Galatians 2:4
While we were in conference we were infiltrated by spies pretending to be Christians, who slipped in to find out just how free true Christians are. Their ulterior motive was to reduce us to their brand of servitude. We didn’t give them the time of day. We were determined to preserve the truth of the Message for you.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Someone shared a link on Facebook to an article titled “Dear Church, Here's Why People Are Really Leaving You”* Of course, this title grabbed my attention…and I have to say, the article is filled with valid points. As I read this scripture passage from Galatians, I was reminded of one particular comment made in “Point #5”…
I let you know how judged and ridiculed I feel when I'm with you, how much like a hopeless, failing outsider I feel on the periphery of your inward, judgmental communities, and you proceeded to tell me how "lost" I am, how hopelessly "in love with my sin" I must be to leave you, reminding me that I never really belonged with you anyway. Maybe you're right, Church. Maybe I am the problem.
We always have to guard our heart – against discrimination and intolerance of others, AND against those who wish to judge us and make our relationship with God look just like theirs or fit their personal agenda. You do not have to “drink the Kool-Aid” for every single idea your fellow church members have. You should not be pressured with guilt or shamed into participating in missions or practices that you know in your heart are not what God has ordained for you. You don’t have to agree with the pervading positions on politics, economics, lifestyle choices, cultural differences, and more. Just because “everyone else is doing it” doesn’t make it right for you…even in the church!
I encourage you to spend some time in prayer and Bible study and determine “the truth of the Message”…then do everything you can to preserve it. Honor your relationship with God – and your commitment to Him - by turning a deaf ear to the noise of those who have ulterior motives and/or a personal agenda. Appreciate that your fellow believer’s “path” may not be exactly like yours…that his/her missions and ministries may not exactly line up with yours – and that’s okay.
As long as we are serving God with an obedient, faithful heart, we belong to Him…and God is bigger than any “church”. If we are the problem – from either side of the equation – it’s time that we made some changes. This is a good day to begin…wouldn’t you agree?
©2015 Debbie Robus
*http://www.faithit.com/dear-church-heres-why-people-are-really-leaving-you/.VK7OXdDwj30.facebook
Matthew 5:11-12
“Not only that—count yourselves
blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies
about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close
for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that
happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all
heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and
witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
When I was in junior high,
one of our teachers took a few students to Little Rock for some sort of
meeting one Saturday. After the meeting, we went to a movie (I think we
saw “Love Story”) and then we did some shopping. On the way home, a
couple of the girls and I were in the back seat of the car, and they
were whispering and peeking into their shopping bag. I asked what they
were whispering about, and they “played dumb”. Finally, one of them
said, “You cannot say anything...but we stole these bathing suits.”
Each one of them had “lifted” a swimsuit from a well-known department
store.
Here’s the thing...those girls did not want to include me
in their “secret”, because they knew that I would not approve of their
theft. They made this abundantly clear with some of their comments and
the tone with which they delivered them. In fact, the only reason that
they were having anything to do with me at all was because we were
crammed together in the backseat of our teacher’s car!
Quite
frankly, there were quite a few kids who didn’t want anything to do with
me and some of my friends during junior high and high school, because
they knew that we attended church regularly. Whether we were full-out
“Jesus freaks” or not, we were judge to be “uncool” and seen as
“goody-two-shoes” types. The fact that our parents made us go to church
all the time was irrelevant. Some of us who actually participated
regularly in church activities were even ostracized by a few of the kids
who attended our church with us, but were less involved. There was
definitely a “hierarchy”, based on what others perceived to be our level
of faith and involvement with Jesus and the church!
Even today,
this is often a tough road for young people to hoe. And I think that is
why some of them go in such a totally different direction once they get
out of high school and/or go off to college. Maybe this describes you. I
know I was like this, to some degree. When I no longer felt I had to
attend church twice on Sundays and some Wednesday nights, I didn’t
go...at all. I still read my Bible and prayed. But I didn’t do a whole
lot to give others any opportunity to put me down or throw me out of
their “circle” because of my faith!
