics
GOLD DUST http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-1Mm
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