“Apollos began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”
- Acts 18:26
The range and diversity existing within Christianity are incredible! Even looking in America alone you have people who sway far-right politically, and far-left politically. Then you get to theology and the range exists there as well. Honestly, it can be overwhelming at times to keep up with where everyone falls, but we have to try at some point to understand why they land there, and if they go too far, to explain the way of God more accurately.
To be honest, lately, that range and diversity have been frustrating. In the wake of Vaccine Mandates, I saw a post on it with each scroll of my thumb. The heartbreaking part was seeing self-professed Christian pages post hateful comments about our governing officials and advocating for resistance and fake-vax cards.
Here are just a few reasons this specific instance is infuriating to me:
1) If we profess to be followers of Christ, we are stating what we value and prioritize in our lives. Of this, we must remember what I call the “Prime” passages and commands.
“And Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
- Matthew 22:37-40
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
- Matthew 6:33
Love God, Love Neighbor, Seek His Kingdom, Seek His Righteousness. Meaning we look to God and His way above any other idea. If something originated in our political thought, we must toss it aside and seek to live out of God’s love for others and seek the Kingdom. We must be prioritizing Christ and His Gospel above petty feuds and differences of opinion. We must get our heads and hearts on straight, and we need one another to help accurize us for Christ!
2) If our governing officials are leading us to sin, such as Daniel being told to not pray and worship God, but pray and worship Nebuchadnezzar; then we are obligated to actively resist by keeping holy and pure. But a mask, a vaccine, life a required driver’s license or a drug test is not sinful. If we refuse to obey and submit, we might be committing sin in our resistance.
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”
- Romans 13:1-2
We must be careful in our conduct, cause if we prioritize love, and yet resist because a decision infringes upon “me,” is it God and the neighbor I am loving, or only myself and those like me? These words are as much for me in discerning how to act these days as much as anyone I’m saying them to. I too can get caught in my thoughts and opinions and wind up with a harder heart. I need accurizing too, but we must be accurized to the way of God, not the way of Conservatism or Liberalism or some theological sub-group. Part of the way of God is love and self-submitting.
Putting those two together leads us to be willing, as Christians, to deny ourselves our rights and privileges for the sake of God and others.
I have seen online too many Christians trying to rationalize the taking up of arms to violently defend themselves or possibly joining the “apparent” revolution. I’ve seen Christians claim they won’t see non-vaccinated people, and I’ve seen others call the vaccinated “soft” and “sheep.” Satan is laughing at us.
This is obviously a pretty emotionally raw post. I’m wrestling a lot, I’m looking at things from the public, from health officials, and going back to the text of the Bible and trying to hold that higher, while realizing it is not clear on masks, vaccines, and so on.
To me, it’s clear about this. God, who saw the brokenness of this world, and how seeped in sin it was and said to Satan, “that’s enough.” God never was and never will give up establishing His Kingdom here on earth. He tried through Israel, and He’s working in and through the Church, and we await the day it’s completed. Though there is so much I don’t know, I must take up living as Christ lived. Someone who redeems, heals, and bring peace.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
- Matthew 5:9
Final Blessing:
I don’t know the right answers and applications of these scriptures in today's circumstances. I’m wrestling a lot with them and yet trying to keep myself humble, who am I to sit on the judge's throne and accuse, I am in just as big of a need for accurizing. Apollos knew the way of John the Baptist. He knew a messiah was coming, but he was told the messiah had finished the job of redemption. His message was accurized. May these Scriptures help you as I believe they have helped me.
May the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breathe, and every heartbeat of your journey.
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