They Know We Are Christians By Our Love…
This article touches on three ways that the world usually can tell we are Christians by our love. Of course, I am not only talking about real love…I’m talking about the love of junk and being right as well.
They Know We Are Christians By Our Love…
Of Junk
Most of you that have known me for a while know that I have talked about this before. Jesus Junk is so popular these days. It’s always amazing how we’ll pay $25 for a T-Shirt that says “Got Jesus?” and think it’s the funniest, most original thing since, well, milk. Today, I feel that many Christians are marketing God just to make money from the sheep that will buy anything just because it says “Jesus” on it. Couldn’t that money be put to better use? How is this any different than what the money changers were doing in the temple in the 2nd chapter of the book of John and the end of the other 3 gospels. In fact, it was so important, that it is one of the only events other than the birth and resurrection of Christ that IS actually repeated in all 4 gospels.
The book of John describes the event a little more than the other three. Basically, they were turning the temple into a market to take advantage of the poor in requiring people to exchange their “lesser” currency for the “proper” currency needed in order to buy sacrificial animals and doves. They were selling the animals at extremely inflated prices and also charging inflated prices for the money exchange. The thing is, even if they had the “proper” currency, they were still required to exchange it for “clean” currency to “ensure” that the currency wasn’t used for “unclean” things.
Now, I’m not saying not to purchase things from a Christian bookstore. There are plenty of great things to buy, like Eric Wilson books, Ted Dekker books, Robert Liparulo books, Travis Thrasher books, Austin Boyd books and plenty of good music you might like. Granted, most of those items can be purchased a LOT cheaper at other outlets or on Amazon, but on sale days and with proper coupons, you can usually do pretty well.
What does disappoint me with the Christian bookstores (at least the big, National chains), is that they are completely ok with setting aside convictions (if they have any) in order to make a buck (or fifty). Why the gimmicky stuff that has no real purpose other than making someone else a whole lot of money just because they had the “ingenuity” to take a secular catch phase, “Christify” it, repackage it, mark it up 400% and laugh all the way to the bank? Obviously, I have nothing against Jesus, His name, or even merchandise that may in some way include His name, but, I think it’s a shame that the majority of said merchandise is nothing more than parodying a secular logo or idea.
Taking God’s name in vain is a whole lot more than using his name as a cuss word. Taking someone’s name in vain actually means using it without meaning or conviction.
Another big issue with a “Major Chain” Christian store is the way they treat their employees and their management style. This whole “management through fear” thing they are doing is just not right. While “Whatever it takes to get the job done” seems like a good “Christian” idea, in practice, it isn’t being used well at all. When they are asking their employees to work off the clock, not taking breaks, and not getting to eat their lunch, they are not only breaking laws, but not promoting a good work environment at all. Not only that, they are encouraging their employees to get customers to sign up for the store’s BofA Credit Card (because, you know, being in Debt is Godly and holy), they are now requiring suggested selling of items. If they don’t sell a certain amount of these “special items”, the store gets marked down.
I , as a customer, hate to be sold things under pressure.
Unfortunately, I can go on and on about that, but I’d be crossing the line into the following category.
They Know We Are Christians By Our Love…
Of Pointing Out Faults.
One thing that has really been on my mind lately is the way it is so easy to allow ourselves to be consumed by things we shouldn’t be. We take things so personally. If someone offends us or wrongs us in some way, we make it our mission to find 100 other things that that person does to offend us as well. Why don’t we just move on? Instead, we almost stalk the person, watching their every move, just waiting to watch them hang themselves, or perhaps waiting for that perfect moment to slip that noose around their neck when they aren’t looking. It’s important to us to make sure everyone around us knows just what that person did to wrong us, or how that person is making bad choices for their own lives.
Reminds me of a little thing that Jesus said. You know, something about removing that plank from our own eyes before pointing out the speck in someone else’s? While that was Jesus showing perhaps a sense of humor, He did so with a really good point. We tend to ignore our own faults while making sure the world knows of everyone else’s problems.
Understand me when I say that I am pointing fingers at myself. This is an area that tends to be hard for me, and I know a lot of others as well. We love to gossip. We love to make ourselves look good, even at the expense of others.
I don’t believe this is in any way honoring to God.
What if HE did that? We would have no chance in Hell (excuse the pun).
Remember, if someone wrongs us, there is a very specific guideline we are to follow, mapped out in Mathew 18. First we approach the person to talk to them. If that doesn’t work, you take one or two other people. If that doesn’t work, you tell the church. (That doesn’t mean everybody in the world).
BUT, the part we miss…if that doesn’t work, you don’t continue berating and gossiping…you ignore it. You move on.
We have a hard time with that moving on part, perhaps because it’s more fun to continue riding our holy high horses and trample those underneath us.
But Do They Know We Are Christians By Our Love…
Of Other People?
This is where a great number of us fail at times. It’s easy to say “Sure, I love other people” but in the words of DC Talk, remember, “luv is a verb.” In other words, love is an action, not words. And if we truly love people like we say we do, that means we love ALL people, not just the people we want to love.
Jesus says to love our neighbors. Even when those neighbors might be enemies.
In fact, there is only one commandment greater than this, and that’s Love the Lord your God with all your heart. Matthew 22:36-40 says that this is the greatest commandment of all, and the second greatest is just like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Since Jesus gave us this commandment, and since He is God, failure to obey the second commandment is failure to obey the first as well.
So, our challenge today is making sure that the world knows we are Christians by our love in the sense of The Greatest Commandment and the Second Greatest commandment. Not the junk we collect or the holy high horses we ride upon.
Great info, thanks for the post!