I'm having a "soapbox" moment:
I am so tired of anyone claiming to be a Christian being instantly labeled as a judgmental, hateful, racist, bigot, homophobe who wants to kick out all the immigrants and carry my automatic weapons down the street. If you know someone who fits all these descriptions they are not a disciple of Jesus Christ and if they think they are, they are very, very mixed up. Please don't put all who call themselves Christian in the same box.
The definition of Christian is: a person who exemplifies in his or her life, the teachings of Christ. Now, in order to "exemplify the teachings of Christ" you have to actually KNOW what those teachings are. His teachings are of love and forgiveness. He is not in the condemning business. He wants to restore even the most broken and wicked people. His passion is to see the broken, sick and weak become strong, healthy and whole in His Kingdom. He spent very little of His time on earth telling people why they were wrong and condemning them, but instead spent His time practically loving them and extending grace to the worst of them. I'm afraid there are too many who call themselves Christian who operate on the assumption that it is their job to point fingers, and tell everyone else what is wrong with their lives. We are ALL sinners. Just because I am a follower of Christ doesn't mean that I am miraculously able to never sin again. It means that, by the amazing and undeserving, unconditional, grace of Christ, I am forgiven. That forgiveness is for ME, for my own peace, my own hope, my own eternal future, and has nothing to do with whether anyone else believes me worthy of it. Jesus deemed me worthy. He also deems YOU worthy. He draws no lines as to who is worthy of that gift. It is a gift He gave for every single person on earth....young or old, good or bad, every color and creed, because we all have that empty place in our hearts that longs for the One who created it. We try to fill it up with all kinds of things...wealth, love, material things, work, drugs, alcohol. The list could go on forever. The problem we all face is, there is only one thing that will fill up that void in our lives no matter how hard we try to fill it up with other things, and that is Christ.
If you claim to be a Christian, I encourage you to be a follower of Christ...not the definition the world has given us, because it's completely wrong. Loving people the way Christ wants you to doesn't mean you have to agree with their lifestyle or their choices. We are to show His LOVE to the world, to be a lighthouse in the darkest, stormiest seas....helping, listening, having compassion and understanding for our fellow man so that they will see Christ in us and be drawn to His unconditional and eternal love.
- “I have not come to condemn the world, but to save it.” John 3:17 ESV
- “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”- John 8:11 ESV
- “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven..." - Luke 6:37 ESV
- “If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." - 1 John 4:20 ESV
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