Okay so I'm not an expert at putting the things on my heart into words, but I'll continue to try (and hopefully improve!) anyways.
Over the past few weeks, I've taken a good long look at Christians in the American church. I've taken the time to really review every strength and weakness I see in the church as a whole, and while I have seen GOOD THINGS, I also see very frustrating things that are hard for me to look past. What I say may seem strange, (or actually, uncomfortably normal) but I believe God is calling me to share what He has placed on my heart for the church as a whole.
We have learned since we were little that we should always "stand up for what we believe in," even when the consequences are great. While it MIGHT have been easy enough to apply that to situations like saying no to drugs and drinking, or not cheating on a test, when it comes to the real world and the reality that we might offend someone, it suddenly gets a lot harder.
It seems that of the great mix of people I see all around the world today, Christians are the ones who are under the most discrimination. OUR National day of prayer was the one threatened. "One nation under God," in the Pledge of Allegiance is at stake. The public opposite of us defends themselves saying that they fight against what this nation was built on, because of what Christianity represents as a whole, because what we are is "offensive" to people who don't share the same beliefs, but that's not the truth. The truth is that we as Christians were not and are not offensive
enough.
That's right. Not offensive enough. Jesus has standards that He holds us to, and yet as humans we are scared of other people. Scared they won't like us, or scared they will be angry and offended by what we have to say even when it is the truth.
I think that the reason that our nation is where it is today, is because when sin and degrading morals started creeping into our laws and our land, the church winked at it. The Church was afraid that if they said things that wouldn't be popular, that they would be "behind the times." I'm sure that NO ONE 100 years ago ever dreamed of making same sex marriage, assisted suicide, or partial-birth abortion legal, and yet now these are some of the greatest controversial topics of our time. Had the church been on the offense from the beginning, and not been afraid TO OFFEND, I sincerely do not believe our nation would be in as dark of a place as it is now.
It is not to say there aren't Christians who are living their lives as God's offensive warriors; people who are fighting for what is right, and aren't afraid of what others may think of them for speaking the truth. There ARE those people! They are my heroes, and yet SO MANY others have accepted the mindset that they can't really do anything to change a small part of the world, or that they would lose everything (their reputation, their place amongst peers, etc.) if in fact they could, and Jesus "would never want them to do that," so they stay in their comfort zone their whole lives without ever making the dent in history that God intended for them to. Jesus wasn't exactly the most popular guy around, in fact, people ended up hating Him so much that they crucified Him. When He spoke the truth, the pharisees didn't like hearing what He had to say. Countless people were offended by the way He lived a life of uncompromising righteousness, but He did it anyways because He knew it was right. He knew His daddy was pleased with Him. Shouldn't it also be enough for us, to know that God is well pleased with the way we live our lives? Don't you think God knows everything? That Jesus died so that his father could carry out His amazing plans in your life and then spend the rest of eternity with you? Don't you know how much HE loves YOU and wants you to have the most exciting life, more exciting and crazy than your wildest dreams? He has such amazing plans for each and every person on this planet, but He asks that you trust Him with your life. If He asked you to get up in front of your church congregation and confront them about something He laid on your heart, would you do it? Would you speak up about your beliefs in the presence of people you deemed more important than yourself? Or would you stay quiet? I know that I have struggled many times with this. I don't have the perfect track record of doing everything that tiny little voice inside me is nudging me to do, but this I know, God has given me a boldness when I have asked for it, and I will not be silent when He is asking me to speak any longer. I may miss it, or mess up sometimes, but I won't say that I didn't try.
I pray that as I learn how to be the offensive warrior God called me to be, my life would affect others around me. I pray that today I have challenged you to be bold in the way you live your life, and that you now have more desire to be who He created you to be; a warrior who will take up their cross and do whatever it takes to follow our Savior, even if it means giving up EVERYTHING you hold close. In the end, HE is all that remains.
May God bless you and make you His own personal offensive warrior.
Love,
Hannah
