ForgottenWoman

Fellow Believers: You and I –

You’ve seen it! The photos or memes or just regular ole’ word posts that our President or someone else in leadership makes. The outrage, response memes, video lectures, and more. This is NOT a political post, so don’t stop reading.

My heart has been just so disturbed by what I’ve seen going on from and between professing believers, and though it may offend some, I’ve gotta say, “We’re wrong!”

The lectures from some of you to the rest of us – saying that we need to check our faith if we voted for or still support our president… The name-calling and mocking of him when he declares what he meant was not what some are saying he meant…(When did we start letting 3rd parties determine what someone intended) The self-righteous proclamations… I’ve searched Scripture to see if I’ve missed something that tells us to behave this way, and I can’t find anything close to this anywhere!

Those who are saying that you believe the president has publicly sinned, so you are required to publicly call him out… what you are calling sin is based on your perception, which is based on things way beyond what you and I really know to be true! And when the Bible speaks to us about confronting sin, it is speaking about the sin of another believer, and sin as defined in Scripture.

And the word hypocrisy is being hurled in the general direction of entire groups of people wrongly! I’m gonna step out on a limb here and say that most of those doing the videos, the lectures, the posts, and the memes with condescending, arrogant remarks toward those who aren’t viewing things as they do, have been extended much more grace in their lifetimes than they are willing to extend to another. And that’s unfortunate to say the least, and detrimental to the testimony of Christ for sure! The world is watching. The world is listening. The world can discern what Christlike love looks like and what it doesn’t!

I’ve read again this morning the passages of Scripture that speak to confronting the sin of another, or an offense and yes, even public wrong.

• Matthew 18:15-17 (ESV): “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother”.
• Galatians 6:1 (ESV): “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted”.
• Luke 17:3 (ESV): “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him”.
• Proverbs 27:5-6 (ESV): “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend”.
• 2 Timothy 2:24-25 (ESV): “The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind… gently instructing opponents in the hope that God will grant them repentance”.
• 1 Timothy 5:20 (ESV): “As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear”.

• Private First: Address the issue privately before involving others (Matthew 18:15).
• Gentleness & Humility: Approach with a humble attitude, recognizing your own susceptibility to sin (Galatians 6:1).
• Goal of Restoration: The objective is to win back the brother or sister, not to shame them.
• Truth in Love: Confrontation should be loving, not mean-spirited (Ephesians 4:15).
• Check Yourself: Ensure you are not guilty of the same or worse sin.

When you read these Scriptures, do you see anything resembling what we’ve witnessed on social media recently? I don’t! What a shame on us this is!!!!

Also, these Scriptures repeatedly say, “your brother,” indicating that these confrontations are directed toward those who claim to know Christ but whose lives indicate otherwise. Our president doesn’t claim to know Christ. In fact, he has said, “I hope I make it to heaven,” which indicates he does not yet understand the gospel.

I also know that Scripture tells me to pray for those in authority. Are we praying for our president, his family, and his cabinet members?

Now, let’s think about something else together. Many have accused anyone who supports him or his policies of worshiping him, making him a king, and more. Multitudes have accused him of seeing himself as Jesus based on a photo that he shared. True believers know Whom we worship, and it is no man. It is Almighty God alone! Support for policies or work is not equated with worship! We also recognize human individuals that God has allowed to be in authority and whom He is using for His purposes. Do we really believe the Scripture that says that “All things work together for good to them who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes?” Either we do, or we don’t! And if we do, then we believe that God isn’t surprised or stressed over who our president is or what he says or does at this time. And yes, I believed this when those I didn’t vote for were in this position! I struggled with policies. I struggled with a lack of leadership. I struggled over what was happening in our country, but never did I feel the need to publicly share those struggles in a way that demeaned those whom God allowed in those positions. I prayed. I voted. I shared my “why” for my votes in a positive way.

I have my opinions on things political – but that’s not what this article is about! Believing 100% that we who know Christ should be involved in all things that affect our country and families, I continue to educate myself and talk privately with family and friends, and hopefully participate in iron sharpening iron, but again, what I’m seeing on social media coming from other believers is disheartening! (to put it mildly)

I have some well-informed friends who use their social media to inform and make sure others are aware of things, only to see them attacked for not viewing things as another professing believer feels they should. If I can see this, so can those who hate our God, despise our faith, and are looking for every reason to point fingers at us as despicable, hateful people. And, sadly, in some cases, they would be correct!

Now, for those who say you have every right to attack our president because you think he has embraced people of faith for political purposes. Wait a minute! Those who have walked closely with him (pastors and evangelical leaders) will often tell us that he is on a journey. He is searching for the truth. He is either a baby believer or he is being drawn to the Lord. Are we helping or hurting that process? He very openly admits that he doesn’t understand spiritual things – and the Bible is clear that unbelievers and even baby believers are not spiritually discerning! Do we love them and offer them grace or do we attack their every wrong step, word or yes, personality quirk that we don’t like? May I suggest that our role is prayer, grace, and understanding, and maybe being part of this leader of the free world actually coming to know the love and grace of God? Wouldn’t that be phenomenal?

Anyway… If you profess to know Jesus, don’t you want your life to be an expression of that relationship in every aspect? If you attend church regularly and fellowship with other believers, then you are blessed to be surrounded by others who agree with you on spiritual matters. When you are outside of those church walls, what is it about your life that indicates that you’ve been transformed by the grace of God? Is it your communication with others about what you disagree on? Is it your response to an unbeliever who does or says something that offends you? How do you handle those in authority whose personality you don’t care for? How do you handle those in authority who make decisions that you disagree with? Are you humble enough to acknowledge that God has allowed them to be in that position, and they know far more about the details of any given situation that they are responsible for than you or I do?

Christian backseat drivers (those sitting on their couches telling the driver how wrong he is) aren’t attractive at all – in fact, the behavior is so unattractive that we may have blood on our hands. The blood of those who don’t know Christ, whom we are supposed to be representing. The blood of those who see enough of how we behave and speak to one another to want nothing to do with our Savior! Please think about it.