Disclaimer: This may sound harsh at first (and to be honest, it is a little), I would ask that you stick through to the end. The news the past few weeks have been abuzz about the various Anti-Gay Marriage Acts that were voted on this election cycle, and about the church's involvement in them. I see the protests (on both sides), and cannot help but shake my head in sorrow at the mess the Church is currently making. We read at the end of Matthew that Jesus gave the disciples a mission: 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." So the question is how did Jesus want his mission to be carried out? Well, I think we can get an idea by looking at what he told the disciples when he sent them out during his ministry. 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 10:6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 10:7 And preach as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay. 10:9 Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, 10:10 no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food. 10:11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart. 10:12 As you enter the house, salute it. 10:13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 10:14 And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 10:15 Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomor'rah than for that town. 10:16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Christ commands the disciples to go and preach. Another way of putting it is, "Declare the good news of Christ's love." Our job is simply to tell everyone the message of Christ's redeeming sacrifice. He also commanded the disciples to do good works for those they visited. They were not to cause harm, but instead to bring healing and blessings. Seems fairly simple right?
After giving them their instructions, Christ then tells them how to act when acceptance or rejection by the town they visited. If they were accepted by some, they were to stay with one of them and teach. But I think what is more important is what they were to instructed to do when rejected. Christ didn't tell them to pass judgement on those people, beat them into submission, or to belittle them. He instructed the disciples to simply get up and leave, and then lets them know the judgement that God will eventually pass on them. To put it another way, at that point your job (at least with them) is over. You told them the message and they rejected it, now their fate is up to God. I point that out because in our society, I see the church trying to force it's will on everyone else around it. All the while, it is ignoring the fact that much like an alcoholic cannot be helped until they want to be, those that are lost cannot be saved until they realize they want to and need to be. If you try, you just end up chasing away the people you are trying so hard to help. I think Jesus understood this. So with that said, you may be asking yourself, "What are you to do if no one will listen?" Remember that without Christ you would be in the exact same boat they are. Make sure you are working daily to become more like Christ. And even more importantly love them unconditionally. Love them even if it means discomfort, pain or even one day death. Jesus summed it up perfectly when he said: 22:37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 22:38 This is the great and first commandment. 22:39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (As a final note to this part, note how nowhere in the two greatest commandments you do not see the words hate, judge, or force your will upon.) |
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