Seriously … Are you threatening me?? Did you say that to take a shot at ME or to crumble my foundation?
(Okay, relax … Think about this …)
Carey Nieuwhof shared a thought yesterday that I cannot get out of my mind. A couple of years ago, I joined his “Art of Leadership Academy,” which allows me to interact with pastors and leaders across the globe. It has been a life-changer for me!! If you are interested, check it out at The Art of Leadership
Each Monday, Carey posts a question and we members get a chance to talk back and forth about it. This week, he hit a homerun for sure… The thought basically is that our culture has become such that we tie our individual identities to our beliefs to a point that “I am what I think.” “I am how I vote.” “I am what I support.”
THEREFORE, if someone doesn’t think the same way that I think, or vote the same way I vote, or support the same things I support, THEY ARE ATTACKING ME. THREATENING ME. DAMAGING MY VERY FOUNDATION. And, I am ready to FIGHT and DIE to protect ME.
Can you see the problem in this for a true disciple of Christ? In Philippians 1 when Paul wrote “to live is Christ,” do you think this cultural pattern would fit? Are we living as Christ if we are ready to fight and die over a candidate?? Or a sports team? Or a current issue?
I don’t think Paul would tell us NOT to have personal beliefs about politics and about life. But wouldn’t he remind us to show them Christ, even if we disagree? There will always be points on which we disagree… That is a fact of life. That is just a fact that we are different people. I think this even applies to people who make life choices that are clearly unbiblical, clearly against the word of God. Clearly sinful. Again, Paul is not telling us to embrace or normalize the sin. But he would remind us to love those who sin. By the way … He also wrote that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23)
This is not easy. We will disagree. People will disappoint us. But we are still called to LOVE.
Think about it.
One Pastor's Perspective 