Disappointed

[rosadria]

I understand that tone is hard to communicate across text. I'll probably come off as being somewhat mean spirited, and I want to state first thing that that isn't at all my purpose here. Neither are problems that I am talking about specific to this guild. I am just using this guild as a platform, because well.. I suppose I like the number 1,000,000. That, and this guild seems to be a common one amongst the people who are Christians on this site, so I can get everyone on common ground, rather than spamming up everybody. NASB, as usual.



So, let's get down to it.

We are children of the Most High. He sent His Son down to Earth to be crucified by bestial men who were too foolish to realize that they were driving nails into the hands of the Almighty Son of God.

Quote:

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:1-7

You see, we have had a few very disruptive people come into the guilds. They've sprouted all kinds of blasphemy, been rude, and made quite the hubbub. But you know what? Look at the above passage again. Read it carefully.

We were all once that bad. We were all enemies of the Most High, in direct defiance of Him. By our words, actions, and by the fruit we produced, we all deserved to be immediately sent to Hell. But we won't have to be. We have, thankfully and by His grace, been sent the Son. We have an opportunity to reconcile ourselves to Him by the blood of the Lamb.

Quote:

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our LIFE is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Colossians 3:4

We don't deserve to partake in that glory. Look deep inside each of yourselves. I know what I've done. God knows. The person I have sinned against knows. We aren't any better than anyone who rejects the title Christian. It doesn't matter what your past is. Christ still died for you, for the openly hostile, and for the just simply curious. Don't think we're special, because we don't deserve His grace.

Treat them well! Come on! The Father led them right up in the middle of us, and we have done the Christian equivalent of flashing the bird. Stop. This could have been the only time in their lives that they will ever talk with a true Christian. We'll all stand before Him on that final day and give an account of why we treated these people like we did. How often do you find such obvious unbelievers walk right into a church, for we are a church of a sort, openly admit it, and beg for discussion? Never. At least, I've attended nearly nine different churches in my life, large and small, and it never happened once. We had, and might still have, a chance.

Bathe them in Christian love. Pray for them. Everyone who shows the hate and anger and rudeness, all unchristian actions (remember, good trees don't bear bad fruit), has only served to drive them farther and farther from God. Churches are for the hungry and lost. Christ was sent to the lost, not the righteous. Remember that.

You know what's special about churches? This is the only place besides rehab where we want "bad" people. We need drug addicts, atheists, Muslims, Hindu, prostitutes, and any other sort of "sinner." I've even seen a few Satanist. Because, and I cannot stress this enough, everybody who ever reads this was at one point just as bound for Hell as they are. This person might have been unreachable. It might have seemed to be a waste of time to approach the discussion calmly. But this is the internet! How many other people visited the page, saw the hate, and were immediately turned off to God? They could have been honest seekers.




Secondly. I've noticed some.. divisions here and there. Again, cut it out.

Quote:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:4-6

Denominational differences exist. Belief differences exist. Even so, we shouldn't exclude other people. I'll be bluntly honest with you. There are some people, and I refuse to name names, who I do not consider Christian here. I am of a strict, Bible alone.. Well, I'm Church of Christ, for those of you who follow those kinds of things. My church is widely considered by most of mainstream Christianity to be nothing more than a cult, and I'm ok with that. But this section isn't for me. You aren't going to hurt my feelings by trying to debate away the CoC. I welcome it.

This is your chance to convince myself, or others, that we are wrong. This is quite likely the only time in our lives, possibly eternity, that you'll have the chance to talk to us about your faith, and defend it. If we are wrong and you are right, you will give an account for how you treated us on that last day. Excluding from threads on the grounds of beliefs is one of those "give an account of" things.

So, in conclusion, be nicer. Bear good fruit towards your brothers and sisters. Bear good fruit towards those who might, no matter how unlikely, become your brothers and sisters. You will not make a single convert by yelling. So, approach it with patience. Approach it with kindness. Approach it like Christ would, or don't say anything.

That's my two cents about it. I want to again state that this isn't directed specifically towards this guild, but all of them in general. This one seems to have the most people in common with the others, and I don't want to spam everybody up more than I have to. 1,000,000 is a good platform.



Yours in Christ,
VKF.  

[CrimsonsDecayingRose]

Wow. Your 'text' is absolutely true. We ALL are sinners. And we don't deserve God's grace. But He still gives it to us.
Thank you for opening my eyes to some of my own actions. I will try to keep this in mind as i carry out my days.
All glory be to God!  

[CrimsonsDecayingRose]

I do want to add, however, that you should not judge who is and is not a Christian based on what we post. "Judge not yest ye be judged yourself."
We know we are sinners, but that does not mean we are not Christian.  

[Saint Crazy The Follower]

Beautiful speech. Wish I could hear you in person.

Though, I find it a bit of a shame you use "us" to refer to your denomination, as opposed to the entire body of Christ, if I am not mistaken.

I find no need to prove you wrong, or defend my own beliefs. My beliefs are my responsibility and I know I am accountable to God for them; but I honestly think that every time we debate, every time we try to convince, every time we yell, God doesn't really mind who's right. I would rather be right about one thing: that Jesus, the son of God, lived a perfect life and died by human hands so that I might live to see His face and know His Love.
I would much rather love you the same way than defend my beliefs to you. Jesus had every heavenly defense at his disposal to prove that he was right; but he chose Love instead. I hope I will always choose the same.  

[Shadows-shine]

I agree with you, VK. Except that I don't judge people and say they are not Christian. I cannot judge who really is one or who isn't one.


Though I will say, I am a disappointed at the way certain things have come across in text, but like you said, it is impossible to tell tone in text...but I have noticed hostilities!


I want to be understood, I want my beliefs to be understood. I want people to take into consideration the position that I take in a debate, especially when it comes to my Church, rather than finding all these half truths and taking them as the whole truth. I will take into consideration their point of view as well.

I want people to know that I am a Christian! I believe in Christ. He is my Saviour and my Lord! I have dedicated my entire life to Him!

I don't think that it makes one any less Christian for believing in modern revelation, a different canon than some one else, or that the Bible isn't the only book that contains the word of God.

And VK, you have summed it up very nicely. And I can't find any thing else to add at the present time.