It concerns me when all Christians can do is criticise others. Our criticism starts with people in the world and we end up being critics of the church as well. Criticism is a dangerous disease. In turn we condemn others by our judgements.

I heard a quote once from a guy called John Haggai and he said, "It don't take much size to criticise." I know it sounds cheesy but it also holds a profound truth; critics are small minded people.

Why is it when faced with a woman caught in the very act of adultery we want to pick up rocks and kill her. Not only is this action motivated by law but it reflects a religious spirit that is cruel, calouse and cares little for people.

Jesus said we were to be salt to the earth, to add flavour, be an influence and by our very presence seek to preserve the goodness and kindness of God in the earth.

Jesus said, "I don't condemn you." Why can't we look past our own personal preferences and see people? Why cant we look past the sin and see the person? Why does someones lifestyle offend us, threaten us or make us angry? Sinners sin because they are sinners; get over it.

In today's world we will see the horror of sin and stand face to face with the consequences of immorality in the people around us. But we can never forget the words of Jesus found in John 3:17, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." NIV

It's time we put down our stones of criticism and start to focus our energies on reaching out to a people "caught in the act ..." To love them not condemn them to engage with people not judge them and to connect with them and not try and kill them.

Romans 5:20, "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." KJV

Would love to hear your comments. TR 

 

Matthew 9:13 (The Message): "Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: 'I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsider, not to coddle insiders."

I find it interesting the Christian mindset of "us and them." Jesus calls them outsiders only to differentiate the focus of His mission. It's not a put down to anyone. He is certainly not judging those he calls outsiders.

If anything Jesus is having a shot at the religious leaders of His day for making their focus the insiders! Jesus is making it clear what His focus is and in so doing makes it clear what our focus should be as well.

We must as a church look outwards - we must be externally focused not internally focused. We have to spend more time thinking in terms of how to reach our world not how to keep Christians from straying away from the fold.

Shame on Christians who needed to be coddled - these incredibly high maintenance people who seem to love their problems more than they love Jesus, who exaggerate how huge their need is but spend little to no time exaggerating how great God grace is.

If we look at the simple breakdown of the scripture we see Jesus talking about MERCY for OUTSIDERS and merely RELIGON for INSIDERS.

So ... listen closely; how do we become insiders who move in MERCY and not religion? The answer is by keeping an eye out for outsiders and showing mercy but at the same time resist the temptation to coddle those in the church encouraging them rather to maturity.

Coddling people doesn't prepare them for real life, where as mercy causes people to open up to the Saviour. Pastor shepherd the sheep, lead the sheep and feed the sheep. We nurse those who are sick and labour until Christ is formed in them. As Christian leader though we must resist the temptation to coddle.

Coddle: Dictionary.com says, "... to baby, to indulge, to treat indulgently, to pamper, to spoil." Coddling people keeps them immature and unformed. Coddling spoils people and we become indulgent leaders while keeping the flock childish, juvenile and under developed.

Paul encourages something quite different:

Ephesians 4: 14 - 16, "No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love."

Indicative of Christian maturity is an eye to the outsider. Mature people don't or shouldn't need coddling, we need to desire the mercy and grace to reach out to our world with the message of God's good news.  

Colossians 4:5-6, "Be wise in the way you act towards 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."

Our churches as well as our conversation should be externally focused. The great misdirection of the church has been to concentrate upon itself. We some times feel we must be judge and jury to the world around us and we use people and their lifestyles to justify our speech.

The Message Bible says it this way, "Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don't miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out."

A compliment would go so much further than criticism. Being gracious in our speech is the encouragement of scripture. We cannot thunder forth the "word of the Lord" to a nation and its people who no longer recognise the voice of the Lord. We need to be Jesus to them and speak in a way that "... brings out the best in others."