There is a lost and scattered (but keenly observant) world right now, watching the Christian response to the Opening Ceremony for the Olympics.
Perpetually offended believers, regularly up in arms, only reinforce the negative views that many lost people already have of the Church.
Instead of advocating for the lost and the least of these, we, who should be dispensers of hope and the gospel, are squandering both our testimony and our opportunity to embody Christ’s love.
As Christians, our primary mandate is to love God and love others. This love transcends national boundaries, cultural differences, and political affiliations. Our faith is not for us alone. Nor should it be confined by geographic or ideological borders.
The very essence of the Gospel is rooted in the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ who reached out to the marginalized, the outcasts, the sinners. Our actions, especially in the public eye, should reflect this boundless love.
Our witness crumbles each time our pearl clutching and misplaced anger overshadow our mandate to walk worthy, to esteem others higher than ourselves, and to make disciples.
Spoiling for a fight, humility takes a back seat to selfishness, and quickly morphs into a “me first” mentality that repels the very ones we’re called to reach.
We have ceased to be kind.
We wear our “persecution” and mistreatment like a badge of honor. I suspect, however, martyrs throughout the centuries would beg to differ.
You want to compare persecution?
Let’s compare: A presentation meant for the entire world, from another culture and another country, was televised with which you disagree.
From Hebrews 11:
We were crucified, beaten, stoned, beheaded, and burned at the stake, among countless other atrocities. We (of whom the world was not worthy) understood, ahead of time, the consequences of fidelity to Jesus. We thought it worth the cost. We counted it an honor to share in His sufferings.
The world is not out to get us.
The world needs us.
We are called to represent Jesus well (to literally be ambassadors for Christ) but none of that seems to matter when dealing with, or observing, those outside our faith.
Our mission is not to win petty arguments, but to win the lost. The Church is called to “contend for the faith,” not for ourselves.
An other-oriented focus is what displays real Christian credibility. Jesus modeled that in both word and deed.
Religious fervor that prioritizes “personal liberty and freedom” over lost people in need of true liberation, diminishes the Church’s impact in profound ways.
The Church is not being persecuted. The Church is being tested. The Church has an unprecedented opportunity to fight for the lost, the vulnerable, and the marginalized.
If we, as individual members of the body of Christ, fight only for our rights, we negate our witness, and bring reproach upon Jesus and the Church.
We are instructed to have the mind of Christ, who “humbled Himself and made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant.”
It is not about us. Jesus clearly stated how He would build His Church. The Church’s mission is not dictated by us, or our desires, opinions, or feelings.
If our focus and behavior do not embody the things He died to redeem, and embrace the people He died to redeem, then we’re simply not doing it right.
“By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
~ 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟏𝟑:𝟑𝟓