I am sick and tired of being a part of a culture that determines what they are by the words we use. We continually judge people with our words.
The word "Retard" or "Faggot" or "Slut" or "Gay" are not appropriate. So why do we use them. We act like someone who has mental disabilities is stupid or useless. We act like someone who is gay is not a human. Heck, we even forget that their is a person behind the word slut.
But here is the large kicker. I hear people who say they follow Christ use these words all the time. And, I will be honest, it ticks me off. It ticks me off, because it is choosen to be said. I understand it slipping out, I do, but regular usage, makes me peeved.
Words are so powerful. When did it become ok to use the word Retard, but refuse to use the word B**ch. Tell me. What makes them so different in our little christian world? Tell me. I fail to see how we can call something so Gay, but frown when someone says that is so Sh**ty... (Pardon me for using the words)... It is such a double standard.
It does not stop here. I have been really peeved about what Christians have to say about others. Prime example- Joel Osteen. They have facebook groups talking about how he preaches a false gospel, and then if you read what it says on the wall, all they do is rip on him. They talk about how he is just this horrid man, and how we need to call him out and how he needs to repent. This on is my personal favorite: "I just flat don't like what Joel Osteen is doing. He isn't preaching salvation, it's prosperity. He is dragging people to hell, all the while keeping a smug smile on his face. Disgusting..." 3 people liked it, and 2 people even wrote how they agreed.
I am not saying at all that I agree with what Joel Osteen is doing, but I will never EVER talk about how he is dragging people to hell. I will however state this. If people hate what Joel Osteen does, and judge him soo much, but yet we let people such as John Piper, who preaches Reformed Theology (Calvinism), off the hook, or pastors like Mark Driscoll who openly use the word "Gay" and mock other pastors OPENLY. And we condemn Joel Osteen because he preaches a watered down gospel. Tell me, I beg you to tell me where Christ is in that.
Or how about this one. There was this fan page formed on Facebook called "No. I don't get high or drunk. I can just deal with my problems."
Obviously everyone who follows Christ should join this... I am kidding. This makes me sick. This is what their informations states: "Ever heard those people say they only get through life because they drink or smoke? They suck. Ignoring reality doesnt make it go away.".... You are right, this is EXACTLY what God is saying about them. I am sorry, they suck.... OO Yea, I forget, they already think that about life, so lets make them think that about themselves.
I want to tell you all why I believe in Christ, and what I believe about the ministry of Christ.
John 3:16-17
16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."
God Loves Us. I am sick and tired of hearing this Gospel of Paul preached in every corner of this world, that ALL fall short of the Glory of God... We Know That. We know that Life is hard, and we make many mistakes. The Gospel is NEVER defined by what Paul says TO the Romans when all we tell people is "For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God."... Infact if we read before and after that, we see a closer correlation to how Jesus defines the Gospel.
I want to say something here, if I could, I would shout it. This is what I believe about the Ministry of Christ.
1 John 3:16-20
16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
Christ LOVES the people who get Drunk. Loves the people that get High. Adores women who have had sex. Christ Loves a straight man and a gay man. So why should we make them feel like crap. Should we not teach them about forgiveness? Should we not teach them a way out? Should we not show our Love towards them with the potential to receive (or not to receive) Love back? When did following Christ turn from Loving actions, to condemning words? When did we start following Christ with our lips, and ignore Christ with our life? When did we turn companionship into boundaries, with rules that limit us from Loving people freely?
Christ's love for people should transend through our life. I believe in the healing power of forgivness. I believe that we make mistakes, and sometimes, people around us effect us with them, and we feel led to the poor decisions. I also believe that 1 Peter 4:8: Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.... Proverbs 17:9: He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.... Proverbs 10:12: Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.... I believe Love is the healing power we are all in need of.
Christ did not die on the cross for just a select fortunate few. The ministry of Christ is not defined by His death, nor completed by it. The Death of Christ is our atonement, the Life of Christ is our teachings, the Resurection of Christ is our Promise.
I ask you now, that if you say you follow Christ, you stop making Him this intellectual argument, and talk about how His life aligns with the stars, mixed with the christianized theory of evolution, while we argue that Christ had 7 secrets that predestined us to Heaven. By the way, Jesus was not a republican either, and I doubt he would be one today.
This is what I am getting at. Freely explore Christ. Freely move. Love people freely. Stop condemning people for what they aren't, and start loving them for what Christ sees in them. You can't change someone by consistently pointing out their flaws, but you can change with a person if you choose to LOVE them.
Love is why God's Son came here. God's Love for you, for me, and every single person.
I believe that God wants us to be Loving with our words, careful with our thoughts, present in His truth and sacrifical & joyful with our actions.
With Love,
Casey Hayden
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