Respect

 Respect

The apostle Peter writes,

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"1 Peter 3:15.

Are you ready to present the gospel of Christ to anyone who might ask you. Equally importantly is when you tell people about Christ are you respectful to those with whom your are speaking?

Sadly one of the things I have found here in North America is that those who are not Christians many time feel Christians do not respect them, their way of life or their faith.

They violate the command of Jesus who said,

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12.

We can disagree with people and still respect them. Furthermore they will respect and listen to us if we do as Jesus commanded. 

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12.

Thus my question to you. Do you show respect to those you disagree with, be they family, friend or foe?

Please think about it.

Respect

Respect
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.  
For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.   Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.  
Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” 
     1 Peter 2:13-17.
I like what Peter says here. Peter lived under the emperor Nero one of the worst prosecutors of Christians. In fact it is believed that Peter died under Nero. Yet Peter could say,
    “Submit yourself for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the King, as supreme authority, or to the governor,...”
I believe Peter said this because by respecting and submitting to the authorities they would have a great deal of problems convicting anyone of doing wrong.
In fact Peter even says,
“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 
                                                                  1 Peter 2:11,12
For Christians the only time I believe we should not submit to authorities is when they tell us we cannot practice our faith.
A word of caution here however in light of what has been happening in the United States with people wanting to refuse to serve those they disagree with, in particular homosexuals.
Refusing anyone service for any reason is not Christian.
I understand many Christian as part of their faith, believe marriage is between a man and a woman. That is their right to believe that and because it is a part of their faith it is their right under freedom of religion not to marry same sex couples.
However refusing service because of someone’s lifestyle or belief when you have a business that is open to the public is wrong.
I’m sure Paul, a tent maker served all people. Even those he disagreed with. He certainly had a lot of dealing with people who’s beliefs and lifestyle he would not have liked. After all he met with Stoic philosophers and others. He spent time in Athens and Corinth cities filled with pagan worship, practising things that would have appalled him. Yet we have no record of him speaking against such people. In fact he said,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
                                                                                                              Romans 12:18.
By living at peace with all people we can create opportunities to reach people for Christ.
We live in a secular democracy that is filled with things we dislike such is life here in North America and around the world. We must learn to live within it to successfully win souls for Christ.
As Christians we must not compromise our beliefs. It is however possible to reach our world for Christ by showing love and compassion to even those we disagree with. The apostles did it.
Paul was doing it in such a positive way that he was invited while in Athens to speak to learned men and philosophers. The result was he actually seen people accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Jesus sat with the Samaritan woman someone shunned by Jewish religious leader of His day. He did so to point her to heaven.
The purpose of Christ entering the world was expressed by Jesus who speaking of Himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:16,17.
As Christians in the twenty-first century we need to be respecting the government. We also need to show love and respect for not only God, our neighbours, but even our enemies.
It is incumbent on us to show love and accept people as they are. In doing so we will win souls for Christ.
The writer of Hebrews said,
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” 
    Hebrews 12:14.
If we are truly Christians we need to follow the example of Jesus who welcomed everyone irrespective of who they were. That is what it is to be Christian.
Please think about it.