Liar!

So, the story goes that a preacher "assigned" his congregation the task of taking time during the week to ready Mark, chapter 17.  He explained that, the following week, he was going to preach on liars and reading Mark 17 would be helpful to the members' understanding of what he would be sharing.

On the following Sunday, he asked for a show of hands of those who had completed the assignment.  Nearly every hand in the pews went up.

As he surveyed the audience, he declared "You are the VERY people I want to talk to.  Mark only has 16 chapters."

Have you ever found yourself on the back end of a lie, caught, with no way out?

I think we could all respond affirmatively to that.  As far as I can tell, there has only been one man on earth who couldn't and didn't tell a lie.  And living up to his perfection is not possible.

But, still, we are called to be honest with each other.  We are called, by the Bible, to call out sin.  We are called to be truthful, in the name of LOVE, to help those around us who are off the beaten path.

When we choose not to share what we know, we are being liars.  We are hiding the good news.  We are keeping others from finding Christ.  We are not being truthful about who we are and WHOSE we are.

Now, do I think the church and its members do a GOOD job of calling out sin in love?  Sometimes.  Sometimes not.

Do I think that our world is interfering with us doing our job?  Absolutely!  But, if you expect anything different from the world, you fail to recognize the devil prowling around you, waiting for his chance to pounce.  He wants to interfere as much as humanly possible.

But, do I think we back down from our Biblical values because the world wants to call us bigots or old-fashioned or out-of-touch?

No.we.do.not.

Every one of the disciples turned his back on Christ when Christ needed them the most.  Every one.  And, they did so out of fear for their lives.

And, sadly, that legacy is living on.  That legacy of fear.  And, not fear of death, but fear of what others will think if we stand on the word of God in love.

It seems Christians today are cow-towing to the fear of losing their image.  Fear of ostracization if they speak and live Christian beliefs.

But, fear is not of God.  Fear is an emotion Satan loves to provoke.  He uses it to control us.  To take us captive.

Fear never amounts to anything good.  It feeds on itself and convinces us to stand down instead of stand up.  It produces timidity and not strength.

Now, some will argue that there is healthy fear.  And, I would agree.  It is good to be fearful of jumping off the roof of the house.  But, if you are so fearful that the burning roof collapses underneath you because you are more afraid to jump than burn to death, then fear isn't good.

It's time to take fear under control again in this country.  To stand up for what is right, healthy, and good for the masses.  To understand that progress for the sake of moving isn't always good.  In fact, sometimes it is being lead down a primrose path.

It's time to stand up.  Show your true colors.  And not be concerned about how people will feel if what you believe is Biblically correct and it is administered in the spirit of love.

It is time to spread Christ's message and stop worrying that it may not be popular or understood.  It is not up to you to make people understand;  that is the job of the Holy Spirit, working through you. 

It is time for the church to stand ground and stop trying to be current.  And stop bending to the very loud minority who want to trash everything Christ worked to accomplish here on earth.

If you don't want to stand up for yourself, do it for your children.  Or your grandchildren.  Or your grandchildren's children.  Or your neighbor's kids.

What we sow today, they will reap tomorrow.

I for one want to leave them a crop of love, based in Biblical truths, that will grow for generations to come.

How about you?