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I still remember sitting in the tractor cab with my dad as he was going across the field when the song "You have to stand for something, or you will fall for anything. You have to be your own man, not a puppet on a string" came on the radio. I think about that song from time to time and its meaning. We know as Christians this world will not get any easier to live within. Morals and Biblical principles will continue to fade away. Our personal and religious freedoms will slowly dissipate as we inch closer to the second coming of Jesus.
Each of us will have to stand in our own way and in our own beliefs as the Lord leads us. As we seek to stand for the Lord, I believe it's important to stand in the right way, according to Biblical Principles.
As with anything, Jesus is our example. When Jesus sought to address an issue, His first priority was not simply correcting wrong behavior or to stand for truth, but rather to minister to the person in question. The Woman at the Well is a good example of this principle. The woman had misguided spiritual beliefs, a poor reputation in her community, and was living outside of Biblical principles. Yet, Jesus dealt with her in a gentle way, to build her trust, win her confidence, and call her to follow Him. This story, along with stories like the woman caught in adultery, demonstrate Christ's compassion, desire to minister personally to a person, and call them to follow Him. It was Paul and Silas who were thrown in prison for preaching the gospel, yet they chose to sing and praise the Lord, which converted the jailer and his family.
In the book Education, we have a quote that is probably familiar to many: "The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its rightful name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall." I think this is a powerful statement for the times we are living in; however, I think at times it is misunderstood. Many have used this to justify their actions to speak about people or organizations publicly, often times in a very harsh, unmerciful way, and showing lack of Christian courtesy while being praised for having the courage to speak out publicly on an issue. Let's look at some Biblical principles in regards to standing for what we believe in.
- It is important for us to present our own hearts and minds before the Lord for examination. Psalms 139:23, 24 / Matthew 7:1-5
- We must look at the people that we believe are out of the bounds of scripture as those that Christ has died for. Luke 19:10
- Matthew 18 calls us to start the conversation between us and the person(s) or organization involved as privately as possible. To keep the conversation at a small level for the purpose of redemption. Just as Christ labors and is patient with us, we must seek to be patient through conversations to allow God to work on individual hearts as well as our own. Matthew 18:15-17
- We should be cautious to avoid and engage in gossip and character assassinations.Proverbs 6:16-19
- Remember that God works through imperfect people. Throughout scripture, God used people to carry out His will who were far from perfect. Abraham, David, and others made great mistakes, but God used them in powerful ways to move His work forward.
- If all attempts to that point fail, we must truly seek God to understand our next step. God may call us to take a more public stand on an issue, or He may call us to continue to pray about the issue and allow Him to bring correction in His time.
- Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path. Proverbs 3:5,6
Please don't misunderstand what I am saying. It can take great courage to stand for right, especially publicly. But it can take just as much courage, if not more, to engage in a biblical process, engaging with people one on one when we have concerns about the direction they are going or decisions that they make that have an effect on us personally. But each step has to be prayerfully considered. As followers of Jesus, we must truly examine our hearts, and it can be easy to think God is calling us to do something when, in fact, it is our own desires.
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