rjfernalld (rjfernalld)
11-03-2004, 06:56 PM
Of late the mocking Christian has become a subject of much relflection for me personally. Once a member of a bible based destructive elitist cult, I too mocked others: non-believers, Loadicean churches, liberal thinkers, Muslims, homosexuals, the disenfranchised of all races, creeds and religions. We were taught to be hypocrites of the highest order.
I have since repented for this ungodly attitude and have come to understand that it is to everyone that God reaches out. As a believer, my love for His salvation brings me to His love for the disenfranchised unbeliever. He would not mock or belittle them. His heart is to draw them close, to show them His fascinating unconditional love, grace, mercy and hope...therefore it is for me to do the same. God reminds me of this daily in my prayers and meditations.
And yet...how full of pride and arrogance some "believers" appear to be. In the name of God and His beautiful Word, they mock, utter their bigotted diatribes and call it "humor", while further distancing people who need God away from those who could, by example and speech show the God of mercy to them.
My belief is that to love God one must humbly love the person who needs Him. He came in humility to offer salvation through His blood sacrifice to the world, and for us to mock those he died to save is sin of the highest order. Shall we assist in driving the nails deeper by shunning the prostitue who needs to understand God's desire to give her spotless garments? Are we to mock the lonely, the gay, the miserable and the poor because we cannot possiblty dirty ourselves with their needs? How are we in any wise better than they?
Where were you when His hand pulled you out of the gutter? Where was I? We were steeped in sin, pride, loneliness and as depraved as those that today are mocked. What has happened to your greatful humility, Christian? Where has your love for He who has saved you gone? Are you too good now to extend your own hand with love to one caught in sin and who is looking everywhere for acceptance and love? You mock your own kind in the name of "truth" and the unbeliever in the name of your own righteousness.
You and I are sinners saved by HIS GRACE, and it had nothing to do with us. We merely clung to and do cling to Him like a drowning man clings to a rope that gently hauls him back to the boat. Your mocking laughter does nothing but make the drowning reject the rope. How awful that you could claim the rope for yourself and then deny it to others. They are not less worthy than you. They ARE you...they need Him as you did and to mock them publically is to give them reason to run.
With every mocking and negative word you send them into the depths of that drowning sea of despair where no answer for sin and no hope can be found. I beg you you, I ask for us all to repent and humble ourselves yet again before Him, beg His forgiveness. I too, like all are guilty of this prideful and arrogant misappropriation of His miraculous grace and ask for His forgiveness.
Please do the same? Please cease the work of the the powers of blindness and strife? I pray that the new day will dawn when men and women of good faith and charity will awaken to the harm of arrogance and pride flung like offal at the sinner in the name of God.
(Message edited by rjfernalld on November 03, 2004)
I have since repented for this ungodly attitude and have come to understand that it is to everyone that God reaches out. As a believer, my love for His salvation brings me to His love for the disenfranchised unbeliever. He would not mock or belittle them. His heart is to draw them close, to show them His fascinating unconditional love, grace, mercy and hope...therefore it is for me to do the same. God reminds me of this daily in my prayers and meditations.
And yet...how full of pride and arrogance some "believers" appear to be. In the name of God and His beautiful Word, they mock, utter their bigotted diatribes and call it "humor", while further distancing people who need God away from those who could, by example and speech show the God of mercy to them.
My belief is that to love God one must humbly love the person who needs Him. He came in humility to offer salvation through His blood sacrifice to the world, and for us to mock those he died to save is sin of the highest order. Shall we assist in driving the nails deeper by shunning the prostitue who needs to understand God's desire to give her spotless garments? Are we to mock the lonely, the gay, the miserable and the poor because we cannot possiblty dirty ourselves with their needs? How are we in any wise better than they?
Where were you when His hand pulled you out of the gutter? Where was I? We were steeped in sin, pride, loneliness and as depraved as those that today are mocked. What has happened to your greatful humility, Christian? Where has your love for He who has saved you gone? Are you too good now to extend your own hand with love to one caught in sin and who is looking everywhere for acceptance and love? You mock your own kind in the name of "truth" and the unbeliever in the name of your own righteousness.
You and I are sinners saved by HIS GRACE, and it had nothing to do with us. We merely clung to and do cling to Him like a drowning man clings to a rope that gently hauls him back to the boat. Your mocking laughter does nothing but make the drowning reject the rope. How awful that you could claim the rope for yourself and then deny it to others. They are not less worthy than you. They ARE you...they need Him as you did and to mock them publically is to give them reason to run.
With every mocking and negative word you send them into the depths of that drowning sea of despair where no answer for sin and no hope can be found. I beg you you, I ask for us all to repent and humble ourselves yet again before Him, beg His forgiveness. I too, like all are guilty of this prideful and arrogant misappropriation of His miraculous grace and ask for His forgiveness.
Please do the same? Please cease the work of the the powers of blindness and strife? I pray that the new day will dawn when men and women of good faith and charity will awaken to the harm of arrogance and pride flung like offal at the sinner in the name of God.
(Message edited by rjfernalld on November 03, 2004)