Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Christian's Loving Unconditionally: Reaching Out to the World


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I want summa this!
Where is it???
(This article is unusual in that I found it more constructive simply to talk entirely from my heart and difficult experiences. It is not a slight against Christians, yet I feel strongly that Christians care little for those of us who seem only to suffer alone. This article reflects that in a casually written way).
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Christian acceptance: Ever heard of it? Neither have I. Why is it that the one religious group who professes complete servitude and endless love for all people are the least accepting bunch out there? I've been in countless church groups and none of them have ever wanted to be friend. These church groups won't even include others in conversation either. I've been to many church groups for months at a time and literally no one has ever invited me into the fold, or even asked about me or started talking to me...They simply seemed to wait for me to give up and leave like a fly on a wall that buzzes around that no one can seem to swat away...I think it's completely intolerable to sit around in their groups for months and months waiting to be accepted when they are told by Christ to love unconditionally. In fact, Paul says that all Christians are "brothers and sisters in Christ," yet how can I be a brother in Christ to them in Christ yet not even a friend? Where is this disconnection coming from? Do I have cooties? (I totally gots cooties!!!!)
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A part of me was finally thinking that I did have something wrong with me, but today I was unwilling to sit and wonder. After 4 years at a Christian college and never being accepted, yet being fully accepted by many, many friends at secular colleges, I began to wonder today if it wasn't me that had issues or if I simply had no common ground with Christians since I am still new to all of this (very, very zealous though). So just today I walked through a large park and approached 3 complete strangers, and guess what? Yes, you totally guessed it!! I now have 3 new friends who want to hang out with me. I've gotten to know them these past few days and they are really cool too. They were really lonely also, so they considered it manna from heaven that someone would seriously just fall into their laps and want to be friends. So it looks like I'm not a cootie-monster after all. Making friends for me is as easy as pie so long as the people I talk to ***actually*** want friends to begin with. So what's with Christians today?? Do they just not like having friends?
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I have a hunch, and it has to do with:
Matthew 24:12-13
12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
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Everyone knows that people are broken heaps of depression and anxiety these days, and a lot of creeps are running around doing some sick stuff, but the vast majority of us are not freaks and weirdoes, although some of us might have cooties ha-ha. Many of us are really doing alright give or take some hard times and sadness, but the world itself is in birthing pains from this sinful degeneration of society into perverseness and paganism. It seems that most of us can't seem to figure out a way to both make friends and pursue relationships safely when they get burned by others who might not accept them. Some of the hard questions regarding rejection from these people are hard to answer, and I feel I haven't really found an answer that sums up the general reasons why Christians are such an odd bunch, but I know for certain that it should never have become like this in the church.
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Any chump who can read a Bible would know that Christians are not the fun-loving bunch of Christ-like balls of joy and happiness that they are expected to be. I'm even betting that one look by anyone at the verse below will probably think that God is not in Christians at all...how else can they be so unforgiving, conniving, unaccepting, depressed lumps of fearfulness that they are?
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1 John 4:16 ESV
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
I'm not seeing much "abiding in love" these days among Christians, yet how ironic that I would find it among non-Christians!!! I really can't explain this. All I can do is hope that this article makes other Christians aware how badly they can affect the name of Christ by forming cliques or tight groups. Christ calls us as Christians to reach out to the world even when it causes us to feel rejected and hated, yet how is it that Christians can't even reach out to other sad or hurting Christians?
This is my heart after I went
to church groups in the past
In Philippians 2, Christians are called to do all their menial, boring, awful life tasks and to serve Christ without grumbling, with love and passion, and it even says that we should do all the things we don't want to do with energy! Last time I checked this was not a common trait among anyone. And yet how many Christians find joy in the day-to-day activities? I would wonder how many Christians have ever felt joy at all. And I'm not talking about having a bad day. We all have those. I'm talking about how Christians these days seem to be every bit of depressed, hopeless, suicidal, vulgar mouthed, sex-mongering people as you'd expect any non-Christian to be. And it blows my mind that anyone could be joyless or even depressed when they can boast a God that literally loves them enough to die for them and forgive them for all their sins no matter what they do....every day! Seriously, where does depression fit into such a wonderful blessing? Truth be told, they might not be Christians, or perhaps they've lost their way. This is where we as BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST need to pep ourselves up and reach out to this sad world with love and acceptance, even when we're at work and are bored to tears or having an awful day. Serving Christ does not mean going on mission trips once a year or helping rake leaves every fall at your church...NO, serving Christ means loving all people of the world and all other Christians even when they reject you and hate you.
John 13-34-35
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
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Romans 13:8
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.
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1 John 4:7
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
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Ephesians 4:2
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
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1 Peter 1:22
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.[a]
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Matthew 5:44-50
44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
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What a gorgeous thing to read about. Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ love unconditionally. When you walk through the park with your friends, or see someone alone on the street, or when you know someone is sad, LOVE THEM! Do not fear rejection or scorn, but reach out to them always with the passion that your Christ reaches out to us each day. And remember that serving Christ is serving those in need.
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Matthew 9:41
41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.
Philippians 14-20
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[a] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE EVERYONE YOU MEET!
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