Be one that Accepts
Other
Christians
Are you accepting other Christians or are you making
decisions that are not so very Christian? Are you the member of a denomination
that extends God’s loving mercies to everyone who says, “I am a Christian, “and
seeks to pray with you?
To be really truthful you will have to admit that most
evangelical denominations do not extend God’s tender, loving mercies to each
other or to any groups that have split off from them. I have witnessed Southern
Baptist Pastors, Catholic Priests, and Pentecostal Pastors that refuse to
accept each others as Christian groups and sadly will not speak with an open
mind about their differences.
It is not abnormal to say that a vast number of white church
groups do not extend God’s love to black church groups and visa versa. Often
Spanish, Puerto Rican and other ethnic groups are not seen as worthy of God’s love from either white or black church
groups nor do they, themselves, extend God’s love to churches outside of their
own ethnic groups.
A white man walks into a black church and immediately feels
that he is an interloper. I black man walks into a white church and is shunned.
Each hears, whether spoken or just felt as if, ‘This is not your place. You are
not welcome here.’ This is not only in the south, it happens everywhere.
Many Christians seek to limit God’s love and refuse to
accept a prostitute, a person suffering from AIDS, alcoholics, homosexuals,
drug addicts, or anyone that does not appear to conform to what they think a
Christian should be or even look like.
To say it clearly, there are biases in our hearts that over
the years have carved out borders of prejudice. Often we are not even aware of
these prejudices until suddenly, they are in our faces. Suddenly you are confronted
with a person that says, “I am a Christian,” and you doubt his words for no
reason at all other than his appearance or perceived grouping.
To get a somewhat honest viewpoint why not ask those about
you if you seem to be accepting of those types of persons I named. Don’t just
ask fellow church goers, ask family members, co-workers, neighbors, and friends
and encourage an honest response.
There is no centralized group that can be said to encompass
all Christians. There are denominations that are Christian that do not accept
one another, there are non-denominational groups that do not accept
denominational groups, and the list goes on.
To all churches I say, if you do not accept your brother
Christian, the Holy Spirit will have nothing to do with you. You will have lost
the anointing God blessed you with. Any church group that will ordain or marry
gays, that will preach tolerance of sin, and refuse to teach the necessity of
repentance will be seen by God as ‘an old wineskin.’ Church groups that will
not preach God’s gospel just as it is written in the Bible will be seen as a
blind person and in need of God’s forgiveness if they will but repent from
their ways.
At a time in history when we are facing the hordes set on
destroying us we must regain our true Christianity. Look at what the followers
of Islam are promising us. ‘Convert to Islam or die.’ That is their offer;
their demand! All over the world Christians are being persecuted. They face
imprisonment, torture, are debased and beheaded. All this happened as we fail
to accept a Christian that we just cannot seem to accept as a true brother or
sister in Christ.
Each true Christian is a part of the Body of Christ. Each
person who has accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior is a brother. Each
person who has made Jesus Christ her personal Savior is a sister in Christ. It
is each of our Christian duty to extend love and encouragement and seek to
comfort every Christian we come into contact with.
Drop your prejudices, drop your preconceived notions of
failure to accept people that are not exactly like you but are servants of
Christ. God is the judge of what is in a man’s heart, not us. God knows the
truth and expects each of us to; love thy neighbor as you love yourself.
If your church group is visited by another Christian,
welcome him/her. Love and encourage him/her and comfort that person. Accept the
fact that just as you are, he or she is a sinner to! Treat that person as a
guest in your own home; after all, it is your home, isn’t it?
To be clear in meaning I say to each of you, Christianity is
NOT a religion as Christianity IS a relationship with Christ!
(Closing prayer)
Heavenly Father, before we ask anything of You we would
first like to tell You that we thank You for all You have given us over our
lifetimes and tell You how much we love You. You have given us more than we can
even acknowledge in our mere human thought. Father, we praise You and sing of
glory to You.
Our next request is for Your forgiveness for our sins. Cloak
us in robes of white so that we can be seen as worthy of being in Your Awesome
Presence. Father assist is in accepting other servants that have accepted Jesus
Christ as their Lord and Savior and change our hearts and minds. It is Your
will to be done, not ours. Be with us and strengthen us in our resolve to do
You will.
Father, we ask that You send Your angels to protect our
military and that You be in their hearts and deliver them from fear as they
enter harms way. Be with our elected officials and enter their hearts as You
direct them to perform a job that will be a benefit to their constituents.
Protect our Christian brothers and sisters at home and abroad.
These things we pray in the name of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, who is One with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and
ever,
Amen, amen, and amen.
i would love to answer this post if i wasnt blocked
ReplyDeleteSo...respond...nothing is blocking you...Pastor Lee (author of the sermon)
DeleteI do not advocate a "one World Religion." As Christianity IS NOT a religion being a RELATIONSHIP with Christ it defies religious overtones. False prophets are everywhere...If you read my sermons you will read that I DO NOT misquote God's Word and seek no following or enrichment. What I do seek are souls for Christ.
Deleteok, will do...a day late and i doubt few will see it..
ReplyDeleteSo Pastor...are you suggesting we are to gather together with those who preach a false doctrine?
How about a one world religion? NO THANKS, the Lord said to BE YE SEPARATE, for what
does the light have to do with the darkness.. We are to have no part of those who worship a
False Jesus... are we reading the same scripture??
Rich in Pennsylvania