Respect

Respect
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.  
For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.   Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.  
Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” 
     1 Peter 2:13-17.
I like what Peter says here. Peter lived under the emperor Nero one of the worst prosecutors of Christians. In fact it is believed that Peter died under Nero. Yet Peter could say,
    “Submit yourself for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the King, as supreme authority, or to the governor,...”
I believe Peter said this because by respecting and submitting to the authorities they would have a great deal of problems convicting anyone of doing wrong.
In fact Peter even says,
“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 
                                                                  1 Peter 2:11,12
For Christians the only time I believe we should not submit to authorities is when they tell us we cannot practice our faith.
A word of caution here however in light of what has been happening in the United States with people wanting to refuse to serve those they disagree with, in particular homosexuals.
Refusing anyone service for any reason is not Christian.
I understand many Christian as part of their faith, believe marriage is between a man and a woman. That is their right to believe that and because it is a part of their faith it is their right under freedom of religion not to marry same sex couples.
However refusing service because of someone’s lifestyle or belief when you have a business that is open to the public is wrong.
I’m sure Paul, a tent maker served all people. Even those he disagreed with. He certainly had a lot of dealing with people who’s beliefs and lifestyle he would not have liked. After all he met with Stoic philosophers and others. He spent time in Athens and Corinth cities filled with pagan worship, practising things that would have appalled him. Yet we have no record of him speaking against such people. In fact he said,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
                                                                                                              Romans 12:18.
By living at peace with all people we can create opportunities to reach people for Christ.
We live in a secular democracy that is filled with things we dislike such is life here in North America and around the world. We must learn to live within it to successfully win souls for Christ.
As Christians we must not compromise our beliefs. It is however possible to reach our world for Christ by showing love and compassion to even those we disagree with. The apostles did it.
Paul was doing it in such a positive way that he was invited while in Athens to speak to learned men and philosophers. The result was he actually seen people accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Jesus sat with the Samaritan woman someone shunned by Jewish religious leader of His day. He did so to point her to heaven.
The purpose of Christ entering the world was expressed by Jesus who speaking of Himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:16,17.
As Christians in the twenty-first century we need to be respecting the government. We also need to show love and respect for not only God, our neighbours, but even our enemies.
It is incumbent on us to show love and accept people as they are. In doing so we will win souls for Christ.
The writer of Hebrews said,
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” 
    Hebrews 12:14.
If we are truly Christians we need to follow the example of Jesus who welcomed everyone irrespective of who they were. That is what it is to be Christian.
Please think about it.

Freedom and the Christian

Freedom and the Christian
Baruch Spionza wrote,
“It is imperative that freedom of judgment should be granted, so that men may live together in harmony, however diverse, or even openly contradictory their opinions maybe.  In proportion as the power of free judgment is withheld, we depart from the natural condition of mankind.”
                                                                                                                               Baruch Spinoza.
If you think about it God created freedom when he created man. When God made man he did not make a robot, and android that would do His bidding at the push of a button. God created man with complete freedom to do as man wished, whether that was pleasing to God or not.
As I see it however, here in North America and particularly in the United States, I see Christians as wanting their freedom while at the same time judging others and denying them their freedom.
Case in point people who are calling for a ban on same sex marriage. There are others wanting to restrict Muslims because of recent terrorist activities. It all harkens back to the days of segregation.
If we judge someone wrongly or restrict the rights of even one group we ultimately set things up for the possibility that our rights may one day be restricted.
The apostle Peter states,
“Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.  
Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” 
  1Peter 16,17.
I like that Peter says “show proper respect to everyone”. As Christians we should be showing proper respect to everyone even if we disagree with them.
The secular democracy in which we live is very similar to the society the apostles lived in. Except of course the apostles couldn’t vote the government in or out of power. They had to live within the laws of Rome. Accepting that they could not change any law however much they disagreed with it.
Christians today I think forget this.
In the United States Christians mix their faith with politics and it is not a good combination.
Yes Christians should vote that is their democratic right. They should vote for the person whom they feel best represents Christian values.
Still Christians should not be judging others. Jesus said,
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 
                       Matthew 7:1,2
If we judge other they will look at our lives and judge us.
The apostle Paul said,
“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.
We as Christians should not judge anyone. We should be standing up for the rights and freedoms of all people even those we disagree with. In doing so we build bridges and open a dialogue with people. A dialogue that allows us to tell people about the most important thing in our lives, the Saving Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Please think about it.

Of Christians

Of Christians

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 
                                                                                Matthew 28:18-20.
The above scripture from the gospel of Matthew says it all. The job of the Christian is to go into all the world make disciples and teach the new converts and anyone else who will listen what Jesus taught.
Jesus did not at any time say go and protest outside of abortion clinics. He never told us to protest against laws that granted people of different lifestyles, races and religions the same rights as us.
Jesus and his followers never protested against the secular civil authorities of Rome.
True he did speak against the wrong practices of Jewish religious leaders of his day. But Jesus was a Jew and had the right to do so. Still even with the religious leadership he never led protests, nor did his disciples.
The early Christian church was persecuted by Jews and Gentiles alike yet the early church never protested demanding their rights.
This is the way Christians should be today. We Christians should be reaching out to the world in love.
Only when our right to worship as we see fit, or the rights of others are being restricted should Christians be protesting the government.
The apostle Paul who suffered persecution under the emperor Nero, one of the most vicious persecutors of Christians said,
“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” 
                                                                                                                                  Romans 13:1.
The apostle Paul also said,
“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.
Calling all Christians everywhere to refrain from judging those outside the church and keep our own house in order. Reminding us only God has the right to judge people. For only God knows why a person is the way they are. Only God knows the hearts of the individual.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist said,
“These issues are biblical issues: to care for the sick, to feed the hungry, to stand up for the oppressed. I contend that if the evangelical community became more biblical, everything would change.”
Tony Campolo
I agree with him. Sometimes you have to help those you fundamentally disagree with. But in doing so you also build bridges between you and them.
The words of the Apostle Peter are as true today as they were when he wrote them. Peter said,
“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 
                                                                                          1 Peter 2:12.
For me a Christian is not just someone who believes Jesus is the Son of God the Saviour of mankind. One who has accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour. A Christian to me is much more. They are people who are following the teachings of Jesus.
Jesus when asked
 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 
                                                                                   Matthew 22:36-40
Jesus also calls believers in Him to go one step further saying,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
                                                                                                         Matthew 5: 43,44
The apostle Paul writes,
“On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink....”
      Romans 12:20a.
To be a Christian is to show love and understanding not just to those who agree with you. Those of your faith, but to God, your neighbour whoever he or she may be, as well as to your enemy.
As I a Christian look at those who call themselves Christians here in North America I see many who need to read the bible and the teachings of Jesus again lest they hear the words of Jesus who said,
“Many will say to me  on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 
                                                                                                                   Matthew 7:22,23
Please think about it.