I just read a good devotion from Ravi Zacharias ministries... it is written by Jill Carratini, and I thought it was excellent. It really made me stop and think...
In it she discusses a visit to a church where there was so much negativity. The emphasis was all on the should not's and shall not's... body piercing, tattoos, homosexuality, etc. The pastor at one point received Amen's from the congregation when he said that these people would not enter the kingdom of Heaven. She mentions how her heart fell at that word because Amen means - let it be.
I was stricken by that. How can we as Christians who profess love for one another, and should have love within us for all... think that it is okay to say Amen to even one person being left outside God's grace?? What has happened?
Ms. Carattini then traces this trend all the way back to C.S. Lewis's sermon on "The Weight of Glory", Lewis began warning us about a dangerous trend occurring in Christianity. He referred to it as negativity. One example he gives is how many Christians today would say that the greatest virtue is unselfishness... instead of love.
Lewis points out that love is positive. Love reaches out to others. Unselfishness, however, is negative, and is still oddly focused on our own selves...
Words mean things. Amen means something...
Lord,
Please help me to discern what I should Amen, and what I should not. Give me ears to hear what is really being said, and to stand for your Love... no matter the cost.
Amen!
Be Blessed...
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2 comments:
Amen Grace. :)
What is most important is to get people saved. Show them Christ - and let HIM change their lives.
Exactly... I'm not saying that we should overlook sin...but we do have a responsibility to focus more on being Christ-like than on pointing fingers...
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