An observation that was shared with me this past week as an expression of sorrowful disappointment:
"The meanest people I’ve met have been church people."
It’s true.
And while I know that some of the nicest people I’ve ever met have been church people it just doesn’t seem to balance out.
There is a difference in the behavior of spiritually immature people (babes in Christ) and the cruel behavior of "raised in the church" people.
One we expect. The other we don’t.
We can sure get fired up to battle against what we’ve been lied to believe are the heinous social ills of a self-righteously proclaimed "perverse" society.
And pay no attention to:
Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ. (Ephesians 4:32 NCV)
It seems to me we should teach or preach no other message to our church people until we’ve figured out how to be kind and loving to each other, until we’ve figured out how to forgive each other just as God forgave us in Christ.
We’ve already lost the battle when Christians are viewed as church people and not Christ people.
"I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other." (John 13:33-34)
