Shine

"In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do. Live so that they will praise your Father in heaven."

Matthew 5:16

In downtown Jefferson recently, a church group had decided that on a Friday afternoon, they'd stand in front of Nathan's bank, yelling at passer-byers that they would be going to Hell if the didn't repent. They were even yelling at young girls, because they had shorts on and tank tops- calling them...sluts. Wow. First of all, if this is your tactic to "win people to Christ" you have missed the point entirely. Why would anyone think its ok to call someone a name, and judge them?! Secondly, I am not sure why this church chose downtown Jefferson, Ga. I am thinking it was because it was "safe." No one is going to challenge them. This is the Bible belt....a VERY small town, so I am thinking this group was hoping to get people to "pat them on the back" and honk and agree with them. So really are they trying to win people to Christ or make themselves feel good?
We Christians today are no better. We complain and whine about morality and traditionalism and completely miss the reality of which we are called. We have self-appointed ourselves as the moral hall monitors of the world and have thus entitled and empowered ourselves with a cause foreign to the call of Christ! We are called to the world; to go into it, to minister to it, to love its people in all their filth and darkness recognizing the only difference between us and them is that we've realized our sin and embraced our need for Jesus. We are not called to stand outside, we aren't called to observe, watch, point our fingers and condemn.
I have gay friends, I have friends with other religious beliefs, I have friends who do things that I can not write about in this blog- do I judge them? No. Do I love them as a person? Yes. I love them, not their sin. I am not saying that I support these life styles, but I am not saying that will not be around these people because of this. Just because I am a Christian doesn't mean that I am going to put myself on a pedestal and judge those around me! What a boring ordinary world we'd live in, if we all thought the same thoughts, and lived the same lives. Could you imagine? It would almost be a scene out of "Stepford Wives." I choose to Shine.