Z
Zephyr
Guest
Hebrews 10:23-24
Encouragement is very much on my mind as I pray my way into this concept. The nitpicking of unbelievers has been just devastating to the Church, and it really shows.
In America, most Christians seem to assume that we are not persecuted. Actually, that is not the case at all; the most common form of persecution in this country is verbal. We are accused of being legalistic, uptight, out-of-touch and exclusive. Young people who prefer to remain virgins until they are married, as taught by Scripture, say very consistently that pressure to abandon this belief comes from unbelievers, not from some inner uncontrollable urge. That is a form of persecution. They treat us like we have no right to stand on our beliefs, while they have every right to tear down our beliefs, that’s certainly no secret.
Furthermore, people who have worked very hard to achieve much in their careers are very likely to have suffered pressures to conform to the low standards of speech and behavior set by unbelievers. Its either fit in or be pushed out. That leads to some very ugly choices, either Christians make unfortunately necessary compromises in order to advance in their careers, or we end up with unbelievers running everything. So there is all this confusion as to what is actually right hitting everybody from without and from within.
This is why it becomes extremely important to be informed, then be compassionate, and also to be deeply in prayer for one and for all. It is also critical to be able to be honest. Judgmentalism kills honesty, but being too liberal kills self-discipline, so encouraging is a delicate balance. Because this balance is so delicate, it is critical to read Scripture daily. Busy Christian women like Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Graham’s daughter) speak of deliberately making time to read Scripture and pray in spite of the intense pressures of child raising and other responsibilities. Other strong Christians make it clear that they have to carefully set aside time and privacy for spending time doing these things. No, it doesn’t come easily, you do too have to work for it. Thanks to subtle persecution, it seems that immature Christians are actually embarrassed to pray too! Unbelievers have openly claimed we are “talking to ourselves”. They get that idea because there is little or no communication with Jesus Christ without a deliberate choice to turn away from sin.
A covenant, by nature, requires a choice. Faith and faithfulness are choices. Jesus Christ can and does encourage us in our choices, but He never has and never will choose for us. That right there is why He can and will judge absolutely everyone, Christian and unbeliever alike.
1 Peter 5:6-11
“6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Encouragement is very much on my mind as I pray my way into this concept. The nitpicking of unbelievers has been just devastating to the Church, and it really shows.
In America, most Christians seem to assume that we are not persecuted. Actually, that is not the case at all; the most common form of persecution in this country is verbal. We are accused of being legalistic, uptight, out-of-touch and exclusive. Young people who prefer to remain virgins until they are married, as taught by Scripture, say very consistently that pressure to abandon this belief comes from unbelievers, not from some inner uncontrollable urge. That is a form of persecution. They treat us like we have no right to stand on our beliefs, while they have every right to tear down our beliefs, that’s certainly no secret.
Furthermore, people who have worked very hard to achieve much in their careers are very likely to have suffered pressures to conform to the low standards of speech and behavior set by unbelievers. Its either fit in or be pushed out. That leads to some very ugly choices, either Christians make unfortunately necessary compromises in order to advance in their careers, or we end up with unbelievers running everything. So there is all this confusion as to what is actually right hitting everybody from without and from within.
This is why it becomes extremely important to be informed, then be compassionate, and also to be deeply in prayer for one and for all. It is also critical to be able to be honest. Judgmentalism kills honesty, but being too liberal kills self-discipline, so encouraging is a delicate balance. Because this balance is so delicate, it is critical to read Scripture daily. Busy Christian women like Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Graham’s daughter) speak of deliberately making time to read Scripture and pray in spite of the intense pressures of child raising and other responsibilities. Other strong Christians make it clear that they have to carefully set aside time and privacy for spending time doing these things. No, it doesn’t come easily, you do too have to work for it. Thanks to subtle persecution, it seems that immature Christians are actually embarrassed to pray too! Unbelievers have openly claimed we are “talking to ourselves”. They get that idea because there is little or no communication with Jesus Christ without a deliberate choice to turn away from sin.
A covenant, by nature, requires a choice. Faith and faithfulness are choices. Jesus Christ can and does encourage us in our choices, but He never has and never will choose for us. That right there is why He can and will judge absolutely everyone, Christian and unbeliever alike.
1 Peter 5:6-11
“6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
