Criminal or True Christian?
In today's society, being Christian means you're a goodie-goodie. You follow all the rules. At most people only find your beliefs annoying or stupid. But is this how God intended for us to live? To a degree - yes; Jesus says "Blessed are the peacemakers." However, Christianity doesn't always mean submitting to the powers of this world. All throughout scripture, God tries to keep His people holy and pure from the corruption of this world. This would then mean that His will is not for us to blend in with the world and its evil.
In Acts 24, Paul is brought on trial before the governor. Paul is thought highly of by today's Christians. He was very influential and wrote much of the New Testament. In his time though, he was hated. (Jesus was also hated... there must be a connection here). So, it must make sense that if we lived like Paul, or more importantly like Jesus, we would also be hated. Acts 24:5-8 reads:
From this, we can learn that living for God doesn't mean peace, even though we live as peacemakers. Sometimes, to the world we look like criminals. We may even be accused of being criminlas. While we bring peace and liberty, others will bring chaos and disorder. Living in the Spirit of Christ won't look all pretty and fake like many westernized Christians try to make it. As the body of Christ, it is past time for us to rise up and stand for what is right and just. The time of slumber and rest is over. The hour of submitting to sin has expired. It is now time to pick up our weapons and fight against the things who are already deceptively warring against us.
This can look different for different people. Some may need to practice more Spiritual discipline. You may need more of The Word, or more prayer or worship. Maybe there are some that need to overcome sin and oppressions. Or starting to wake up may mean to stop accepting things that are wrong and immoral. No matter what it may be, the fact is - the awakening of the Church starts with you, you and your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. These things can't be done by someone else. So I challenge you to pick up your spiritual weapons, live in obedience to the fullness of God's word, and join in the battle against the things causing disturbance and chaos.
In Acts 24, Paul is brought on trial before the governor. Paul is thought highly of by today's Christians. He was very influential and wrote much of the New Testament. In his time though, he was hated. (Jesus was also hated... there must be a connection here). So, it must make sense that if we lived like Paul, or more importantly like Jesus, we would also be hated. Acts 24:5-8 reads:
"'We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect [6] and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. [8] By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him'" [NIV]The Jewish leaders are bringing their accusation against Paul before the governor. They view him as a dirty, malicious, rodent of society. He appears evil and deceptive in their eyes when, in fact, they are the ones that fit this description. Paul never lived his life wanting to stir up trouble. But naturally, the conflict between the Spirit of freedom upon him and the spirits of bondage in the world caused trouble.
From this, we can learn that living for God doesn't mean peace, even though we live as peacemakers. Sometimes, to the world we look like criminals. We may even be accused of being criminlas. While we bring peace and liberty, others will bring chaos and disorder. Living in the Spirit of Christ won't look all pretty and fake like many westernized Christians try to make it. As the body of Christ, it is past time for us to rise up and stand for what is right and just. The time of slumber and rest is over. The hour of submitting to sin has expired. It is now time to pick up our weapons and fight against the things who are already deceptively warring against us.
This can look different for different people. Some may need to practice more Spiritual discipline. You may need more of The Word, or more prayer or worship. Maybe there are some that need to overcome sin and oppressions. Or starting to wake up may mean to stop accepting things that are wrong and immoral. No matter what it may be, the fact is - the awakening of the Church starts with you, you and your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. These things can't be done by someone else. So I challenge you to pick up your spiritual weapons, live in obedience to the fullness of God's word, and join in the battle against the things causing disturbance and chaos.
Comments
Post a Comment