I’ll be really honest
here...I don’t regret that time in my life. Here’s why... I believe
that God used this season where I shrunk into the woodwork and tried to
blend in to grow my faith. When I “emerged” as an adult and developed a
full-fledged, all-in relationship with Jesus, it was that much sweeter.
I felt the applause of heaven...I no longer cared whether I was “in” or
not...there was only ONE I longed to please...and His name was Jesus.
In the years that I have been more fully engaged in a communion with
Christ and His Holy Spirit, there have been as many – or maybe more –
times that I have felt like an outsider...times when I have been put
down or “thrown out”, both literally and figuratively.
But now,
I look at these incidents in a completely different light. The “sting”
of rejection and ridicule is not there – at least not so heavily. The
sense that I am doing what God desires trumps any insults or
indignations that might be hurled my way. I sometimes have to remind
myself that...”It’s okay...I did what God asked of me, so all will be
well.” And I am human...nobody likes to be insulted or excluded...so I
do occasionally get my feelings hurt a little. But all I have to do is
spend some time with God, and He steers me in the right direction and
sets me back on my feet. He’s like that...wise, kind, merciful and
gracious!
I don’t know where you are in your journey. I don’t
know what rocks of insult and indignation have been hurled in your
direction...or how you have handled them. But I do know this...God will
not waste your obedience and faithfulness. He wants you to be kind,
generous, loving, merciful and gracious toward others – even when they
treat you poorly. But He wants you to always operate in the truth, and
to faithfully do and say the things that you know He is sanctioning. It
may hurt for a little while in the human sense, but I assure you, God
is beyond pleased. He makes a mental note for all eternity that on this
day and in this way, you honored Him in your words and actions...and He
will bless you for this decision.
I did not “rat out” my
friends. I was a teenager eager to please and unwilling to risk being
ostracized any further. And while I certainly do not condone theft in
any manner, these kids grew into responsible, honorable adults. It was a
childhood prank...albeit a dishonest one. As adults, at least a few of
them have developed a rapport with me and a respect for my faith that
was not there when we were young... and maybe that is in part due to my
mercy toward them in this situation.
In her book The Best Yes*,
author/speaker Lysa TerKeurst says that there are no perfect
decisions...there will be positives and negatives to every choice. She
maintains that “when you desire to please God with a decision, and
afterwards it proves to be a mistake, it’s an error...not an end.” She
adds, “If I am trusting myself, I will stare at all the possible ways I
could fail. If I’m trusting God, I will stare at all the possible ways
He’ll use this whether I fail or succeed. As long as you desire to
please God with your decisions, no decision you make will be completely
awful...nor will any decision be completely awesome. There is no
perfect decision – only the perfectly surrendered decision to press
through our fears and know that God is working in us to bring about good
through us.”
What are you afraid of today? Where have you stood
paralyzed with fear and inaction because you didn’t want to be judged,
put down or thrown out? Isn’t it time we started trusting God to get us
past these things... to make a way where we see none...to shield us out
of His abundant love, grace, mercy, compassion – and joy – for our
obedience and faith? Whose company are you keeping these days...that of
the “in crowd”...or the company of God’s prophets and witnesses?
©2014 Debbie Robus
*The Best Yes
- ©2014 by TerKeurst Foundation – published by Nelson Books. Available
at Walmart and other major retailers. www.thebestyes.com #TheBestYes
Matthew 10:17-23
“Don’t be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don’t be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they’ve done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.
“When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you’ve run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I can remember times when I was growing up that certain friends and acquaintances did not include me in an activity or conversation because they thought I would not approve, based on my church affiliation. Whether their assumption was correct or not, they must have assumed that I would judge them… so they judged me first! I wasn’t invited to certain parties… I was excluded from a few “cliques”. Honestly, I wasn’t all that popular. It wasn’t that I was judgmental – or even that I was especially vocal about my faith. It was more that since I attended a certain church with a reputation for believing particular things, others assumed that I felt the same way and would probably condemn those who attended elsewhere – or nowhere at all!
