Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Romans 15:7
Have you ever been rejected for something out of your control? Have you been judged and/or shunned for something a family member or friend did? Maybe you were judged for being poor, wearing the "wrong" clothes, being uncoordinated, looking different, or some other random factor. That's not fair and that's not the love and acceptance we believers are supposed to give to the world.
You want to be loved and accepted by God and by others? Then show acceptance to others. If you do not approve of someone's choices, you will never influence them to know the love of Jesus by judging and rejecting them.
In our church's homeless ministry, we have a saying: "love them 'til they ask you why." That means to love the unlovables, not by beating them over the head with scriptures, but just by showing them grace and acceptance. Another saying I've heard is this, "preach the gospel; if necessary, use words."
What if Jesus had shunned the homeless, prostitutes, thieves, and other sinners?
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Mark 2:17
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Dear Readers,
For the month of April, I've signed up for two blogging challenges:
The A to Z challenge calls for a letter-inspired post each day, except Sundays through the month of April; and the Ultimate Blog Challenge calls for a daily blog post. I look forward to meeting these challenges and having some fun this month.
Hi Suzy,
ReplyDeleteWay to meet two challenges with one blog each day. Good luck on your goal this month.
If equality is real, then of course everyone deserves love and a helping hand when necessary. Some who need a helping hand are incredibly easy to spot, yet they are shunned, overlooked or given up as a lost cause. Nobody alive is worth giving up on. If help is refused or unwanted, that is a different matter. There are so many that we seem to think unfortunate and don't, as a society, do much to help to change their fortune.
So Great Suzanne! Another friend had posted about the A-Z blogging challenge and I loved how the idea aligned with what I write about so I am using the A-Z idea as a guide for my posts!
ReplyDeleteIT IS MY PLAN! lol!
i was crazy doing two blogging challenges before....although...i MIGHT TRY AGAIN!
I am just unsure how to sign up for the A-Z challenge....
I might need clarification.
I do like the idea though!
Here's the link for the signup: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/2012-to-z-challenge-sign-up-list.html
DeleteSuzi, the A-Z idea is a great concept for posting blogs. Love it and love your "A" for acceptance.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with two challenges! You go girl.
Hey Suzanne!
ReplyDelete:)
Lovely start to the month! I am doing both the challenges too! :D Wishing you the very best for it! Here's my link for the same! Do visit my Neverland!
http://t.co/9NCcx75cW9
Good luck on both challenges. Acceptance is certainly what we all seek and sometimes the best acceptance comes from GOD.
ReplyDeleteI love this line, Suzi: "love them 'til they ask you why." Christians are called to be a peculiar people, and nothing is more peculiar than loving somebody unconditionally. Thanks so much for you uplifting post!
ReplyDeleteHey Suzi,
ReplyDeleteJust checked in and found a bunch of posts, and I started with this one about acceptance. Forgive me if you think I'm being harsh when I say your take here is naive, but I think it really lacks discernment to advise unconditional acceptance of sinners. This sort of speech usually means that real, loving saints don't ever offend the poor sinners by telling them that they are contrary to God, and I reject this. Please hear me out.
Only sickos need a doctor and only sinners need a savior, so when Aside from the sin of indifference, Christians often err by befriending sinners and then are too cowardly to speak the truth. Most sinners in our area only like those ‘christians’ who are mute about righteousness, the coming judgment, and eternal life.
As an evangelist to the least lovable sinners around (violent felons and sex offenders), I'm always having to explain the bad news before ever broaching the good news. They are far more keen to embrace their guilt before a holy God since society has already judged them, and as such they can sense the goodness of God in the gospel more readily than other sinners. It seems that when the depths of depravity are spelled out, contrasted against and condemned by God's standards, then those who are humbled by this will welcome King Jesus and repent. 'Good folks' despise, ignore, or pay lip service to the gospel while the scum are glad to hear it.
Thankfully, I don't have to commiserate with murderers and rapists in order to win over their respect prior to engaging their hearts and minds. They just need to know that apart from Jesus I'm as hopeless as them. They also need to know that nothing is more important than being reconciled to God when their soul hangs in the balance.
Also, Romans 15:7 isn’t talking about ‘the love and acceptance we believers are supposed to give to the world’ but rather how we disciples are meant to accept each other (which is really hard to live out).