Rabi Gunaratnam's Blog - Posts Tagged "christianity"
Should Christians be Always Meek and Mild?
Christians are seen as weak and ineffective because of a mistaken belief that even when they see extreme injustice or wrongs they need to be meek and not allow their real feelings to be expressed.
Isaiah 42:1–4 prophesied that God’s servant Jesus would not shout or cry out, or raise His voice in the streets, He will not break off a bruised reed or snuff out a smouldering wick, but He will establish justice on earth.
"Look at My Servant, whom I strengthen. He is My Chosen One, who pleases Me. I have put My Spirit upon Him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise His voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for His instruction" (Isaiah 42:1–4 NLT).
When we look at the life of Jesus in the Gospels through the eyes of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we see this to be true with two exceptions when He did things that appeared to be out of character:
• He became physically violent in the temple. He chased out the traders and overturned the tables. He said that His Father’s house should not be turned into a den of thieves. This was because the Father’s house was used for profiteering while cheating the poor and the vulnerable (see Matthew 21:12–13).
• He insulted the Pharisees by calling them blind guides, hypocrites, vipers and whitewashed tombs that were full of all sorts of uncleanliness. These religious leaders were hypocritical and were placing burdens on people that they themselves would not keep (see Matthew 23:23–35).
In both these instances Jesus’s scathing actions and remarks were against the leaders of the religious establishment of His day.
Like Jesus we need to have a zeal for the body of Christ and the kingdom. This zeal should result in us breaking down the walls of denominational separation and clean out the hypocrisy, intolerance and wealth generating programs within the church.
As believers we need to be like Jesus in our attitudes towards religious hypocrisy and the use of the church as a means for some to gain power and wealth. Our calling is to share the Good News, feed the hungry, look after the needy and to heal the sick (Matthew 25:42, Matthew 10:8).
During Jesus’s time the Romans were ruling over the Jews and the people did not like it. However, when Jesus was asked whether the people should pay taxes to Caesar, He told them to give to Caesar what belongs to him, and to give to God what belongs to God (see Matthew 22:15–22). He indicated that His followers ought to give to the government what is rightly theirs by paying the correct taxes and also showing them the honour and respect they deserve. But He added that His followers needed to give to God what belongs to God.
It is expected of the believer to obey the laws of the land unless it conflicts with what God wants (Rom. 13:1–7; 1Pet. 2:13–17). When the two realms are in conflict, Christians are to follow God (Acts 4:18–20; Acts 5:28–29)—and this, only in relation to propagating the Good News.
As Christians we need to vehemently protect the Kingdom values and the House of God from being used for personal or political gain by religious leaders.
Jesus was called a friend of sinners and a wine bibber (see Luke 7:34). Against the traditions of His day, He mixed with people from all walks of life and in all sorts of circumstances.
We must be like Jesus—we need to be in pubs and other places to befriend people. We need to invite those who are labelled ‘sinners’ to our church programs and services so that they can hear the Good News.
We must be like Jesus—not afraid of man but have an awe and a fear of God. We need to use our authority over the hypocritical people and leaders and be willing show our displeasure. Do our church leaders stand for truth, justice, and kingdom values? If not, we need to take a stand against their hypocrisy.
We must be like Jesus—in standing up for truth and justice. We must refuse to comply when what is asked of us is against what God wants of us.
Isaiah 42:1–4 prophesied that God’s servant Jesus would not shout or cry out, or raise His voice in the streets, He will not break off a bruised reed or snuff out a smouldering wick, but He will establish justice on earth.
"Look at My Servant, whom I strengthen. He is My Chosen One, who pleases Me. I have put My Spirit upon Him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise His voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for His instruction" (Isaiah 42:1–4 NLT).
When we look at the life of Jesus in the Gospels through the eyes of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we see this to be true with two exceptions when He did things that appeared to be out of character:
• He became physically violent in the temple. He chased out the traders and overturned the tables. He said that His Father’s house should not be turned into a den of thieves. This was because the Father’s house was used for profiteering while cheating the poor and the vulnerable (see Matthew 21:12–13).
• He insulted the Pharisees by calling them blind guides, hypocrites, vipers and whitewashed tombs that were full of all sorts of uncleanliness. These religious leaders were hypocritical and were placing burdens on people that they themselves would not keep (see Matthew 23:23–35).
In both these instances Jesus’s scathing actions and remarks were against the leaders of the religious establishment of His day.
Like Jesus we need to have a zeal for the body of Christ and the kingdom. This zeal should result in us breaking down the walls of denominational separation and clean out the hypocrisy, intolerance and wealth generating programs within the church.
As believers we need to be like Jesus in our attitudes towards religious hypocrisy and the use of the church as a means for some to gain power and wealth. Our calling is to share the Good News, feed the hungry, look after the needy and to heal the sick (Matthew 25:42, Matthew 10:8).
During Jesus’s time the Romans were ruling over the Jews and the people did not like it. However, when Jesus was asked whether the people should pay taxes to Caesar, He told them to give to Caesar what belongs to him, and to give to God what belongs to God (see Matthew 22:15–22). He indicated that His followers ought to give to the government what is rightly theirs by paying the correct taxes and also showing them the honour and respect they deserve. But He added that His followers needed to give to God what belongs to God.
It is expected of the believer to obey the laws of the land unless it conflicts with what God wants (Rom. 13:1–7; 1Pet. 2:13–17). When the two realms are in conflict, Christians are to follow God (Acts 4:18–20; Acts 5:28–29)—and this, only in relation to propagating the Good News.
As Christians we need to vehemently protect the Kingdom values and the House of God from being used for personal or political gain by religious leaders.
Jesus was called a friend of sinners and a wine bibber (see Luke 7:34). Against the traditions of His day, He mixed with people from all walks of life and in all sorts of circumstances.
We must be like Jesus—we need to be in pubs and other places to befriend people. We need to invite those who are labelled ‘sinners’ to our church programs and services so that they can hear the Good News.
We must be like Jesus—not afraid of man but have an awe and a fear of God. We need to use our authority over the hypocritical people and leaders and be willing show our displeasure. Do our church leaders stand for truth, justice, and kingdom values? If not, we need to take a stand against their hypocrisy.
We must be like Jesus—in standing up for truth and justice. We must refuse to comply when what is asked of us is against what God wants of us.
