Main Point and Overview:
On many occasions, Jesus would say to his audience, “You have heard that it was said” or something else like, “do not suppose!” What he was doing was making a counter-cultural point to the misunderstandings of the day. So much in today’s culture is like what Jesus encountered. There are so many contrived agendas of what the “true” Jesus had to say! Jesus is neither a pacifist nor an activist! Jesus came to earth on a mission to give the world an opportunity to receive him as Lord and Savior! When Jesus spoke to the crowds about “turning the other cheek,” he had a strategy in mind. When Jesus spoke to others about their misunderstandings of why he came to earth, he had his mission in mind. Every time he spoke, it was for the glory of his Father and to point people toward redemption through his future sacrifice. If we are not careful, we can lose sight of the chief priority of every disciple, which is to glorify God and preach the Gospel! It has become commonplace for Christians to fall into the extremes of pacifism and activism. We are told that Christians should never “stand up” for anything in politics, so we stay silent when truth needs to be spoken. On the other hand, some pressure us to picket, protest, and push back on every belief that is contrary to Scripture. Maybe we’ve lost balance in our testimony. Maybe we’ve found ourselves in a place where we are dealing with the symptom instead of the real problem. Ultimately, God has called each of us to be “kind” to our culture as we seek to create a platform for the Gospel to be heard. Ultimately, God is also calling us to love him above everything and everyone else in our lives, which includes our own families. So, is your testimony balanced for others to see, or are you bringing more harm than good as you hold onto your “selfish rights?” Ultimately, the “real” Jesus spoke of the balance of grace AND truth!
On many occasions, Jesus would say to his audience, “You have heard that it was said” or something else like, “do not suppose!” What he was doing was making a counter-cultural point to the misunderstandings of the day. So much in today’s culture is like what Jesus encountered. There are so many contrived agendas of what the “true” Jesus had to say! Jesus is neither a pacifist nor an activist! Jesus came to earth on a mission to give the world an opportunity to receive him as Lord and Savior! When Jesus spoke to the crowds about “turning the other cheek,” he had a strategy in mind. When Jesus spoke to others about their misunderstandings of why he came to earth, he had his mission in mind. Every time he spoke, it was for the glory of his Father and to point people toward redemption through his future sacrifice. If we are not careful, we can lose sight of the chief priority of every disciple, which is to glorify God and preach the Gospel! It has become commonplace for Christians to fall into the extremes of pacifism and activism. We are told that Christians should never “stand up” for anything in politics, so we stay silent when truth needs to be spoken. On the other hand, some pressure us to picket, protest, and push back on every belief that is contrary to Scripture. Maybe we’ve lost balance in our testimony. Maybe we’ve found ourselves in a place where we are dealing with the symptom instead of the real problem. Ultimately, God has called each of us to be “kind” to our culture as we seek to create a platform for the Gospel to be heard. Ultimately, God is also calling us to love him above everything and everyone else in our lives, which includes our own families. So, is your testimony balanced for others to see, or are you bringing more harm than good as you hold onto your “selfish rights?” Ultimately, the “real” Jesus spoke of the balance of grace AND truth!
Posted in Devotional