Christianity as it Should Be

So often we feel it is our calling to "fix" people for God. But is this really the Christian life as Christ intends? Is it really our place to judge, condemn, and mold people into who we believe they need to be, or are we only to focus on bettering ourselves, so that we may better love others?

A common saying within the Christian community is to “Love the sinner, but hate the sin.”.  However, this is found nowhere in the Bible, and tends to lead Christians to act opposite of how Christ did.  Often times, this slogan is used in connection to boycotting and protesting the things of the world.  It is used as an excuse to cut ourselves off from a world which desperately needs love.  We build buildings, which act as walls to keep out the world around us and tell people that if they come here, we will introduce them to Christ.  But Christ didn’t build walls.  He broke through boundaries and sought the hurting.  His death tore through the veil that separated the world from their Father.
 
Jesus didn’t boycott the darkness, He charged into it with a message of love and hope.
 
A close friend of mine says, “It’s time to stop boycotting the darkness and start lighting more candles.”
 
We expect the world to figure everything out, when many times we don’t follow the right path ourselves.  We fall into the pattern of the church in Galatians, and begin to follow a religion which expects people to fix their issues before they come join us.  It is because of sin that we are called to love without limits.

Dear FixMe,

I wish you well in your quest for truth.

Love,
Betty

FixMeLoveThem....

Welcome!

The mirror image stares back at us. In this nakedness we cannot hide from who we are if we really pay attention. Fix them - hell no! Just as I am who am I because of all the people, places and things in my life - good or bad - let others learn as well. I attempt to model right thinking, behaving and acting then doing so my words match my behavior. My motto is "I show up to grow up"!

Sometimes people cannot love what they dislike but that is okay...respect individuality. Good luck and keep on spreading the word!

Lee

Betty,
Thank you for the encouragement.

Lee,
It does start with the image in the mirror. my post is from my book, "Fix Me, Love Them: Christianity as it Should Be" (please forgive the self promotion). A big theme in the book is that we cannot begin to love others, until we first understand what it means to love ourselves. Not a prideful view of one's self, but an understanding of our worth and pupose. If we understand that we are not perfect, but are loved, then we can live a life centered around showing others their worth and purpose also. On the other hand, if we have a prideful, self-righteous view of self, then we will become focused on judgment and conformity rather than love.

The world understands judgment, what it needs is hope.

The world understands pain, what it needs is healing.

The world understands loneliness, what it needs is restoration and love.

Turn on the news, and it's easy to see that the world understands Hell (pain, war, murder, death, rape, greed, hate). What we have is the opportunity to charge into the darkness with hope, joy, and a peace that passes all understanding.

If we stop trying to change people, and focus on loving, we will change the world.

Quote :

If we understand that we are not perfect, but are loved, then we can live a life centered around showing others their worth and purpose also. On the other hand, if we have a prideful, self-righteous view of self, then we will become focused on judgment and conformity rather than love.

That just about sums it up, doesn't it?

Do you ever read Brian McClaren?

Ann

Ann,

I haven't read any of his books, though I have read and seen interviews.

If you haven't, you should check out Rob Bell ("Sex God", being my favorite), and Peter Rollins ("The Orthodox Heretic"). Both do a great job of stirring up conversation about how we are really called to live.

It is easy to fall into a religion of works and legalism, but it is a daily battle to live a faith that causes love centered actions and obedience.

-Matt

Check out the website. Join the Conversation.

http://www.FixMeLoveThem.com

Christ’s love is a beautiful, radical proclamation of hope and grace, and we
have been invited to take part in His abundant life. His journey invites the
weak and weary to come to Him and experience the joy of a refreshing,
invigorating, exciting, hopeful love which knows no end. We hold the answers
that the world is searching for, and we should be driven by a desire to share
those answers with everyone; without showing any prejudice toward those who are seeking truth and hope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26q5qyyoe0g&feature=youtube_gdata_player