Like many, I was stung by these judgments… so much so that I distanced myself from church in my early adulthood. I never turned my back on God, but I tried to be more “regular”… to fit in and avoid situations where others might label me a “Jesus freak” – or even “religious” or “spiritual”. Maybe you have done this, too. It’s an easy trap to fall into…and there is a certain comfort level in hanging out “under the radar,” so to speak. Nobody expects very much of you there… and most never think to judge you one way or the other.
As God began to help me through some difficult and challenging situations, I realized that being bold in my faith was not an option… it was an obligation. But there is a caveat… we Christians walk a fine line between being effective examples of faith in Jesus Christ – and being obnoxious fools. There will always be those who label us as “the token Christian of the family”… a “Jesus freak”… “the Church lady”…”religious fanatics”…or some other tag meant to demean and offend us. The temptation will be there to close our mouths, lay low, and try to fit in with the rest of the world. But we must listen to Jesus’ words in this passage… “Don’t quit! Don’t cave in! It is all well worth it in the end.”
How do we do this? I don’t have a solid answer for you. But I can give you a couple of working examples. I have two very dear lifelong friends, JR and John, who have always been loved and accepted by others as kind, hardworking men… good husbands, fathers, and in one case – an adoring grandfather. You will see them at outings from school sporting events to civic gatherings. They take their wives to the movies – as one of them put it…“to see a chick flick with my chick!” And you will see them at church on Sundays, where one serves as a pastor – the other (also an ordained minister) serves as a minister of music.
These men are not “preachy” or pushy about their faith, but their quiet, wise demeanor speaks volumes about their Christian faith. Both have a way of offering a welcoming smile and calming, sage advice… of praying over a friend with wisdom and confidence… of saying just what needs to be said and showing up at exactly the right time. And I have seen both of them criticized for their stance…and judged unfairly.
In my book, these men have mastered the “dance” of proclaiming love in the midst of hate. They have figured out how to “win friends and influence people” by simply living for Jesus. Yes, they are pastors… but they do not “preach” outside of the pulpit. On the street on an ordinary weekday, they are just JR and John… men who love God and care deeply about His people… and it shows. They do more to win over the naysayers with their quiet strength than a dozen sidewalk evangelists! And we would do well to take a good long look at their “Christian business model” and copy it in our own daily living.
If you are persecuted or judged for your faith, I’m sorry… it’s often part of Discipleship. But there are things we can do to temper this. We don’t have to stop proclaiming the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ… or sharing what great things He has done in our own lives with those around us. But we can ask God to grant us the wisdom and good sense to know when to simply BE… to love others unconditionally and SHOW them how we have been blessed rather than by telling them… to quietly distance ourselves from activities and conversations that we know are wrong, rather than making a big noise about it… to show others that living for Jesus doesn’t make us weird or superior – or even dull and boring!
We can show others that a life in Christ is filled with peace, joy, and abiding comfort in all situations. Maybe then, others will want what we have for themselves. Isn’t it worth a shot?
©2013 Debbie Robus
May 24 ~ Luke 21:16-19
Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of you. And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But not a hair of your head will perish! By standing firm, you will win your souls.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
I have a friend who tells the story of his grandfather…a Jew who became a Christian. The grandfather’s family told him that he was dead to them if he made such a decision. My friend’s grandfather chose to follow Jesus anyhow. A church member I know tells of how he and fellow members of his army platoon met in secret while deployed to Afghanistan during the first Gulf War… just so they could hold worship services. In doing so, they literally feared for their lives… as do countless others around the globe who worship in places where Christianity is forbidden. That is something most of us cannot fathom. We cannot begin to consider possible betrayal or death – especially at the hands of a friend, family member or loved one because of our faith. Imagine living in a country where your worship of Jesus Christ might be so daunting that your own parents would turn you in to the authorities for doing so, just to save their own necks!
