The Gospel is this: Jesus died for your sins and you're forgiven. That means you can sit down with God and talk to him. You can talk about your life and find out what your purpose is for being here. You can know and be known by your Source. There's nothing separating you. You don't have to be good and nice and kind to hang out with God, all that sin or bad behavior is not a barrier between you anymore. God can be a friend, like he was with Adam, and Moses.
That's what Christians are here to do. They aren't here to push the gospel on anyone, or to convert anyone. The Holy Spirit does that when you speak the gospel, if it needs to be done. You don't tell people what to do.
And Christians aren't here to run for political office. They aren't here to establish the Law of Moses as the Law of the Land. They aren't here to picket abortion clinics. They aren't here to deny gay couples the right to marriage. They aren't here to meddle in the things of the world.
Christians who do more than Love God, Love their Neighbor, and Speak the Gospel are exceeding their mandate, giving in to their evil natures, trying to dominate and control the world so we're safe, when god says to depend on him for our safety, not politics, not police, not the military. He places the government in place, and Christians are told to pray for the leaders of the land, not against them, and certainly not to try to become them.
If you're a Christian, read this and remember, God wants you, to spend time with you. Let the world go to hell if that's what it wants to do, God is in control. Pray for our fellow Christians to change their hearts and return to God. Pray for this message to spread through the Body of Christ like a prairie wildfire.
If you're not a Christian, please try to remind Christians that this is all they're supposed to be doing. They've been lied to, coerced by evil men, and they'll argue and fight with you at first. Sorry about that.
That's what Christians are here to do. They aren't here to push the gospel on anyone, or to convert anyone. The Holy Spirit does that when you speak the gospel, if it needs to be done. You don't tell people what to do.
And Christians aren't here to run for political office. They aren't here to establish the Law of Moses as the Law of the Land. They aren't here to picket abortion clinics. They aren't here to deny gay couples the right to marriage. They aren't here to meddle in the things of the world.
Christians who do more than Love God, Love their Neighbor, and Speak the Gospel are exceeding their mandate, giving in to their evil natures, trying to dominate and control the world so we're safe, when god says to depend on him for our safety, not politics, not police, not the military. He places the government in place, and Christians are told to pray for the leaders of the land, not against them, and certainly not to try to become them.
If you're a Christian, read this and remember, God wants you, to spend time with you. Let the world go to hell if that's what it wants to do, God is in control. Pray for our fellow Christians to change their hearts and return to God. Pray for this message to spread through the Body of Christ like a prairie wildfire.
If you're not a Christian, please try to remind Christians that this is all they're supposed to be doing. They've been lied to, coerced by evil men, and they'll argue and fight with you at first. Sorry about that.
This is going to be weird, but I'm going to stick up for Christians on a few points. I won't argue with you on your first couple of paragraphs or about establishing Mosaic Law as the Law of the land as the US Constitution is The law of the land. Also, few who know me would consider me Christian and I will not be found picketing abortion clinics or spending much time debating the merits of gay marriage.
ReplyDeleteWith that said; why the hell shouldn't Christians run for office, express their beliefs to non-believers about Scripture, convert others, run for political office, protest things they find unacceptable and voice their concerns to their legislators? Can Muslims, Jews, HIndus, Buddhists, Pagans or Atheists run for office? Can people of diverse opinions picket various businesses they disagree with? Can not gays petition their legislators to enact legislation that they want? Hell Yeah!
If everyone in this country has the Constitutional Right to meddle in the affairs of the world and this Great Nation, then why not Christians? Just who has the authority to tell them to shut up and stay out of societal affairs while others get to have their say and influence? Pardon my lack of knowledge on The Bible but doesn't it say something about man being given dominion over creation and that God helps those that help themselves?
Come on RO, try to be a little less judgmental and a little more tolerant of diverse opinions. And why do so many demonize their fellow citizens when the express political opinions; like calling anti-war protesters in the Bush Admin unpatriotic or Tea Party protesters racist? This is America and every citizen gets to play their part in the political process and express their opinions. That applies to Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Tea Partiers, Progressives, Men, Women, Straights, Gays, Blacks, Whites or any other color. By God!
RO thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity to rant at you, you somewhat right wing Christian you. It just made a damned good day even better!
Ron
Amen. Hyperreligionism's disgustingly popular, but then, what's new? There've always been legalists more interested in seeming right than being right.
ReplyDeleteBig amen to that.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Frater...
ReplyDeleteI see always on the internet comments that someone (gay/muslin, magician, etc) needs to "find jesus".
I always say "man, you need to find jesus before you tell other to do it, because you obviously didn´t".
I am an astrologer, and the maps of the "preachy" kind, are always maps full of, well, perversion. There is no peaceful faith because the "faith" is usually full repressed corrupt energy. So, I can say that, at least from my astrological experience, no, these people never found jesus, buda, etc.
I must confess: I love Christians. But I must also add: I've met very few *real* Christians. For me a Christian lives and practices the teachings of Christ according to his example by loving God and his neighbor:
ReplyDelete"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
Matthew 25:35-36
To respond to Ron, as a devout [left-er wing] Christian, I completely agree with you, RO!
ReplyDeleteI expect it's all right for Christians to run for local office, where their capacity for obligatory evil is more limited, but it was the stance of the early church that being a politician was simply incompatible with Christianity. How could it not be? How do you send men to kill one another, while maintaining that you should turn the other cheek? How to you strive for the preservation of your nation's goods and boundaries, when you maintain that your kingdom and treasure are in heaven?
I see no problem with Christians *expressing* (but not pontificating!) their beliefs. I agree with RO though - it's the Holy Ghost, not the Christian, that converts others. Sure, we can protest things we find unacceptable. But, *that* they are unacceptable should not surprise us: The domain of Caesar is not our domain.
Sure, we have the same *constitutional* rights as anyone else - but we have an obligation not to make use of all our rights. Paul says, "All things are lawful to me - but not all things are beneficial."
Are we witnessing the beginning of the end of separation of religion and state in the USA? I don't believe so.
ReplyDeleteHowever, politics does not live in a vacuum and I see what is happening at the moment as a continuing response to the war of ideologies being waged on the world stage.
Unfortunately the practice of religion is not a magic vaccine to protect against the corruption of power. How do you reconcile: "God helps those who help themselves" with just "Trust in God"?
Ron, no offense, but I think you're an idiot at worst, or an argument starter at best if you're calling me judgmental or intolerant.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to argue for Christians' rights to be worldly, go ahead, but you're not arguing with me.
Wow. Thank you for this. It's an amazing statement about what Christians should & shouldn't do, put as only a true Christian could.
ReplyDeleteI'm Wiccan, and while I've always suspected this was how Christianity ought to be followed (and yelled "SHOULDN'T YOU PEOPLE BE TENDING THE POOR OR SOMETHING" when passing abortion/gay rights protestors), I never could have put it so succinctly - and, I suspect, correctly according to the actual faith.
Thanks again.
In response to Simon:
ReplyDeleteI may be wrong about this concept as a non-Christian, but what follows is my understanding. You reconcile the two by trusting in God to present you with opportunities and situations in which His love and your enlightenment can be most freely expressed at any given point in time rather than simply waiting around for Him to show you the way and lead you along by the hand.
This is an actually interesting phenomenon in any religion, where the message of the religion seems to become a bit muddied at the hands of zealous fundamentalists who through their own fear and insecurity take on an imperialistic stance. The result is a form of militant religion--one not uncommon in history, but definitely having resurgence in our era.
ReplyDeleteI don't see this message nearly often enough on the internet. Thank you.
ReplyDelete