Isaiah 53:3 ESV He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
I would like to ask you to think carefully about the Lord Jesus when he was here on this earth, and about the Apostle Paul as he went about preaching the gospel of Christ. Think about how they were treated, and even by those who claimed to be God’s people. Or think of this:
Hebrews 11:36-38 ESV Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. (37) They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— (38) of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
And now I would like you to think about the kind of “christian” most churches and church leaders try to produce.
Do you see where I am going with this? I suggest to you that the majority of churches teach their congregants that they can and need to be popular and well-liked by the world. You need to be the kind of person who the whole town will say, “now there is a real Christian!” Popular. You need to do all you can to be popular. Get out there and mix it up with the citizens of the community. Join the chamber of commerce or the Kiwanis club. Then they will like you. Then they will get saved…..
Now switch your minds back to the Bible again. Is that what Jesus did? Is that what Paul did? Or Jeremiah? Or Isaiah? Or…and of God’s true people? Of course not.
So let me just end this post with this: We have been falsely taught. We have been unjustly guilted if we spoke the truth and someone got mad at us. We have been pressured in churches, seminaries, Bible colleges, online “ministries,” – to embrace a false religion that is not of Christ and that is not to be found anywhere in the Bible.
And that is how far the mass of visible Christianity has drifted from the Lord. How far you say? Let me put it like this – if Jesus applied for a pastor position in the typical local church, He would be rejected. So would Paul and Timothy and all the prophets and other Apostles. Too divisive. Too troublesome. Too….unpopular with the town.
Absolutely true. I’ve come to the same conclusion. I’ve spent most of my life trying to appease people who will never be appeased even to the point of compromising myself. A long painful journey but I found out the truth. It didn’t bring salvation to them, not at all. Thank you for posting the truth.
And thank you as well Tracey. Wise words from you.
I think the hard part is discerning when to do like Paul said and to live at peace with all men, as far as it is in your power, vs. when to be more forceful and less “nice”. It all boils down to your motivation, I suppose. Am I doing something because I want to be accepted, or because I want to represent truth?
When do I mince words and when do I not?
Thanks Wendell!
There seems to be a real push to indoctrinate people to not have any boundaries, with this messaging and expectation being especially given to girls and women. It leaves us open to so much victimization. I wish more churches taught about evil, tactics of the wicked, how to discern evil, manipulation, wicked persons, disguises, guises, etc. I wish more churches focused on that instead of encouraging and imploring members to go and be all-loving, all-accepting, all-friendly, all-trusting, and smiley, joyful, pleasant people. Maybe I’m wrong, but I find it increasingly difficult to reconcile the push to “love your neighbor and pray for your enemies” and just being more self-protective and less vulnerable in hopes of warding off further victimization.
Sometimes I do revert back to thinking I need to be helpful and friendly to anyone I come across, in the spirit of “love your neighbor” but then again life has taught me that I’m being reckless in doing so, with victimization and abuse sure to follow.
Is the pastor interested in doing a post about boundaries?
Also, in the example and Bible verses about the watchmen, I think it was kind of a parable and all, correct? Where if you see bad coming and don’t wake and warn others, you share in it. Does that expand to basically say that as Christians, knowing Judgment Day and that our souls are eternal and there is heaven and hell awaiting, are we to go and make a point of warning everyone we meet, to ensure we don’t neglect our duty to warn and wake anyone to their need for baptism, repentance, and Jesus’ Presence in their lives? I know this is off-topic, yet I was kind of wondering about this.
Thank you for posting so much on your blogs. For the otherwise ‘unchurched’, your online ministry and the books and the blogs are so valuable!
I totally agree with Reader’s first paragraph–that ministers need to teach about evil. But I would go further and ask the education for ministers to teach the ministers, as I have witnessed them blindsided by lies. Once the minister realizes the truth and can no longer be manipulated to hurt the victim, the evil one will speak evil toward the minister or his wife and they will be driven away, or they find it too difficult to stay. Its usually the young ministers, but I have seen older ones misled too.
I’ve been a victim so I know this well. I gave up and left. More than 20 years later I found out she was still lying about me, and turning the few members who were still friendly towards me, against me. I cannot imagine anyone having so much hatred. I never did or said anything against her. Perhaps that was my error. But then, I would have sounded just like her.
Truth. I’ve been there. The evil ones are still duping people 30 years later.