Double standard: ‘any code or set of principles containing different provisions for one group of people than for another’
The opponents of Christianity are right. We do have a double standard. There’s no doubt about it. Some might not realize it or know it, but the double standard is actually taught explicitly in the Bible. The Bible teaches us very clearly that we should have a different of standards for dealing with Christians vs non-Christians.
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It isn’t often that you hear Jesus speaking harshly. It isn’t often that you hear the Bible talking about a sin as inexcusable. But that is exactly how the Bible refers to a certain sin – one that we all do a lot more than we realize.
"Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things… And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?" (Romans 2:1-3)
Ouch! Tough words there. Where did that come from? Where’s all the love and forgiveness and mercy and grace and stuff like that? Why use a word like “inexcusable” to describe a sin which, if we’re honest, we all do on a daily basis?
Read More“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18
We’re in Part 3 of our No Big Deal? series and this week we’re talking about the sin of CRITICIZING. Whether we realize it or not, every time we open our mouths to speak, we can bring healing or piercing. We can build or we can tear down. We can give life or we can give death.
Which will you choose?
Read MoreIf you haven’t yet seen the video above, I strongly recommend that you do now. The clip is only three minutes long but its impact could end up being much greater. I don’t know who made the video or what its original purpose was, but I know that it has gone viral on YouTube and has been viewed by hundreds of thousands and talked about by even more.
But after watching the video several times, one thought keeps popping into my head...
Read More“For me to be right, someone else has to be wrong.”
~ Somebody who is easily offended
Sorry for the delay; we were unable to get this sermon uploaded on Sunday (which seems to happen every year on Super Bowl Sunday), but we're good now. Part 4 of I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME is up and this week's topic is THE EASILY-OFFENDED.
Of all the insecurities, this is something that's a lot harder to see in the mirror than it is through a window. No one would label themselves as easily-offended or overly sensitive; it's always easier to say the problem is out there.
But maybe if we take a slightly deeper look, we'll see differently.
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Below is a post I originally wrote back in 2013. I am reposting it today because a) it is one of my all-time favorites, b) I was speaking about the importance of caring for others this past Sunday, and c) God has been pounding this lesson into my head repeatedly over the past two weeks.
That's because I've spent more time in hospitals and emergency rooms in the past two weeks than the rest of my life combined - not for my sake, I am just fine, thanks be to God. I've been in and out of hospitals attempting to provide care for some loved ones - people who I love and care about deeply. That's actually the reason why I've been a little off-schedule with my posts and scopes recently.
And this experience has really taught me a lot - both about myself and about how God works in this world. Once things settle down and I get a chance to catch my breath, you can be sure that I'll be sharing those lessons - but for now, here's an important one to start off with: MY GOOD SAMARITAN MOMENT.
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“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” – Mother Teresa
Jesus sat with the sinners.
He ate with and loved them.
He was surrounded by them.
As we grow in our churches and in our services, we started focusing our efforts on building the next generation. So the church of Zambia can be strong. But along the way, I started noticing something different. Our church became different.
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Years ago, I read the Old Testament book of Jonah and decided that I didn’t really like Jonah very much. Whenever I say that out loud, I imagine myself getting to Heaven and running into Jonah as he stands with his hands crossed, head shaking, waiting for an explanation. This week, I got to thinking about what I would say in response. Why am I so quick to discount him?
Every Sunday School teacher will tell you that Jonah’s main struggle - the reason the Ninevites were almost destroyed - is because he was disobedient. Obedience is not my struggle. When God asks me to do difficult things, I do them. Now, never mind that when I do them I am worried, afraid, doubtful, begrudging and searching for every way to justify cutting corners and that those things are just as sinful. But in the end, I obey. And Jonah didn't.
And that makes it easy for me to look down on Jonah; because his sin is different than mine.
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At the start of this year's Lenten journey, Fr. Anthony reminded us that it is a journey of forgiveness -- God's forgiving nature towards us and our forgiveness of others. Whenever I think of forgiveness, I imagine a big dramatic scene like the prodigal son running into his father's arms or friends who haven't spoken for decades finally apologizing to each other in their gray years. It's easy to imagine myself being so magnanimous as to take back an errant child or wayward friend. I'm just arrogant enough to picture my dignified acceptance of his or her apology.
But I don't think that's what Christ meant when He asked us to forgive our brothers 490+ times (70 x 7, see Matthew 18:21-22). Scripture warns us not to judge and that the plank is our eye is much larger than the speck in our brothers' eye (see Luke 6:42).
We are so forgiving of our plank. We are so good at finding rational excuses for our sins. When we snap at a coworker, we excuse ourselves because we were tired. When we cross four lanes of traffic to get to our exit, we excuse ourselves because something distracted us. Do we extend the same courtesy when we are snapped at, when someone cuts us off?
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Let me start off with a disclaimer. I am not a Ray Lewis fan. But neither am I a Ray Lewis hater. I am just a sports fan with no particular affinity to either Ray Lewis or to the Baltimore Ravens or to anything that would make you want to stop reading this post and call me biased. I’m just a fan who likes to make observations. That’s it. No agenda. Just observations.
So here’s what I’ve observed recently…
Ray Lewis – while undisputedly being one of the greatest football players ever – is also one of the most polarizing athletes to ever play a sport of any kind. No one likes him or dislikes him. You either love him or you hate him. And even those words don’t seem strong enough to describe the type of emotion that he elicits.
Part of our culture in America these days is to either idolize or demonize people who are famous. And never has that been truer than with Ray Lewis.
There’s no in between with him. Those who love him…really really love him. To them, he is more than a player, he is some type of mythical figure – a man on a mission, sent by God to knock the heads off of opposing quarterbacks and then pick them up and tell them that God loves them. He is Ray Lewis, the hero!
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