are christians our own worst enemies?

let me begin by saying one thing. i know that not all of my subscribers are christians. i know some of you are AVID NON-CHRISTIANS. if this is you, please read this and tell me if i'm right. if you are a christian. i'd like to know what you think too. this one might be a little lengthy, so bear with me, i do have a point.

sometimes, i wonder if we as christians, are not the main reason that a lot of people do not come to Christ.

the thing that started me to think about this was actually something that really broke my heart. i took my family out to dinner a while back to a nicer restraunt. i noticed that the place was a little busy, like there was a large party. when i was seated i noticed a whole bunch of people that were all dressed up and wearing buttons on their shirts, so i figured that they were some kind of group.

when my waitress came to my table, i could tell that she had been crying. being the kind of person that i am, i had to try to add a little sunshine to her day and find out what the problem was. apparently, the group had been hers. they were very demanding (i witnessed this) they were very rude (i saw it) they were kind of hateful (i was getting aggrevated) and they didn't leave a tip. but the thing that really ticked me off was this, as they walked past my table i could read the buttons on their shirts. they said "SHINING THE LIGHT OF JESUS ON OUR TOWN"

let me ask you something. what do you think my waitress thought about the LIGHT OF JESUS? i can tell you what i would have thought. i did my best to convince her that we are not all like that, but i wonder if i had any impact.

another thing that befuddled me was a flyer for a revival that i saw the other day. i saw an advertisement for a revival that was going to be held. my first feeling was "hey that's great" till i read the whole thing. it said "come see firey preaching of the uncompromising word of God." (so far so good) then it said i am brother %#**^% and i've come to bring revival to your city. (again, no prob) come see the gifts of the spirit in operation (ok) i will be preaching against drugs, drinking, sex, immorality, homosexuality, rock and rap music. come every night to see what God can do in your life. (ok, now, as an evangelist, i'm confused.)

why would you not instead say something about hope of salvation, forgiveness of sins, or even answers to what you have been looking for, or freedom from bondage? you see, i am of the firm belief, that most people who are lost, know that they are lost. think about this. if you are a sinner, bound by these chains. are you really going to come see someone preach AGAINST these things. while i agree that we need to call sin what it is. i also believe that you have to catch a fish before you can clean it. the only people who would want to come to this after they read this are some self-righteous christians who want to be told how holy they are for not doing these things. am i wrong? you've just told the people that you are trying to reach, not to come.

i heard a man once say that his christian wife was the reason that he wouldn't give his heart to Christ. because she's nicer to a total stranger than she is to him. you've all seen those blessed saints that seem to have been dipped in lemon juice. they seem bitter and judgemental and not very happy and then they say to a lost person "you need to get Jesus in your life so you can have what i have". that's why they don't, they're afraid they might get what you've got.

i guess my point this week is this. if you are claiming to be His, act like it. my favorite verses in the bible are john 3:17 and galatians 4:16. j3:17 says "for God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved". and g4:16 says "am i therefore become your enemy, because i tell you the truth?".

to me, these two verses go hand in hand. i will tell you the truth. but it is up to you to decide what to do with it. don't get mad at me when i tell you the truth, because i'm not doing it to condemn you, i am doing it so that you might be saved.

let me finish by saying this. i believe that there are times when you just have to be blunt and (as my friend says) use your "billy club" of truth. but we also have to realize that the living of OUR LIVES can have a greater impact than anything that we ever say. we don't have to be fake. we don't have to pretend that all is well. we just have to live the most honest Christian life that we can. if you don't appear to have something other than what the world has to offer, why on earth would the world want what you have. and if you never offer hope, only judgement. why would they care what you have to say?

for my non-christian friends, i love you all, and i hope that you see that not everyone who claims Christ is representing Him. and to my Christian friends, live your life like you believe that the bible is true and like He's coming back today. love them with all of your heart, don't be afraid to tell the truth, but try to remember they are watching your life more than they are listening to your words.

just something to think about.

your comments are welcome.

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God bless

i'm coming soon

hello everyone. i'm still trying to figure out how this site works. i've almost got it. i'll try to have an actual blog posted by wednesday. till then, have a great week.