Love the World. Challenge the Church.

On Sunday we had a great message at church that I wanted to pass on. We’ve been doing this series called “Front Page” about how recent events in the news relate to our faith. Topics we’ve covered so far are natural disasters; Bin Laden’s death; Harold Camping/May 21st and the Westboro Baptist Church.

The latest topic was the Westboro Baptist Church. The theme, “Love the World, Challenge the Church,” was about the need for Christians to show society more compassion and be known more for what we stand for than the particular sins that we are against. The message also was that, while we need to show the world more love, we also need to confront each other about sin within The Body more– in other words, many of us need to reverse our behavior!

Love the World…

The “love the world” part was a great, necessary message. A central part of this aspect of the sermon was that we often have godly expectations of an ungodly world. However, evaluating myself, I could say loving the world is not something I struggle with. If I ever start to think about why someone who does not know Christ would not understand godly principles, I immediately think of 1 Corinthians 2:14, which was also covered in the message: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 is a similar reminder of how radically different God’s ways are from the world’s- and that we can only know God’s truth if we’ve accepted Christ!

Challenge the Church…

The greater challenge for me from the message was confronting others in The Body of Christ, or “speaking the truth in love,” as it is often described. Below are a few of the reasons – or excuses -- we give for not confronting other Christians about sin:

One excuse for me is not wanting to be misjudged. I’m thankful that people know me as a person who holds godly standards and avoids compromise. But, admittedly, at times I’ve felt judgment for taking unpopular positions. Sometimes other Christians assume that because of a stance you’ve taken, you believe anyone who does not do the same is not living for God, or that you think you’re a better Christian- even if they’ve never asked you what you really think! As a result, in some instances I’ve avoided confronting someone where I should have because (1) I think the person already knows where I stand and I don’t want to do “overkill” or (2) someone might think I view myself as better than they are (aka “holier than thou,” if I can bring that back!).

I think it can also be challenging to confront another brother or sister in Christ who you already admire for their walk with God and may also be a good friend. On one hand this can make it easier because of the existing bond, but that’s also what can make it harder. You want that person to still like you – and, again, you don’t want them to think that you see yourself on some higher spiritual plane than they are when, in fact, you actually look up to that person!

Another reason is sometimes we just don’t see some issues as serious enough to confront. I think if we had friends who started doing drugs or engaging in prostitution, we’d probably think those were issues of death or life that require confrontation. But, consciously or not, there are some sins that may not seem to be worth confronting: for example, a brother or sister in Christ is part of a ministry team at church but frequently shirks on responsibilities, but the team still gets things done. Someone might be kinda sorta hanging out too closely with someone they shouldn’t, but there’s no way to bring it up without being direct. In these instances, we might think saying something is “more trouble than it’s worth.”

Other times, we feel like we can’t confront someone because we’ve struggled with the same issue. In short, we don’t want to be hypoctrites!

These are just some of the instances when we keep silent within the Body. However, if we really consider the consequences of sin and the purpose of the Body of Christ – to build each other up in love – there are times when we have to speak up.

Working On It...

This is an issue God has been working on me for some time. It started a few years ago when I had a series of unrelated conversations with brothers or sisters in Christ, and The Holy Spirit literally told me to ask some pointed questions that seemed to be a little bit in left field i.e., I “didn’t have enough information to go on,” I thought, or I judged them too direct. In the instances where I chose to ignore His voice, I later found out that exactly what God had brought to my mind was at issue, and that the person faced a serious consequence as a result of the circumstance. I regret those instances not because speaking up necessarily would have changed the outcome, but because I didn’t do what God told me to.

By contrast, in the instances where I did listen, even if it was uncomfortable, God used me to address an issue another brother or sister in Christ was having and encourage them, however big or small. Ultimately, our job as Christians is always to do what God asks us – even if we don’t think we have all the facts. In my experience, God has tended to use me to confront spiritual issues that I’m passionate about and already attuned to God’s heart on. I think being sensitive to God’s leading in areas where He’s already given us insight into is one way He can use us in this area.

Putting It On…

Speaking the truth in the Body is about love. I Corinthians 13: 6 says that love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Not pointing out harm in The Body can be a way of delighting in evil.

Ephesians 4 also says that speaking the truth in love helps us grow up to be more like Christ, The Head of the Body.

Getting Better…

I’m learning that love tells the truth. I’ve noticed that when I really care about someone else, I’m able to confront issues despite the fact that it might be really uncomfortable. What compels me most is that I want their relationship with God to thrive – and their witness to be evident to all. But that’s also how we should feel about everyone in The Body!

Ultimately, to love others, especially those in the Body, there are times we need to be confrontational. We have to get over ourselves and our worries so that we can build each other up in love. And the more we do it, the better we’ll get at it (Amen)!

Take a listen to the Westboro Message (or get it free on iTunes at the Bridge DC> Frontpage > Westboro Baptist) – and take your own “Love/Challenge” inventory!