Monday, March 08, 2004
Resounding Gongs, Clanging Cymbals - A City on a (Capitol) Hill.
Paul starts his beautiful passage on Love in 1 Cor. This way:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Christians today are perceived as loud, obnoxious, rude, and judgemental - we have become resounding gongs and clanging cymbals, a loud noise in the ear of the world. A noise which makes them clasp their hands over their ears and think happy thoughts. Instead of tuning in, they tune out the roar of the Christian majority.
We "have not love". We forgot how to love. Let's look at a list of what love is NOT:
1. Love is not simply talking to someone. Getting to know them. Calling them a friend. "What are you talking about?" We cry. "I have a [gay/divorced/black/atheist/democrat] friend at work!". Well aren't you a real pillar of outreach. I don't know one Christian in my life that has been CLOSE friends with a gay couple. Since when did you have your daughter's friend Jennifer and her Two Mommies over for dinner?
2. Love is not becoming someone's friend just to witness to them or save them.
3. Love is not filling someone's windshield wiper fluid, handing out bottles of water, or any of those other things. Those are GREAT things to do just for the heck it - but not a substitute for love.
Think of the way you LOVE your close friends and family. Can you possibly imagine sharing that kind of love with someone who was gay or was having an abortion, or whatever?
Christians have gone into survival mode. We've been backed into a corner by the world, and we are lashing out with tooth and nail. Viciously attacking anyone and everyone we can. We have turned to much to Christianity and promoting religion, than the life changing power of Christ's Love and Death on the Cross.
We have however followed, step by step, Jesus' path to Italy where he demanded an end to the moral corruption of the Roman Government. "Give to Caesar NOTHING! It's MY money!" He cried! My favorite stories of Jesus are those where we was working hard fighting the Roman Senate into passing laws against this and that. Oh....... Wait... Nevermind. We are trying to build our City on a Hill in Washington. It's almost laughable - it IS lamentable.
Since when have Christians and Jesus been on the "good" side of law. If I remember correctly, there was a group of law-abiding, law-worshipping religous people, who followed their laws to end............ They also killed the Son Of God. Finally, it came time for the laws of God to be written on our Hearts, by the holy spirit! 2,000 years later, after becoming a monotone group of nobodys, we are demanding that these laws be written on the books again. We are desperatly fighting to preserve state. Clinging to all that is remotely recognizable as "good" and wrapping ourselves in it, like a baby clings to a warm blanket. We are disgusted by the world (as we should be - it is vile and Godless) but instead of HAVING CHRIST CENTERED COMPASSION for the lost - a heart that weeps for those who's souls are running dangerously rampant in the world dying to know their maker - we have taken up arms against them and their "alternative lifestyles" and "moral depravity". Our biggest enemy on this earth is NOT Satan. It is ourselves. The battle we should be fighting is an inner battle against our flesh that is currently at war with our sprit.
Enough of the protesting. Enough of the legislating, and lobbying. These are not of Christ. More Love. "The ONLY thing that counts, is faith expressing itself through love" Gal. 3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Christians today are perceived as loud, obnoxious, rude, and judgemental - we have become resounding gongs and clanging cymbals, a loud noise in the ear of the world. A noise which makes them clasp their hands over their ears and think happy thoughts. Instead of tuning in, they tune out the roar of the Christian majority.
We "have not love". We forgot how to love. Let's look at a list of what love is NOT:
1. Love is not simply talking to someone. Getting to know them. Calling them a friend. "What are you talking about?" We cry. "I have a [gay/divorced/black/atheist/democrat] friend at work!". Well aren't you a real pillar of outreach. I don't know one Christian in my life that has been CLOSE friends with a gay couple. Since when did you have your daughter's friend Jennifer and her Two Mommies over for dinner?
2. Love is not becoming someone's friend just to witness to them or save them.
3. Love is not filling someone's windshield wiper fluid, handing out bottles of water, or any of those other things. Those are GREAT things to do just for the heck it - but not a substitute for love.
Think of the way you LOVE your close friends and family. Can you possibly imagine sharing that kind of love with someone who was gay or was having an abortion, or whatever?
Christians have gone into survival mode. We've been backed into a corner by the world, and we are lashing out with tooth and nail. Viciously attacking anyone and everyone we can. We have turned to much to Christianity and promoting religion, than the life changing power of Christ's Love and Death on the Cross.
We have however followed, step by step, Jesus' path to Italy where he demanded an end to the moral corruption of the Roman Government. "Give to Caesar NOTHING! It's MY money!" He cried! My favorite stories of Jesus are those where we was working hard fighting the Roman Senate into passing laws against this and that. Oh....... Wait... Nevermind. We are trying to build our City on a Hill in Washington. It's almost laughable - it IS lamentable.
Since when have Christians and Jesus been on the "good" side of law. If I remember correctly, there was a group of law-abiding, law-worshipping religous people, who followed their laws to end............ They also killed the Son Of God. Finally, it came time for the laws of God to be written on our Hearts, by the holy spirit! 2,000 years later, after becoming a monotone group of nobodys, we are demanding that these laws be written on the books again. We are desperatly fighting to preserve state. Clinging to all that is remotely recognizable as "good" and wrapping ourselves in it, like a baby clings to a warm blanket. We are disgusted by the world (as we should be - it is vile and Godless) but instead of HAVING CHRIST CENTERED COMPASSION for the lost - a heart that weeps for those who's souls are running dangerously rampant in the world dying to know their maker - we have taken up arms against them and their "alternative lifestyles" and "moral depravity". Our biggest enemy on this earth is NOT Satan. It is ourselves. The battle we should be fighting is an inner battle against our flesh that is currently at war with our sprit.
Enough of the protesting. Enough of the legislating, and lobbying. These are not of Christ. More Love. "The ONLY thing that counts, is faith expressing itself through love" Gal. 3
Sunday, March 07, 2004
In order to free up space and de-politicize my personal blog, this blog will be used to rant against the machine. enjoy.