Few of us can imagine doing this. But maybe you grew up in a family where you were persuaded to “skip church and do something fun” with the family. You might have been the only person in your household who desired to worship and serve Jesus… and the others might have berated you for doing so. Perhaps you have been laughed at and ridiculed by your classmates and friends because of your faith. Maybe you have been labeled as a “goody two-shoes” or a “Jesus freak” – and excluded from certain circles and invitations to more than one event. Maybe you have decided to follow Jesus… and in doing so, you had to give up friends – and even family members – and distance yourself from those who engage in immoral, illegal, and/or sinful activities.
Whatever ridicule, exclusion, physical or emotional abuse or discomfort of any sort you may experience because you love and serve Jesus, know this… He has your back! You will come out on top. As this scripture indicates… “not a hair on your head will perish!” You may be bruised and scraped… wounded emotionally, if not physically… but you will survive. You can handle it, because Jesus is with you. He is your shield and your protector. There is nothing anyone else can say or do to you that can matter more than Jesus. There is a catch… you must be patient. This may not happen overnight. You may very well have to suffer indignation and mistreatment for a while… and it may seem like an eternity. But God will NOT leave you hanging. He will bless you… and use your Discipleship and faithfulness. He will honor those who honor Him with their obedience, steadfastness and commitments.
Last night, I read through my prayer journal for the last year. I noted the many requests I had placed before God… for people to be healed – physically and emotionally… for this one or that to get a job or a restored relationship… for countless children…for some dear souls to be allowed to enter Heaven…and more. I made a list of some of the requests that God answered… and I took notice of how He answered. Most of the time, His answer was at least a little bit different than my request… but it was always perfect. The timing was better… the outcome was impeccable…the response made more sense and had a more positive impact overall.
So why do I doubt? Why do I try to impose my timetable? Why can’t I be patient and trust God in all things? Why do I worry that for one minute, He might allow a hair on my head to perish? Why would we ever fear following Jesus? I know the answer… our own human frailties and the inroads these provide for Satan to get a stronghold. Because we all know that fear comes from the devil… it’s one of his favorite tools!
Today, my prayer is that God would make me more patient and trusting. I am reminded of how faithful He is to care for me… and how I should be more faithful and trusting in my Discipleship. Truly, nothing – and no one – matters more than Jesus. The day we begin to understand this fully is the day we really arrive as Christians. Where does this leave you? Are you willing to put Jesus before everything – and everyone – else? Have you arrived in your Spiritual journey? Are you even on your way?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Proverbs 26:18-19
People who shrug off deliberate deceptions, saying, "I didn't mean it, I was only joking, "Are worse than careless campers who walk away from smoldering campfires.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
News reports have documented all too well what happens when a careless camper flicks a cigarette or leaves a smoldering campfire. Entire parks, neighborhoods and communities have gone up in flames due to this reckless behavior. In some cases, the perpetrator was caught and prosecuted. In others, it can be hoped that the person responsible was greatly remorseful for his/her actions.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen our share of incidents where people shrug off deliberate deceptions… from politicians who say, “It was all in the spirit of the campaign,” to those who have ridiculed and bullied homosexuals to the point of suicide and then tried to brush it off as a result of the victim’s own insecurities and emotional hangups. So many people fail to see how their single act of unkindness and insensitivity can spread as rampantly as the flames induced by the spark of a campfire or cigarette ember.
As a people, we fail to recognize the power of a single sentence… or even tone with which we utter a couple of words. The Bible tells us the tongue has the power of life or death. What we say can make all the difference… either negatively, or positively.
We cannot excuse our sinful behavior or hurtful comments and judgments with the phrase, “I was only kidding.” So often, what we say and do is truly not a joke… and it’s time we realized our impact on others. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be the one who “burns down the forest!”
Let’s ask God to help us be more thoughtful… more Christ-like in our words and deeds. Let’s ask Him to show us how to overcome any hint of an urge to deceive others and then try to justify our behavior. Let’s be the people He has called us to be and operate in truth and love. God’s not kidding around with others’ feelings… and neither should we.
©2010 Debbie Robus
