What does your letter say?

For all of us Christians, do you ever ask yourself who am I? What is your identity? If you ask yourself who you are, what first comes to mind? Think on that for a minute. Does redeemed child of God come first or is it somewhere after things like, “Teacher, Mechanic, Republican, Patriot, mother, father, friend, artist, poet….” Or is Believer first?  If it is not, then think about why bondservant of Christ is not #1. Where is your treasure? Where your treasure is, there, indeed, is your heart.  Jesus said we are to love the Lord our God with ALL our heart, ALL our soul, ALL our mind, and ALL your strength. Do you see that in yourself? Are the other things in line with Christ-follower?  2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.’ We need to examine ourselves often and, yes, it is very uncomfortable and even terribly painful at times. You know that speck in our own eye that we need to look at? Find it. (I guarantee you, God will work on you and you’ll find another and another. I feel like I’m layered like an onion. One layer comes off and reveals another new sin God wants me to see and repent of ). 

Move on to the next question: John 14:15 says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” What did Jesus say was the greatest commandment? Look in the paragraph above - love Him with your ALL because He is your ALL in ALL. What’s the second? To love your neighbor as yourself.  Ephesians 5:29 states that, “for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church.” We should be loving others as Christ loved us - sacrificially, Ouch. That’s hard. And yet, this is the mark of a Believer. In John 13:35, Jesus tells us, ““By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Look at verse 34 because He says, “as I have loved you.” Again, how does He love us? Yes, sacrificially. What is involved in that? I won’t list all of the verses here because the whole BIble joyfully shouts it - go the extra mile, give the cloak as well, esteem the needs of others more highly than your own. Visit the sick, the imprisoned, comfort those in mourning.  Love your enemies. Pray for those that persecute you. Do good to those who despitefully use you.  How should we do it?? WITHOUT grumbling and complaining. (Yikes, also hard).

Next question: who are the people that are going to know us by our love? The world. Those outside. Unbelievers. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone," Col. 4:5-6  Our lives are no longer our own, they are hidden with Christ in God. Those lives we live in the flesh have a purpose - to share  the Good News, to do the good works that were created beforehand for us to walk in. Whatever we do in word or deed, we are to do it all to glorify Him. That’s humbling, isn’t it? This is what the world should see. (Thank goodness for Romans 7, because this is a tall order but we have a GREAT Savior).

2 Corinthians 3:3 “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” Another question:  what does your letter say? 

Okay, this is where the pictures come in. This is a very small sampling of the reaction the world has to the letter many of us are sharing with them during these days of COVID19 - and it is not pretty.  It is bringing shame to the name of Jesus.  Some of us have made a huge issue about the masks - and yes, I know you have your “right to your own opinion,” but I ask - who are you in Christ? Who do you belong to? Whose opinion should you have?  If you have been bought with that precious blood, then earthly “rights” and “treasures” should pale compared to the divine wonder of serving Jesus. 

These pictures are just a couple of comments answering believers who proclaim their faith but also loudly protest the wearing of masks. I’ve seen so many more - and I’ve seen believers posting that “everyone who knows me knows I am good, kind, etc.…”  Yes, and to people who know you this is likely very true -- but what does your letter read to those Outside. What do they see? That, my friends, is where the rubber meets the road. If we are to be 1) subject to governing authorities and 2) show our love by our actions (faith without works is dead) and the world sees the simple discomfort of a mask as a way to show the beautiful caring heart of Christ, how can we do otherwise?  Where is our treasure? And is not the God we profess able to strengthen us and uphold us through such a small discomfort? We have brothers/sisters in Christ around the world dying to spread the Gospel and yet this small act of love is protested loudly and with tremendous complaint all over social media. Read Matthew 5:43-48 - we should go beyond loving ourselves, loving our own household.  

We represent Jesus. We should be shouting 2 Corinthians 5:20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” rather than stomping our feet about our rights being violated by an act of kindness (that many work hard to dig up anything that will get us off the hook from doing).  If it doesn’t hurt you that unbelievers are appalled by the ranting and raving over masks, ask yourself again who you are.  If you are not happy with the answer, repent, put your focus back on Him, remember His love for you and let Him write the letter He wants you to share with the world. 

**Yes, these comments have foul language; I’m sharing these few so we who are His see us as the world sees.There are far worse.  Is this what we, the Church, want our letter to the outside to read?  Remember, these are in response to professing Christians publicly complaining about masks. (The ones criticizing government officials are awful, too. I look back on my past political posturing and I am so ashamed). Let’s walk circumspectly, members of the Body. 

To ere on the side of kindness

One thing my children probably heard me say 100 times or more is, "It is better to be safe than sorry."  That means it is better to be cautious than potentially wind up hurting yourself or someone else.  We live in a day where caution and safety are being urged by our government officials --- and the mobs are yelling, "No!" Their claim is that by doing these things, we are allow our rights to be stolen. I firmly believe that if we, as Christians, are to be in error, we should err on the side of kindness.

To be cautious is not to be fearful.  Caution is a having a healthy respect for danger. Ephesians 5:15-17 states, "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Circum means around, spect means to look. We are to look all the way around a situation in order not to be foolish.  To be cautious out of love for your neighbor fits right in with the teachings of Christ.

Eugene Parks writes for Gospel Coalition that "Our Idols Are Exposed in Times of Crisis." Hoarding toilet paper is a great example of this. There are many others during this pandemic.  A non-believer read a professing Christian's newsfeed. He saw lots of "Jesus loves you," and "I follow Jesus," on her feed. He also saw hateful slander. He saw a refusal to act in courtesy and love for sake of caution towards others. He pointed out - after expressing his extreme discuss for people who "Hail, Jesus" but hate their neighbor and refuse to act in love - that he thought this was America where we would go the extra mile to help our neighbor.  Was he seeing it in Christians? No.

If ever a time the world could call Christians hypocrites, it is now. When one is asked to be mildly inconvenienced (to wear a mask in public places), and to freak out and say it is violating your rates is diametrically opposed to everything the Bible teachers us about imitating Christ.  We are asked to wear it because enough public health experts believe it will help prevent the spread to *others* if we are asymptomatic carriers. Imagine Jesus saying to you, "Child, please do this to show your love for these weak or elderly that I love?" Would you turn to Jesus and said, "The government is just trying to force me to be compliant. Give an inch, they'll take a mile. This expert or that expert says it could possibly be useless or hurt me or..."  Yes, we heap up prophets to tell us what our itching ears want to hear to avoid a basic command: LOVE.  How did Jesus love us? Sacrificially. Unbelievers are seeing this and Jesus is being scorned.

Sadly, what happens when we get the opportunity to show that love in a small way?  Anger. Outrage. Demand for "our rights." Fear of our liberties being taken away.  Walk circumspectly - how does the world see this? How does Jesus see this?

Eugene Parks shares this verse and writes, "“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 16:24–25).

Jesus calls us not to double down on our freedom, but to sacrifice it out of love for our neighbor. There is no better time to do that than now."

Images from all over the world show people - of all faiths and no faith- accepting inconvenience for the sake of trying to prevent neighbors from the spread of COVID19. Conspiracy theorists want us to take that loving compliance as foolishly giving away freedom to those with nefarious intent. And yet, in Matthew 5:46-47 Jesus says, " If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" If the world finds it a necessary sacrifice to be part of the solution, why are we so self-centered? Colossians 4:5 reads, "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity."

1 Peter 2: 16-25 "Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.  For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.  For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,  who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;  and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls."