What Business

What business

“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  
God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 
                                                                              1 Corinthians 5:12,13.
I see and hear in the Media especially it seems in the United States people calling themselves Christians protesting everything and anything it seems they disagree with.
They call it exercising their freedom of speech. A freedom of speech that was given to them by a secular government.
We cannot impose our morals on anyone. That’s not our job as Christians.
If the prohibition laws against alcohol proved anything it’s that you cannot legislate morality.
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  
God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 
                                                                              1 Corinthians 5:12,13.
The way I read this scripture is that we are to police ourselves. To get rid of or correct those within the church who are doing wrong.
    Jesus sat with sinners. He was criticized by the religious leaders of his day for doing so. But Jesus was opening a discussion between himself and those who needed his saving grace. This is what we should be doing.
We in my opinion should not be out there protesting the sins of the world we will not change them by protesting. If anything it will turn those whom we protest against even more so against us.
Sadly over the years particularly in North America evangelical Christianity for lack of a better name has been taken over by radicals with judgmental spirits. Who by the slimmest of margins may be Christians. Men and women who wish to force their beliefs on the unbeliever. This is wrong.
The reason Christianity has been so successful over the centuries is that it has shown love and understanding to those who disagree with us.
Christians have been willing to sit down with unbelievers and have an open dialogue.
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
        Matthew 10:16
Doves don’t hold placards saying “your going to hell” or even more controversially, “abortionist are murders”
Do you realize Jesus never condemned those who condemned him to death. He prayed for them.
When the apostle Paul spoke to the Athenians he didn’t take a confrontational attitude, even though there were many thing in Athens that would have disgusted him.    Instead he entered into a meaningful discussion won people for Christ, and some wanted to hear more from him.
Napoleon Bonaparte said,
“I know men and I tell you, Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. 
But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. 
Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour, millions would die for him.”
Note that last phrase, “Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour, millions would die for him.”
We cannot show love by protesting against any group whether we agree with them or not. They will only turn us off.
We need to take the example of Christ.
Matthew records,
“While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples.  
When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” 
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  
But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 
         Matthew 9:10-13.
We will not win a single soul to Christ by saying we are right and they are wrong. By protesting against them no matter how much we disagree with them.
We need to follow Christ’s example and open a discussion with them. It is the only way to win souls for Christ.
There is a song from the musical Goodby Mr. Chips a musical from the late sixties it’s called in the morning of my life, the words go like this,

In the Morning of My Life

In the morning of my life

I will look to the Sunrise

At a moment in my life 

When the world is new.

And the Question

I shall ask only God can answer.

Will I be brave and strong and true,

Will I fill the world with love my whole life through?

Will I fill the world with love my whole life through?

In the eveniung of my life

I will look to the sunset

At a moment in my life 

When my life is through.

And the question I shall ask only I can answer 

Was I brave and strong and true.

Did I fill the world with love my whole life through?

Did I fill the world with love my whole life through?

                                                                                        From the Musical Good by Mr
Are you filling the world with the love of Christ?
Think about it.