I was reading from Acts 2 in the Contemporary English Version this morning. Peter gives the big speech; everyone is amazed at the apostles teaching and doing; the church is started; and in v. 47 it ends with: "Everyone liked them, and each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved."
Kinda funny, isn't it? "Everyone likes them." Is that what people say about Christians today? I don't think so. Oh, I know there are some who will say we're not supposed to be in the 'people-pleasing' business. True. But we're also not supposed to be in the hating business either.
I don't have any answers (as usual), but my questions today are centered around - what can I/we do so people will "like us"? Not just to be liked, but so we aren't offensive at least. What good is it if we can even prove we are right if we ruin all our relationships in the process?
Peace, friends. That's the revolution.
3 comments:
Well, I think you need to balance that with John 7:7, John 15:18,19 and 1 John 3:13. I will admit Christians are often hated for the wrong reasons. It is one thing to be hated for testifying regarding evil. It is another thing entirely to be hated because we are just being mean.
Tom,
I see your point, but I still believe the onus falls on us, as Christians, to be gracious, joyous, peaceable, kind, etc. It seems like some of the people who complain the most about the state of the church are also the most bitter, angry Christians I know.
(I have no idea what happened with my first response)
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