Articles
Obvious
Sometimes stating the obvious is the obvious thing to do. We make things hard on ourselves from time to time as Christians, and really as humans in general, these days. There is sometimes a stigma that comes with anything that we do as a people that seems to have a relatively low level of difficulty. This is an extremely dangerous outlook to have as a disciple, because in our quest to find more challenging things to do, we can miss many opportunities to fulfill two of our main duties in our service to our Lord. Exposing sin and preaching the love of Christ to the world, and encouraging our brothers and sisters are essential parts of Christianity. Failing to do these things puts not only our own soul in jeopardy, but also the souls of anyone’s heart who could have been pricked by the Word. That is why it is important to speak out and loudly about the hateful acts that occurred in Charlottesville, VA last weekend. The first step to eradicating sin, in most cases, is to first acknowledge it.
Ephesians 5 challenges us to be imitators of God and to walk in love as Christ has loved us. In doing so we are charged to not only abstain from participating in sinful acts, but we are also called to expose them. We also have an obligation to speak on sin when given the opportunity. Our divine example Jesus certainly had this outlook as he exposed and corrected sin whenever he was confronted with it. The apostle Paul also seemed to grasp this concept as he charged the preacher Timothy in II Timothy 4 to be ready “in season and out of season.” We do not decide when is a good time or a bad time to speak up. This can be carried out in a number of different ways. It can be something as simple as a short post on our various forms of social media (yes social media has good uses), because you never know who is reading. You could change the heart of someone hateful with a few words about Jesus. It is not our place to grow the seed, but only to plant it. A brother or sister who is struggling as a victim of this hate might read what you say and feel uplifted. Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:15) Sometimes all a brother needs is to hear that you are praying for them to feel encouraged.
Regardless of your political stance (whether Republican, Democrat, Conservative, Liberal, etc.), we are Christians first. Christ died to show us his love for us, and as imitators we cannot allow these worldly things come in between us. Love has to be the root of our actions when dealing with one another. If we are as divided inside the church as the world is outside, how then can we call ourselves sanctified? When these events occur many emotions arise, but only a reaction based in love will be acceptable to God. So, when you want to know how you should respond to these things, the answer is love, and it really is that obvious.
