My job is to Love
James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. James 3:5-10.
As believers in Christ Jesus we need to be careful what we say. What we say has the power to bring people closer to God or push them away.
When the gay pride parade was on in Toronto I was at a meeting of Christian believers unrelated to the pride parade. At the meeting someone got up and started to put down the LGBTQ community. The way it was said made it sound that if they didn’t aline their way of life with Christians it was wrong. It made it sound that they had a ‘special sin’.
With people saying this kind of thing is it any wonder members of the LGBTQ community are reluctant to enter a church?
The whole incident left me shaking my head.
We here in Canada live in a multicultural secular democracy that allows all faiths and lifestyles to exist in harmony along side one another.
In many ways we are like the Roman empire that embraced many cultures and faiths. That allowed people of different beliefs to interact. A good example of this was the apostle Paul speaking in the Areopagus in Athens.
The people who invited Paul to speak did not believe as Paul did. Yet they heard him speaking about his faith in the market square and asked him to speak.
They, I’m sure did this because Paul was not speaking out against their faith or their lifestyle. Paul was simply presenting the gospel message in as pure a way as he knew how to.
So it should be today in 2020.
The way I see it a great light is shining on those who believe in Christ Jesus. The world is watching and we need to tame our tongue.
The writer of Proverbs tells us,
“The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4.
Jesus said,
"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.
He did not tell us to judge and condemn anyone who’s faith or lifestyle was different from ours. He said make disciples. Teach them to obey everything he as commanded us to do.
Billy Graham the late American Evangelist said,
Please think about it.
James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. James 3:5-10.
As believers in Christ Jesus we need to be careful what we say. What we say has the power to bring people closer to God or push them away.
When the gay pride parade was on in Toronto I was at a meeting of Christian believers unrelated to the pride parade. At the meeting someone got up and started to put down the LGBTQ community. The way it was said made it sound that if they didn’t aline their way of life with Christians it was wrong. It made it sound that they had a ‘special sin’.
With people saying this kind of thing is it any wonder members of the LGBTQ community are reluctant to enter a church?
The whole incident left me shaking my head.
We here in Canada live in a multicultural secular democracy that allows all faiths and lifestyles to exist in harmony along side one another.
In many ways we are like the Roman empire that embraced many cultures and faiths. That allowed people of different beliefs to interact. A good example of this was the apostle Paul speaking in the Areopagus in Athens.
The people who invited Paul to speak did not believe as Paul did. Yet they heard him speaking about his faith in the market square and asked him to speak.
They, I’m sure did this because Paul was not speaking out against their faith or their lifestyle. Paul was simply presenting the gospel message in as pure a way as he knew how to.
So it should be today in 2020.
The way I see it a great light is shining on those who believe in Christ Jesus. The world is watching and we need to tame our tongue.
The writer of Proverbs tells us,
“The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4.
Jesus said,
"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.
He did not tell us to judge and condemn anyone who’s faith or lifestyle was different from ours. He said make disciples. Teach them to obey everything he as commanded us to do.
Billy Graham the late American Evangelist said,
“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict,
God's job to judge
and my job to love,”
Billy Graham.
If we remember this and present to gospel of Christ in a loving way we will win far more people to Christ than we will condemning someone because of their faith, their way of life, or their lifestyle.Please think about it.
