Christian Rage

 

"Happy are you whenever they should be reproaching and persecuting you and, falsifying, saying every wicked thing against you, on My account." 

Matthew 5: 11, Concordant New Testament 

Watching the news last night I witnessed the full, indignant rage of Christians as they protested outside of Dodger stadium in Los Angeles.  If you've had your head under a rock for the past month or so then you haven't heard of the anti Christian trans gender group Sisters of perpetual indulgence being honored at pride night at Dodgers stadium.  These trans gender activists have made it a habit of mocking everything Christian from our faith to defiling the name of Jesus as well.  Last night, it looked as if the militant arm of the American Christian church was out in full force to protest these blasphemers.  One particular protestor held up a sign which stated "Ask me why you're going to hell."  As I watched this spectacle I asked myself, what are we trying to prove here?  What are we, as believers, attempting to show the world through this protest?  The love and kindness of Christ?  Yeah, good luck with that.  For as you rant and rave against those who mock you in the name of Jesus, you somehow feel that it is our ordained right as followers of Jesus to judge those who more than likely have never met Him.  I get it.  I used to know a man who was so deeply into the institutional church theology that at times he made it seem like I was still living under the law.  I made it known to him many times that I did not follow the same God he did.  My God is merciful.  My Jesus gave Himself for me {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  My Jesus did not condemn me, but raised me up.  I wonder how it is that Jesus would react to the protests I saw last night.  My question would be answered in His interaction with the woman caught in Adultery.  By all rights, this daughter of the Lord was guilty of her sin.  Yet Jesus did not come to condemn but to redeem.  For through Christ Jesus there is NO condemnation {Romans 8:1}.  Jesus sent a powerful message to those who had judged the woman for her actions, "Let the sinless one of you cast the first stone at her" {John 8:7}.  Somehow I think that Jesus would have the very same response to the protestors I saw last night, "Neither am I condemning you."  

If the world is hating you, know that it has hated Me first before you.

John 15: 18, Concordant New Testament 

Recently I've been looking at the situation of the perpetual sisters through the lens of another story.  That story is the continuing decline in our church congregations.  Those who follow Jesus are telling us that they are tired of the song and dance of the mainstream church.  The writing is on the pulpits and has been for some time.  Our traditional church congregations have seen a exodus of disenchanted believers looking for something more than they were getting in the church.  I might be mistaken, but I do not believe that these are the militant Christians I saw last night.  The protestors I saw last night were those who continue to hold on to the old traditions of the mainstream church.  The world has disgraced Jesus, and it is our sacred duty to condemn the blasphemers!  Yeah, like God needs our help defending Himself.  This is the mistake we often make when we run across those who mock Jesus.  Somehow we feel that it is our duty to condemn those who do the mocking.  To those of us who condemn Jesus has a simple message, "Let the sinless one of you cast the first stone."  So, who's going to toss that first stone against these blatant blasphemers of the name of Jesus?  I'll pass on that.  I know that my own history is not so clean.  I know that it is only because of Jesus that I am able to rest in Him while the world condemns me.  It is not my duty to condemn those who blaspheme the Lord.  It is the nature of Christ Jesus to love those who do.  

If anyone should be saying that "I am loving God," and should be hating his brother, he is a liar; for he who is not loving his brother whom he has seen can not be loving God Whom he has not seen.

1 John 4: 20, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~