“Oh, so you’re a part of this church? You know
pastor so-and-so? You attended the conference for ministry and
evangelism sponsored by that group? You attended that
seminary? Then you must be a real Christian.” We don’t like to admit that we
carry little mental checklists for who is “good enough” to be considered a real
Christian and who isn’t, and it’s usually based on superficial labels and not
on faith at all.
In countries where Christianity is well established, the
ugly side is religiosity and pride. It manifests in a desire to judge, condemn
and ostracize anyone who doesn’t appear to fit the norms of the ruling culture.
The Bible has clear requirements to discern what is true salvation, and who
belongs to the true Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of course we need to
be wise to stand against the lies of cults. But in church social gatherings,
few Christians take the time to “test the spirits.” Instead, they’d rather use
that list of labels and “who-knows-whos.” If people don’t fit the list, they
are usually ignored, gossiped about and socially rejected within the church. Those
who do fit the checklist are proudly displayed, given positions of
responsibility and spiritual authority in churches. And some of these
well-qualified leaders with perfect credentials have also been the cause of
infighting, ugly power struggles and church divisions. The checklists are
basically meaningless.
But on the other hand, how many people did God choose to represent
Him who didn’t match the perfect checklist of their culture or religious
climate of their time? God saw the purity of their faith and the motives of
their hearts and said, “Yes, these are My children.” Moses, Joseph, Ruth,
Gideon, David, John the Baptist, the twelve disciples, even Jesus Himself were
outcasts or rejects in some form or other. They were eyed suspiciously, but God
didn’t care. In fact, it seems that God often chooses those that don’t have the
perfect resume to be used for His glory. He chooses those who are even
offensive to the religious powers-that-be.
We need to be careful not to snub anyone who reaches out to
us because of a label or rumors we’ve heard. The Holy Spirit gives us
discernment as we see others with the eyes of compassion, no matter what has
been said about them. Are they from a troubled background and need help to find
God? Is their bitterness against God just a mask to hide deeper pain? Is their
zeal for a certain religion a sign that they are searching for the truth and
haven’t found it yet? Or maybe we’ve totally misinterpreted who they are
because we’ve labeled them out of our own ignorance. Maybe God wants to teach
us something through them. Neither should we feel offended if religious people
snub us. If they slandered Jesus, why should we deserve better treatment? A
natural consequence of being a true believer is to be misunderstood by false
(or weak) ones, and God expects us to deal with it in grace and forgiveness.
If I am certain of my salvation, why should I be afraid to
speak to anyone else? Why would I be intimidated by an atheist, a Satanist, a
cult member or a false Christian? If I know the truth, then no one can steal it
from me, and perhaps my assurance of faith can even help someone else find
salvation. And if they dislike me or pressure me to change? No problem. It’s a
positive challenge to show the love of God to them while also speaking the
truth boldly, in the faith that the seed I plant would eventually bear fruit. And
if you think I’m being deceived by false doctrines, don’t gossip about me to
others without knowing the truth, and please don’t run – try to save me! Maybe
you’ll discover that your preconceived ideas about my faith were totally wrong.
Beloved, do not believe
every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because
many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you know the
Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus
Christ has come in the flesh is not from God. This is the spirit of the
antichrist, which you have heard is coming and is already in the world. You are
of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is
greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world, and therefore
they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are of God, and whoever
knows God listens to us. Whoever is not of God does not listen to us. This is how
we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:1-6, MEV
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